As the summer wedding season approaches, wedding guests all over the state of Texas will face the same challenge: what gift to give the bride and groom. While etiquette indicates that guests have up to one year after the wedding to present wedding gifts, the fact of the matter is that most people forget if they don’t find a gift before the wedding. Don’t be “that” person. Use these ideas and earn a reputation of being a great gift-giver.
Buy something off the registry
The easiest option is to find out where the couple has registered and purchase something from their registry. It’s not very personal, but you know for sure it’s something they want. You can also use the registry to get an idea about tastes and color schemes should you opt to give something not on the registry.
Heirloom
If the newlyweds are part of your family, give them a token of the family history. Pass down the quilt your great-grandmother sewed by hand, the rocker where grandpa sang all the grandkids to sleep, or the army trunk of your uncle, the World War 2 veteran. When you give an heirloom as a gift, be sure to include the story behind it. An heirloom is only as meaningful as the story it represents.
Memory
Give the couple a memory. Frame their wedding invitation with some pressed flowers. Enlarge a picture of their first date or present the tickets stubs from a movie you all attended together.
Gift cards
Perhaps the only gift easier to find than a gift on the registry is a gift card. The gift is impersonal and common, but brides and grooms often collect enough to be able to make larger purchases for their home, like bedroom furniture or a new television.
Offer to pay for part of the celebration or part of the honeymoon
Depending on how close you are to the couple and how much you have budgeted for their gift, you could offer to cover some of the costs of their celebration. Whether you choose to pay for live wedding music, a DJ at the reception or the flight to their honeymoon destination, set clear spending limits up front.
Hobby supplies
Does the couple love to camp? Get them a tent or a sleeping bag for two. Do they love board games or movies? Buy them the latest releases. Do they always talk about wanting to go to the local museum? Give them a membership. Think outside the box of just giving home décor items.
Bottle of wine or Champagne
Help your friends celebrate their new life together by giving them a nice bottle of something celebratory.
Creative gift
So many brides are using Pinterest to create a DIY wedding that you certainly have the freedom to create a DIY gift. Write the story of how they met and became engaged. Write their vows in calligraphy. Draw a sketch of a picture of the two of them together and have it framed. Whatever your artistic bent happens to be, do that.
Subscription
Buy the newlyweds a gift subscription to a wine or coffee of the month club, their favorite magazine or season tickets to the symphony.
Tickets for a date
Some newlyweds have beautiful dishes but lack the money to go out on a date. Give the gift of a night out on the town. It could be movie tickets, theater tickets, or tickets to a concert or sporting event. Think of something they would enjoy doing together and then make it happen for them.
Weddings are a time to celebrate love and friendship. The amount you spend on a gift is not as important as the meaning behind the gift. Shop accordingly.
