A bride gave her 7 bridesmaids special 'proposal boxes' filled with more than $400 worth of products
Anneta Konstantinides
- Shylah May went viral on TikTok after sharing videos of her bridesmaid proposal boxes.
- May's boxes for each of her seven bridesmaids included more than $400 worth of products.
Every bride remembers the day they got engaged. But Shylah May's friends will definitely remember the day she asked them to be her bridesmaids.
Shylah May, a lifestyle blogger and fashion designer from California, recently went viral on TikTok after sharing videos of her bridesmaid proposal.
May threw her bridesmaids a lavish tea party and gifted each one a box filled with more than $400 worth of goodies.
Insider spoke with May to get the scoop on how she designed the box, how much she spent on each product, and what her bridesmaids thought.
May always knew she wanted to do something really special for her bridesmaids.
May said she first got the idea to do a bridesmaid proposal tea party while looking for bridal shower inspiration on Pinterest.
"I really wanted to go all out for my girls, as I'm asking them to go to Italy for my wedding," May said. "They are my ride or dies, and I would do anything for them."
"I just felt like going above and beyond and making my girls feel special," she said, adding that they've supported her relationship with her fiancé for over nine years.
May said she did a lot of research on bridal proposal boxes, and she wanted to avoid traditional "bridesmaid-branded items."
May vetoed items that she didn't think her bridesmaids would be able to use again, like items with their names embroidered on them or a single champagne glass.
"I didn't want it to seem like I bought a bridesmaid bundle on Amazon, not that there's anything wrong with that," she said. "I truly wanted to give my girls something they could use in their everyday lives."
Each box for May's seven bridesmaids had products worth more than $400.
Since May got engaged a year ago, she told Insider she had time to budget for the bridesmaid boxes.
"I am really fortunate to have a relationship with some brands who gifted me a couple of items — like pajamas and jewelry — in exchange for content," she added. "But most of the items I purchased."
Each bridesmaid was gifted a pair of $250 silk pajamas and $80 earrings.
May said the pajamas, which are from Nadine Merabi, are currently 40% off right now. The bridesmaids plan to wear the pajamas on May's wedding day.
May also gave each bridesmaid a $45 Chanel highlighter and a $16 lip treatment from Rhode, which is Hailey Bieber's brand.
"Queen Sofia Richie has gotten me into this highlighter," May says in one of her TikTok videos. "I ran it by my makeup artist first and she said it was a 10/10, so I had to include it with the girls' boxes."
May said she wanted to include items that "meant something and carried significance."
May also gave her bridesmaids an $84 custom candle from Le Labo in Santal 26, which is the scent she wears every day.
The candle also has May's wedding date and location on the label.
On top of each box was a custom $5 cookie that said, "Will you be my bridesmaid?" or "Will you be my maid of honor?"
May said it "made my whole day" to watch her bridesmaids' reactions to the boxes.
"I just love them so much, so seeing their reactions of complete happiness, excitement, and love got me so excited to share this really special moment with them," May said. "I've met each girl at a different phase of my life — middle school, high school, college, and two outside of college. So these girls have really stuck by my side and we've been a part of each other's lives through all the ups and downs."
"Each one of them is also close to my fiancé, so it was extra special for us to both be there to witness their excitement," she added. "He loves that I have such a special group of girls by my side."
May was shocked when her TikToks about the bridesmaid party went viral.
May's first TikTok about her bridesmaid proposal boxes, which was posted on July 27, has since racked up more than 1.8 million views. Her video detailing the cost of each product, posted on August 2, has received nearly 840,000 views.
"I still wake up to a dramatic response every single day," she said. "I love how much everyone has been tuned in, it made it even more special."
Some people have commented that May spent too much on the boxes, but she said she finds the criticism "so entertaining and funny."
"Most viral posts come with 'critics,' so I was expecting it," May said. "I find it very entertaining to see the back and forth in the comments."
"More and more people are moving away from the traditional wedding process and coming up with their own ideas," she added. "What seems like a great idea to some will be a terrible idea to others. All that matters is that you follow your heart and do what you want to do."
May also shared some tips for brides who want to build a memorable bridesmaid proposal box.
May recommends researching inspiration on TikTok, focusing on presentation, and adding items that you'd personally use on a daily or weekly basis.
"You don't want to spend all this money on something they will use once or just throw away," she said.
And while custom items add significance to the proposal box, May said it's important that the personal touches don't take away from the gift "and make it solely about you."
"For example, on the Le Labo candle, I customized a small tiny part of the label to say our wedding location and date," she said. "You want to make sure whatever you customize is still chic and not tacky!"
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