Wedding Gifts – are you looking for inspiration?
Wedding Season may have been on the side lines for most of the past year, but it’s coming back with a vengeance! In fact, there have been plenty of wedding pics all over social media already, and I have to say, it’s great to see everyone enjoying themselves with friends and family once again. But it also means the dreaded decision on what wedding gifts to buy for the happy couple has come back into the equation too!For guests, other than deciding what to wear, choosing a suitable wedding present is one of the most stressful things about such an occasion!
It’s not so bad if you know the couple well enough to know what you can get away with if you decide on humour, or what will suit them both, and will actually be used, if you opt for a more sensible gift. There’s nothing more embarrassing than knowing you’re the only one who offered what you thought was the perfect present, just to find out the bride and groom are not quite as impressed with the gift itself as you were with your efforts in wrapping!
I don’t know about you, but if there’s a wedding list set up it certainly makes life easier. Although I would recommend you get in there quickly though, or if you leave it until about a week before the wedding, you’ll be the one left with the most expensive items.
Speaking of which, it’s just as hard knowing how much to spend on wedding gifts as well. You don’t want to look like a skinflint, but nor do you want to outshine everyone else with something that might not even ever see the light of day after the grand opening!
We all know online shopping has made things a bit easier, particularly with the upsurge in demand over the last 15 or so months. And if shopping really isn’t your thing, at least you’ve been saved days of traipsing around the shops with absolutely no idea what to buy.
But another huge change in online shopping is the sheer variety available now. You can find personalised gifts for bride, groom, all without leaving the house, getting stressed over finding a parking space, and even better if you’re like me still trying to avoid people again after all this time.
If you are the one who is soon to be married and are looking for bespoke gifts for the bridal party, wedding favours, table and venue decorations, or cake toppers, we’re the perfect place for you too!
I’ll come back to the gift ideas later, but do you know how and when the concept of wedding gifts first began?
The history of wedding gifts
Wedding ‘gifts’ used to take the form of a bride ‘price’ or ‘dowry’ that was paid to the bride’s family. A dowry could be anything from land, animals, money, or any other form of wealth, with research revealing that the first dowry to be exchanged was recorded in 3,000B.C.
Things changed somewhat as time progressed. And the Renaissance saw ornate marriage chests which contained everything the bride would need to run the home. They were the early version of a ‘hope chest’ (or what some of us still recognise as ‘bottom drawer’) in which unmarried women would collect all the items they would need to keep house and to start married life with.
Around 400 years later, it became tradition for American brides to receive the gift of a leather key basket, representing her ‘mistress of the house’ role. The basket would be filled with various keys to unlock cupboards, chests, doors, all to reflect her newly married status.
Wedding gifts became a little less regimented over time and moved away from the symbols of the female married status. Macy’s was the first department store to introduce a wedding gift registry. Others soon started to follow, and included such items as china, silver, and crystal items. These, too, have developed though and still form an intrinsic part of wedding planning. From a dinner service (now, is that six places, eight, 10 or 12?) towels and bedding, garden tools and furniture, to more personal and emotive choices such as prints and pictures.
With more couples already living together before getting married though, it can be trickier to find household gifts that they still need. Which is why a little inspiration and creativity is sometimes needed when it comes to making the right choices!
Personalised wedding gifts for the happy couple
If you don’t have a list to work from, why not opt for personalised gifts with their names or Bride & Groom/Bride & Bride/Groom & Groom and the wedding date? Something that will resonate with each of them, and as with all personalised gifts, will reflect your relationship with them and be meaningful whenever they see or use your gift.
Here’s a few ideas, covering various budgets:
- Personalised passport holders and matching luggage labels.
- Champagne glasses or totally en trend Gin and Tonic glasses.
- Personalised mugs, prints or framed photographs.
- Pillowcases, luxury dressing gowns slippers and matching towel sets for pamper sessions.
- Motived cushions for those cosy movie nights in.
- A beautiful, engraved memory box or matching wedding ring boxes.
- And as wooden gifts are environmentally friendly and can add a bit of chic style to any dining table, how about a personalised chunky wooden chopping board, cheese board and matching serving board for those who love entertaining?
Five tips for the perfect wedding gifts
- Be prepared - much as it is tempting to take your wedding present to the wedding reception with you, and you may well see a table set aside for gifts, there is already so much going on during the day. So, the happy couple might appreciate you arranging for your wedding gifts to be posted directly to them, or personally dropped off, either before or after the wedding day. One thing less for them to worry about, and it’s always a nice excuse to meet up with them for dinner or a cuppa and catch up away from the hustle and bustle of the big day anyway!
- How much should I spend on a wedding present? A simple tip is to base it around your relationship with the soon-to-be-weds. Are they your friends, family, a work colleague, friend of a friend? A general rule of thumb is around £35-£40 for a work colleague, distant family member, or friend of a friend type of scenario; £50-£75 for a closer friend or relative; £75-£100 for a closer relative. This is only an indication, and really depends on your financial circumstances. If the financial aspect of choosing wedding gifts could cause you problems, the next tip might help.
- Group gifts – it’s great when a group of friends, the bridal party, or family members come together to buy a group wedding gift, as it offers more opportunity to choose more expensive items either from the wedding list or an alternative option which would otherwise be out of the couple’s usual price range. If you are part of the group purchasing such a gift, you can agree amongst yourselves how you split the bill, which can also take some pressure off your own bank account too.
- Wedding List (Register) – if there is a wedding list in place, it has been set up for a reason, not only making it easier for you if you’re struggling for inspiration. But also, because they are gifts which will be well received! Much time and thought will have gone into preparing the list, so stick to it if you possibly can.
- Creating a home – you might not think that the usual ‘housey’ things are exactly interesting for a wedding present, but don’t forget, this may be the one time that the newly weds don’t have to think about their own budget when it comes to shopping for household items. And this is where you can go to town on the personalised gifts too! If you know the couple, know what their house is like and how a personalised gift could help them create more of a loving home, then you have a perfect opportunity right here!
And finally, weddings should be a time for fun and enjoyment, for all involved. If there is anything you think we can help you with, please give us a call. Whether it’s personalised wedding gifts, wedding cake toppers, or personalised banners and decorations, we might just have what you’re looking for!