“I wanted all of my sisters to feel a little bit of that glamour and that luxury and how fun and special it feels to be a bride,” Ms. Sandhu said.
Wedding planning inspiration often begins on apps like Instagram, Pinterest and TikTok, where bridesmaid proposals have gained steam in recent years. As brides seek out built-for-social-media moments, the bridesmaid ask has become a popular step for the affianced.
The asks can be events themselves, adding another function to the wedding event schedule. Some brides plan luxurious picnics, while others host more formal parties, enlisting the help of professional planners.
Alexus Wilkerson, an event specialist from Fairfax, Va., organized a Valentine’s Day-themed bridesmaid proposal party in February for a client. A wooden panel was placed at the end of a long dining table, complete with red roses, greenery and red balloons, emblazoned with the question, “Will you be my bridesmaid?”
“It was kind of like an elevated birthday dinner,” Ms. Wilkerson said.
Cierra Loggins, a commercial real estate broker in Houston, organized a brunch in Tampa, Fla., her hometown, and presented her bridesmaids with a box that included personalized notes explaining why she had chosen them. “I wanted to give them a grand gesture to ask them to be a part of my wedding,” she said.
Some bridesmaid proposals can get pretty creative.
Alexandra Tobin, 26, who works in advertising-technology sales and lives in New York, opted for a “something blue” theme at her bridesmaid proposal dinner party. Ms. Tobin worked with a company to set the table, which included blue candles, floral arrangements and cups. The party invitation hinted at a bridal party, so her friends weren’t shocked by the request. “I’m just more of an intimate person and I like to have experiences with my friends,” she said.
