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"When you&amp;amp;#8217;re in the wedding party, you spend a lot of money and do a lot of work. Your only reward? Getting to stand throughout the ceremony. Most brides want to give you a great wedding thank-you gift, though--they just might need help choosing one. That&amp;amp;#8217;s where you ladies come in. If I could choose my own thank-you gift for being a bridesmaid, here are some presents that&amp;amp;#8217;d be up my alley. A spa day. Even if the bride can only afford a 45-minute massage, I can&amp;amp;#8217;t think of a better way to relax after helping a friend plan for months and throwing her shower and bachelorette party. (Hint to brides: Check out coupon sites and individual spa sites so you can buy when there&amp;amp;#8217;s a special--I just saw a 70-minute massage for under $50 on Groupon!) Freshly baked chocolate-chip cookies. I&amp;amp;#8217;m addicted to chocolate, and I&amp;amp;#8217;ll eat it in pretty much any form, but there&amp;amp;#8217;s something about warm, gooey chocolate-chip cookies right out of the oven that I find irresistible. I&amp;amp;#8217;m matron of honor for my best friend Emily, who&amp;amp;#8217;s a talented baker, and I would be positively thrilled with a basket of her homemade treats. Even better: a basket of the sweet stuff once a week for a few weeks. A free and fabulous bridesmaid dress. I bought my friends their bridesmaid dresses because two of them said they&amp;amp;#8217;d prefer that over typical bridesmaid gifts. I&amp;amp;#8217;m not sure if lavender taffeta is something they&amp;amp;#8217;ll sport again, but I know I&amp;amp;#8217;m happy to have one less expense when I&amp;amp;#8217;m a bridesmaid. A necklace that&amp;amp;#8217;s so me. Emily and my other best friend Melissa are gifted gift-givers, and one of my favorite presents ever was from them for my 21st birthday: a delicate silver necklace with a heart charm with diamond chips in it. I wear it all the time because it&amp;amp;#8217;s super girly, so something I&amp;amp;#8217;d pick out for myself. I&amp;amp;#8217;d prefer a personal gift like that over receiving the same jewelry the other bridesmaids receive. So help out the brides (or drop hints to your friends reading this!): What would make an ideal bridesmaid gift? What presents would you rather not receive? How much do you think brides should spend per bridesmaid? More About Great Gifts to Give Engagement Presents for New Fiances What Do I Buy a Friend When Nothing Personal Is Left on Her Registry? Three Chic Bridesmaid Gifts More Ways to Get Glamour Visit Shopglamour.com for cute stuff starting at just $10! Enter the latest Glamour sweepstakes! Follow us on Twitter Add us to your iGoogle homepage Photo: George Doyle"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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