Wedding Gift Ideas
From LoveToKnow Weddings
If you received a wedding invitation, it's a given you've been invited because the bride and groom consider you a special person with whom they'd like to share their day. That's not to indicate only your presence is required. While it's very bad etiquette to request a wedding gift, to not give one is even worse.
If the happy couple already had a household established prior to the wedding, it might be difficult to find a gift. After all, they seem to have everything. Thank goodness for the wedding registry!
Bridal Registries
Over the past few years, technology has made it much easier to develop a wedding registry. Thanks to the Internet, one doesn't have to live in the same town as a bride to print out the wish list. In fact, many national stores such as Bed Bath and Beyond to Wal-Mart and even Home Depot now have gift registries that can be accessed online or in person.
Registries are great because they tell shoppers exactly what the couple needs or desires. Since couples are now getting married older in life, traditional gifts such as dishes and pots and pans are no longer required. Instead many married couples are looking for home furnishings and decorative items. If they do request gifts of a more domestic nature, there's a good chance it's in replacement of one that's worn.
Common registry items are specialized cookware like woks, bread machines, barware and home accessories. The registry will advise you of all the details such as color and price. It will even let you know if certain items have already been purchased. This takes all the guesswork out of buying gifts, making it easier to pick something in your price range and go.
Beyond the registry
Some people feel it takes all the fun out of buying gifts if they don’t have to put any thought into it. Some people refuse to buy off the registry, instead wanting to buy the couple something more personal that will be cherished for anniversaries to come.
Engraved gifts are often popular, and can range from picture frames to flasks to champagne flutes. Etched with the couple’s names and the date of their wedding, this is a gift that is sure to become a treasured keepsake.
Other popular choices beyond the registry include candles and candlestick holders, photo albums, personalized blankets, picnic baskets or backpacks (so their life together will always be a picnic), wine (if the couple drinks) and cookbooks.
You can also think about the couple as people and what gifts they would really like. Think about how they met, where they got engaged, or other stories you know from their life together and how a gift could incorporate that story. For instance, if they met in a city where they don’t live any more, see if you can find a tourist shop online that will sell you something from that town (or the state if they lived in a small town).
If all else fails...
If you truly don’t know what to get the happy couple, if you aren't close to them and don't want to pick something wrong, or you can’t afford anything on the registry, go with a gift card. Couples often want to buy things from their registry that no one bought them, so they can pool gift card money to help keep costs down.
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