Like my dress shopping, I had a lot of criteria that I was trying to meet for this gift:
--fancy (I've never been to a bridal shower, but I felt like those type of party's have an elevated feel?)
--personalized
--wedding related (hence the spa thing, weddings are stressful!)
--cute and whimsical
--"wow" factor of opening in front of a bunch of strangers I don't know (that sounds terrible but I can be a shallow beast)
So I came up with a Spa "Candy" Box, which I felt WAS JUST PERFECT. First I was looking up vintage hatboxes, but I was trying to keep my gift under a certain price point, and I didn't want to spend most of it on the box. Even though I found some gorgeous ones, I eventually had to pivot to a cardboard hatbox.
I found some personalized ones on Etsy which helped make the box feel fancier. She has an unusual name, so I thought having something with her actual name of it would be unexpected. It's also made of sturdy cardboard, so I hope she can find another use out for it. I'm a big fan of making the container part of the gift. I have a friend that is amazing at this and is my gift-giving muse. THAT'S YOU, KATRINA!
It wasn't difficult to find sweet-themed toiletries! The hard part was narrowing it down. I went with a face mask, some bath salts, and a lip balm. I had bought her this balm last year for her birthday, but her husband-to-be absconded with it (or she lost it, but I like the idea of him using it, ha) so I figured she was due for a new one. It's definitely pricier than your strawberry Chapstick, but if you ever want to splurge, this should be it.
Personalized Hat Box || Etsy
Coconut Bath Salts || Dermstore
Chocolate Face Mask || Dermstore
Sugar Lip Balm || Sephora
