SCam: Personally, a gift is a gift is a gift. If I paid for it and I gave it to you, it is therefore a gift, regardless whether it’s “for the wedding day” or not. That is my personal opinion. It is also my personal opinion that anyone who would act rude about a gift because it’s all “for the wedding” probably doesn’t deserve any gifts. I’ve been in several weddings, and most of them included Bridesmaid or Best Man gifts that were all for the wedding. I was grateful either way.
I bought robes for my girls, and honestly I didn’t do it for the pictures AT ALL! We got maybe 10 photos in them just because we had them. My girls have been raving about them since-they were nice and silky so some of them have kind of used them for a sexy little “outfit” with their hubby. I guess when I handed out the bags, some of the husbands/SO’s were really excited about them-that was an unexpected plus!
I also bought necklace/earring sets off Etsy with specific purposes to be worn on the wedding day. I did buy them white gold infinity bracelets and told them that they did NOT have to wear them for the wedding-that it was more my gift to them. They all wore them anyway, and my sister (MOH) wears hers all the time-she says it’s her favorite bracelet.
I also bought clutches off Etsy that matched the wedding colors, because I have been in weddings before where a bag or clutch was provided and it turned out to be very handy. That was what I used to put in all the “emergency” day of things in, like bobby pins, safety pins, a stain stick, bandaids, mints, etc.
I also gave all the girls a shot glass with a coral dress on it, with a teal ribbon and their name in teal. (Those were the wedding colors.) That was more personal, and we didn’t use them for pictures or props, and although they were very much tied to the wedding, it was something for them to remember the day by. It didn’t have our names all over it (bride and groom) or date or anything.
Lastly, I did get my girls 1 gift that was between $15-20 that was personal for them. For example, I got my SIL a candle with Hogwarts castle around the sides because she loves Harry Potter.
Either way though, I honestly think that whatever you give your girls is a gift, no matter the use.