The friends and relatives who participate in a wedding party perform a very special service. They provide support to the nervous bride and groom, they take care of many of the odd jobs that go along with a wedding, and they add a little extra fun to the mostly serious proceedings. In thanks for what they do, it is customary to give them small tokens of appreciation. These gifts can be almost anything, ranging from gift baskets, to purses, to watches, to gift certificates. However, if you want to give your wedding party tokens of appreciation that will last forever, the best way to go is to give them gifts of small jewelry.

For the maid of honor and bridesmaids, there are tons of jewelry options, including bracelets, necklaces, charms, pendants, earrings, and more. On the high end of the price range, each of these options come in 14k gold. Gold bracelets and necklaces are extremely versatile, but for bridal party gifts, it may be best to go with choices that are a little more simple. After all, it is important to keep in mind that jewelry tends to take on all kinds of intense symbolism. Before making your purchases, you should remember the message that you're sending -- which, in this case, is something like, "Thank you for being a great friend, and thank you for all you've done."

Going along with the flower motif often associated with weddings, necklaces come in all kinds of designs that incorporate flowers of all sizes and colors. These are most often made out of pearls or precious stones, such as diamonds, amethyst, emerald, or topaz. Meanwhile, there are countless exquisite bracelet options, many of which also include precious stones or pearls, and there is also a wide variety of charms and pendants. For your bridal party, consider versatile bracelets that almost any woman is likely to love.

Of course, if you plan to personalize your wedding party gifts, it's a good idea to find out the bridesmaids' favorite colors, and maybe try to get a feel of what kinds of jewelry they like. Charms and pendants are always ideal for very personalized jewelry gifts.

For the best man and groomsmen, the options aren't quite as expansive, but there are some creative choices out there. For example, there are 14k gold and sterling silver money clips. Usually, when a man is given a money clip, he later wonders how he ever went without one. They are incredibly useful, and most men will be charmed to receive one.

Meanwhile, cuff links come in a wide range of designs, both gold and silver. If you look hard enough, you can find the perfect cuff links for each member of the party -- which can actually be a fun activity. In addition, there are also gold key chains, silver and gold bracelets, men's necklaces, pendants, and rings.

Luckily, the Internet now makes it very easy to personalize gifts for large groups of people. No longer do you have to go to a store and spend hours talking with the salesperson about the tastes of your wedding party members. Thanks to the numerous jewelry stores now available online, it's now possible to do all jewelry shopping from the comfort of one's home.

In the no-pressure atmosphere of your living room, you can browse hundreds of photographs and descriptions of jewelry items, considering how each piece would go over with each of your party members. Plus, shopping on these websites is now as secure as shopping in person, and shipping can go as fast as you would like it to.

So start shopping. Remember, you want to show the friends and family in your party how much you care. Jewelry is the best way to do this.