"Will you be my bridesmaid?" scratch cards and proposal ideas

Asking someone to be your bridesmaid is a small proposal in its own right. You want her to feel picked, not pinged a message between other messages. A bridesmaid proposal scratch card gives the question a moment. She scratches the panel, the words appear, and there is a little pause before she reads them. We make these by hand in our Hessle studio, printed with her name and yours, and they start at £5.50.

What a bridesmaid proposal scratch card is

It is a small printed card with a scratch-off panel, like a lottery ticket, that hides your question underneath. We print her name on the front and the message you choose under the panel, usually "will you be my bridesmaid?" or "will you be my maid of honour?". She scratches it off to find the question, which turns a quick ask into something she gets to do with her hands. When it is over she keeps the card, so it works as a little keepsake as well as the moment itself.

The designs we make

There are six designs in the range, so you can match the card to her rather than to a template. There is a soft eucalyptus design and a sage green dots design for a green or botanical scheme, a silver confetti design and a silver and grey heart design for something with a bit more sparkle, a pink dots design, and a heart choice design. Each one is printed with her name and your wording. You can see them all in the bridesmaid scratch cards collection. If you already know her colours, pick the design closest to them. If you do not, the eucalyptus and sage designs suit almost everyone.

What to write under the panel

The wording is yours to choose, and it is worth a minute of thought because it is the bit she scratches to. Keep it short so it reads at a glance, and use the word that fits her role. A few that work well:

• Will you be my bridesmaid?

• Will you be my maid of honour?

• Will you be my flower girl? for a younger member of the party.

• I cannot say I do without you. When you want the ask to feel warmer than a straight question.

You can add her name to the front and, if there is room, a line like "you have always been by my side" so the card feels written for her. Tell us the exact wording when you order, spelling and all, and we set it as you sent it.

How to make the moment land

The card does the work, but a little staging helps. You do not need a party for it. A few ideas that suit a scratch card:

• Hand it over on a normal day, a coffee or a walk, so it is a surprise rather than an expected event.

• Post it to someone who lives far away, with a note asking her to call you before she scratches it.

• Give the whole group theirs at once if you are asking a few people, so they scratch together and work out what is happening at the same time.

• Have a coin ready. A penny scratches the panel more cleanly than a fingernail.

Sizes, stock and prices

The cards come in two sizes, 6 x 4 inches and 5 x 7 inches, on either white or kraft brown card stock. The 6 x 4 cards are £5.50 and the 5 x 7 cards are £6.50. The kraft stock suits a rustic or botanical theme, while the white stock keeps the colours brightest. There is no minimum, so you can order just the one for a maid of honour or a set for the whole party. If you are asking several people, it is worth ordering a spare in case a spelling changes or you add someone late.

How ordering works

Every card is made to order in Hessle. You give us the names and the wording when you order, and we send you a proof to check before anything is printed. Nothing goes to print until you are happy with it, which matters when a name has to be spelled right. Because they are personalised, the cards are not returnable for a change of mind, so the proof is your chance to catch anything. Leave a little time for the proof and the post, especially if you are timing the ask around an engagement party or a get-together.

Carrying the idea through to the day

If the scratch card lands well, the same idea works at the wedding itself. Our wedding favour scratch cards sit at each place setting with a hidden thank-you or a prize, and they start at 60p each. For a head-table gift or a thank-you to the people who said yes, the foiled reveal tickets are a step up, printed with a real foil finish at £10 each. And if you would rather give your bridesmaids a keepsake to hang up afterwards, the wedding prints collection has personalised designs from £8.

Start with the bridesmaid scratch cards, pick the design closest to her, and tell us her name and the wording you want under the panel. We will send a proof back and get it made.