If you want to ask someone to stand with you, a card that looks like them is an easy way to make the question feel specific. On Ottermagic you upload a clear photo, run Face Swap or Style Swap, preview until it is recognisably them, then order a printed A5 card (148×210mm folded, 330gsm gloss, envelope included; Royal Mail around 3–5 working days in the UK, airmail around 2–3 weeks to the US) or take the e-card, a hi-res watermark-free download. Posters and canvas are available if you want a matching keepsake later. This is the ask, not the hen or bachelorette stationery. Start at Ottermagic.com.
The outcome is a yes-or-no object they can keep. The mechanism is their photo in a style or a scene. You only pay when the preview looks like the person you are asking.
What a wedding-party ask card is doing
"Will you be my bridesmaid," "maid of honour," "best man," "groomsman," or "wedding party" is a short question with a long calendar behind it. The card does not need to explain the venue. It needs to look like the friend you mean, and leave room inside for the real sentence: the date if you have it, the fact you want them there, and that they can say no without a speech.
Hen dos, stag weekends, and bachelorette themes are a different pile of paper. Those can be louder. The proposal card is often handed over in a kitchen, not on a night out. Match that room.
Text Swap can carry the job title and a name if you have no photo. Some shops run deep catalogues of "will you be my…" headlines. Ottermagic still offers Text Swap. If you have a picture of them (you almost always do), Face Swap and Style Swap are the stronger reason to use the site.
Face Swap versus Style Swap for the ask
Face Swap puts them into a finished scene. That suits a playful ask: them as a small figure in a celebration template, or a costume look you already know they like. Lucky Leprechaun-style energy works when they would laugh. It fails when the scene is meaner than your friendship.
Style Swap restyles their portrait into a named look. That is the calmer default. Watercolour and Sketch feel like a gift. Photobooth and Cartoon feel like a night you have already had together. Royal Portrait is affectionate if they can take a joke about being "promoted."
Pet Swap appears more than you expect. The dog who will be at the ceremony, or the cat who lives with the maid of honour, can be the front if that is how you two talk. Use a clear pet photo.
Live styles: Brick, Chibi, Emoji, Anime, Watercolour, Caricature, Cartoon, Classic Cartoon, Action Figure, Clay 3D, Retro Halftone, Retro Game, Royal Portrait, Pixel Art, Bobblehead, Sticker Sheet, Tarot Card, Photobooth, Sketch, Lucky Leprechaun.
Try two looks on the same photo. Keep the one you would actually put in their hand. A Bobblehead bridesmaid card is funny in a group chat and awkward if they are shy about their face.
One card or a set for the whole party
You can make a different preview for each person. That is the point of a photo-led ask. Use a dedicated picture of them, not a cropped wedding-fair selfie of six people.
If you want a matching set, pick one style family (for example Sketch for everyone, or Cartoon for everyone) and change only the photo. The insides can still be different. Maid of honour and best man often get a longer note. A groomsman who lives far away may get the e-card first, so the question lands today, with a printed A5 to follow.
Do not reuse one Face Swap scene with the wrong face still in the crop. Zoom the preview. Check glasses, hair, and whether it is actually them.
Photo that makes the ask easier
- A face-on phone photo in daylight is enough.
- Avoid the one where they are mid-sentence at a dinner.
- If they wear glasses, keep a frame where you can see their eyes.
- Kids-as-flower-people need a still shot. Take a few.
- For a couple you are asking together (two friends, or a pair of siblings), a clear two-person photo can work on Style Swap. Face Swap is safer with one face unless the template is built for more.
If the preview is "almost," change the photo before you rewrite the inside message. The likeness is the whole gift.
Timing: printed A5, e-card, wall art
Wedding-party asks often happen months out, which is kind to Royal Mail. They also happen three weeks before the day, which is not.
| When you are asking | Format that usually fits |
|---|---|
| Plenty of working days, you want an object | Printed A5, 330gsm gloss, envelope in the pack |
| They live in the US and you have about three weeks | Printed A5, sent by airmail to their US address |
| You are asking this weekend, or they live far away and you want it there today | E-card, then print locally or send the file |
| You also want something they could hang | Poster or canvas of the same artwork (check Ottermagic.com for live sizes) |
| A face would feel like pressure | Text Swap, or ask in person with a plain note |
Printed cards are 148×210mm folded, printed to order in the UK, blank inside or a printed message, recyclable stock, water-based inks, posted with Royal Mail to UK addresses in around 3–5 working days or sent by airmail to US addresses in around 2–3 weeks. Checkout is in pounds in the UK shop and dollars in the US shop. Support: support@ottermagic.com (reply within one working day).
You can order the e-card and the printed A5 of the same preview. Some people want the file on the day and the envelope later.
What to write inside
Keep the job title in language they use. "Maid of honour" and "maid of honor" depend on who is reading. "Bridesman," "groomswoman," and "wedding party" are all real words in real friend groups. Write the one you would say out loud.
Give them an exit. A kind ask includes the cost in time, not only the compliment. Mention the date if it is fixed. Mention that you love them either way.
The front should not carry a paragraph. If you add a printed message, keep it to the question plus a name. Handwriting does the rest on 330gsm gloss.
This is not the place for the hen-do itinerary. Save that for a later note.
Who this is for (and when to skip a face)
These cards suit you if you have a photo, a bit of time to preview, and a friendship that can handle seeing themselves drawn.
Skip a likeness if they hate photos of their face, if the ask is sensitive (someone who recently left a wedding party elsewhere), or if you are not sure they can take the weekend off. Text Swap or a conversation without a card is still a complete ask.
Ready when you are
Ask them with a picture that is actually them. Upload a photo, try Face Swap or Style Swap, and keep the preview you would hand over in a kitchen. Order a printed A5 card (148×210mm, 330gsm gloss, envelope), take the e-card if you are asking soon, or add a poster or canvas if the artwork should stay. Start at Ottermagic.com. Support: support@ottermagic.com (reply within one working day).
FAQ
Can I make a "will you be my bridesmaid" card without a funny costume?
Yes. Style Swap in Sketch, Watercolour, or Photobooth is often enough. The question can sit inside.
How many cards can I make for one wedding party?
As many as you have photos for. Preview each person. A matching style across the set looks tidy; the faces should still be theirs.
Is this the same as a hen or bachelorette card?
No. A proposal card is the ask to join the wedding party. Night-out themes are a different job and can be louder.
How long does a printed proposal card take in the UK?
Around 3–5 working days with Royal Mail, printed to order. If you are asking this week, use the e-card.
Can I include a pet on a groomsman card?
Yes, via Pet Swap, if that animal is part of how you two talk. Use a clear pet photo.
Do US friends get a posted Ottermagic card?
Yes. Order from the US shop and the printed A5 goes by airmail to their US address in around 2–3 weeks. If you are asking sooner, send the e-card, or print the download locally.
