Wedding Gifts

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Feanaro_s_Wife

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I am looking for suggestions and examples of what to give as a wedding gift. My husband and I have already come up with some ideas but i’d love to hear from all of you…

It is my husband’s older brother who is getting married. They do not have a close relationship so my hubby does not know personal details of the couple’s life together. They have registered at a major department store here so we will have some idea of what they need once we see the gift registry.

Also, if you have any stories of best/worst wedding gifts either given or received I’d love to hear them!

Malia
 
A lady at work would buy Christmas lights on clearance after Christmas. At each wedding, she would give boxes of Christmas lights - and these were always a unique and appreciated gift.

Another friend gives a case of wine, mixed with some nice reds and whites - for many nice dinners to come.
 
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kage_ar:
A lady at work would buy Christmas lights on clearance after Christmas. At each wedding, she would give boxes of Christmas lights - and these were always a unique and appreciated gift.

Another friend gives a case of wine, mixed with some nice reds and whites - for many nice dinners to come.
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Thanks!

The Christmas lights are definitely a unique idea! I like it.

The wine is one we hadn’t thought of yet…

Malia
 
I always give a picture frame engraved with the wedding date and the names of the bride and groom. That way they can put a picture of their wedding and everyone that sees it can see the date they were married.
 
I too like to give a silver frame but with the couple’s wedding invitation in it. Someone gave my dh and I ours that way and I loved the idea so I do the same for others.
 
Once in a while I will give a neutral colored blanket with the couple’s name and wedding date on it. Everyone could use a blanket to snuggle under!
 
Since your husband and his brother do not have a close relationship, selecting an item (within your price range) from the wedding registry might be the safest bet; at least you’ll know that you’re giving something that the couple really wants.

Is the couple Catholic? I’m getting married at the end of May, and I’ve found a few “Catholic” gifts (some on-line, others at a local religious shop) that I would love to receive for our wedding-- a family Bible, a “Bless This Home” cross, a statue of the Holy Family, a Last Supper wall plaque, etc. Also, a family friend gave us a beautiful unity candle set as our wedding gift. Perhaps there is something the couple needs for the ceremony that you could give as a gift.

Best of luck!

%between%
Feanaro's Wife:
I am looking for suggestions and examples of what to give as a wedding gift. My husband and I have already come up with some ideas but i’d love to hear from all of you…

It is my husband’s older brother who is getting married. They do not have a close relationship so my hubby does not know personal details of the couple’s life together. They have registered at a major department store here so we will have some idea of what they need once we see the gift registry.

Also, if you have any stories of best/worst wedding gifts either given or received I’d love to hear them!

Malia
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Do you have a ‘Things Remembered’ store near you? They have beautiful stuff.( I imagine they probably have a website though too.) They also have those blankets that another poster suggested that you can have made, they come out really pretty and would be a nice keepsake.
I was just married last year and the things we appreciated an awful lot were the useful things…sheets, towels, etc. That stuff is expensive! 'Course we were starting out with practically zero though, so I would guess it depends on the couple and their resources…
Happy shopping 🙂
 
Go with the registry. PLEASE! Even if your gift seems mundane, you’ll know it’s wanted. When my husband and I got married, everyone asked us what we needed. We would just mention the registry, where we had selected items with a very diverse price range.

They were all household things we desperately needed. Astonishingly, not many people used the registry, but bought us incredibly expensive knicknacks that sadly we had no room or use for. Their generosity was great, but in the end, not we we needed; we ended up having to return a lot of the extravagent items in order to purchase basic diningware, a toaster, etc. (That Cristofle bread knife would have bought our entire plate set!)
 
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maendem:
Go with the registry. PLEASE! Even if your gift seems mundane, you’ll know it’s wanted. When my husband and I got married, everyone asked us what we needed. We would just mention the registry, where we had selected items with a very diverse price range.
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We are definitely intending on going with the gift registry but…

We were looking it over last night and were a bit concerened about the selection, or lack thereof.

There are apparently around 100 people invited to the wedding (not sure if that is number of people plus their escort and/or family, or if that is the total of guests) and around 60 items on the registry. Less than half of the items on the list are within our price range.

We need to get shopping soon if we intend to get them something from the registry!

So, in case we need to shop for something else, keep the ideas coming!!!

I can’t believe so few people have responded to my post. I’m sure most of you have had to buy wedding gifts… and alot of you must have stories about your own worst/best wedding gifts… come on, help me!!!😃

Malia
 
Feanaro's Wife:
We are definitely intending on going with the gift registry but…

We were looking it over last night and were a bit concerened about the selection, or lack thereof.

There are apparently around 100 people invited to the wedding (not sure if that is number of people plus their escort and/or family, or if that is the total of guests) and around 60 items on the registry. Less than half of the items on the list are within our price range.

We need to get shopping soon if we intend to get them something from the registry!

So, in case we need to shop for something else, keep the ideas coming!!!

I can’t believe so few people have responded to my post. I’m sure most of you have had to buy wedding gifts… and alot of you must have stories about your own worst/best wedding gifts… come on, help me!!!😃

Malia
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Better get shopping!😃 If you don’t make it to the items in your price range, buy something similar, or get ideas from what the couple has selected. Everyone can use extra towels and sheets or plate sets. I know that my hsuband and I just felt greedy listing how many of those we actually wanted!
 
We’ve given a “breakfast in bed tray” also with a basket of coffees, teas, jellies, muffins mixes etc. and a pretty little vase for a flower. My husband writes a note to the groom - when you find yourself in the doghouse, I reccomend using THIS! :yup:
 
worst - a picnic food carrier that kept foods neither hot or cold, did not prevent them from sliding around, and kept coming apart everytime you picked it up. in addition, we also got 4 more traditional picnic baskets and 3 coolers. go figure. also got a sterling silver bowl, about 1 qt size, SIL got the same bowl, slightly larger from the same person, BIL got the same bowl, slightly smaller, from the same person. used if for popcorn, always made us feel special.

best - a gift card with a catalog that gave a selection of 10-12 useful items

on advice of DDs, our wedding, baby and graduation gift is always the same, gift card from Target.
 
Malia,

I’ve been married for a little more than a year and a half. We were basically starting from scratch, so while we really appreciated all the functional items that people gave us from our wedding registry, we also got a LOT of unique and decorative gifts that we really have treasured and enjoyed.

I have actually been able to find some of the items we received online, so let me see if these links work…

stpatricksguild.com/prodimg/411359.JPG
this is called a “circle of love” statue and it’s on our mantle. the list price is $50.00

images.redenvelope.com/is/image/production/SP4_134599_W?nanos=770&qlt=75,0&resMode=sharp&op_usm=0.5,1.0,0.0,0&wid=250&hei=250
we received several different engraved vases, this one is listed at 100 dollars with the quote engraving included. it’s a simon pearce vase that says “hearts that love are always in bloom.”

I didn’t search for this online, but we also got matching shirts that said “Mr. _______” and “Mrs. _______.” It was really fun to wear them on our honeymoon, out at the beach to coverup with.

I am irish, so a family member also got us male and female claddagh rings. (It stands for love, loyalty and friendship.)

We got a platter engraved with our family tree on it. It was ceramic and artsy and really cute. It was a tree with little apples all jumbled together and everyone on my side of the family, and then it showed my little apple right next to my husband’s apple, and ours were green while the rest were red. I use it whenever I serve dinner to guests, and everyone always comments on how cute it is. Google it and I bet you could find it for under $100.

We received a print of the Last Supper and a $100 gift certificate for a frame shop.

We received a wooden cross with the Corinthians verses engraved on it. (I know this is inexpensive because I gave it to a friend during a bridal shower a few years ago.) 😉 It costs about $20.

We received a gift certificate to have a water color painting done of a wedding picture of our choice. (You’d have to google that, too.)

We received a “gratitude journal” and in it, my friend explained how each day we should each fill in something we are grateful for about our spouse, then read them to each other before bed and before we pray. We STILL do this, and I re-purchase the journal at Barnes and Noble when it is time for a new one. It is really amazing to go to sleep at night and feel all warm and fuzzy, knowing your spouse appreciates the small nuances of who you are. (She included a few marriage books she knew I wanted, too, with the gift.) I now give a journal on top of whatever else I buy the bride and groom for weddings I am invited to.

We received a gift certificate for hot air balloon ride and an accompanying picnic basket to take with us.

I have to go now but there are plenty of other items that come to mind…I hope these help.
 
Thanks everyone!

Tell me what you think of this:

We get something from the gift registry AND buy something else too.

We were thinking of getting wine glasses from the list and also getting some chocolates and candles to set up a romantic evening? Maybe a nice bottle of wine.

We were also thinking of a book… maybe Good News About Sex and Marriage.

We have a few more ideas kicking around but we need to make up our minds quickly, hubby is going out of town in 2 weeks and won’t be home until just before the wedding!

Keep the suggestions coming! And thanks again!

Malia
 
I received “Good News About Sex and Marriage” from my sister when my fiancee and I got engaged which is a good choice. Also, for a shower last week, she gave us a basket with 2 soft blankets, “Life Giving Love” by Kimberly Hahn, and a few other things(don’t remember all of it), including the “Naked Without Shame” CD set which is also by Christopher West. I’m about halfway through (4th CD out of 10) and I’ve enjoyed each moment so far. I highly recommend this which you can get for just $3.90 at www.nakedwithoutshame.com.
 
This is not only the most used wedding present we got, but the best present I’ve ever received:

http://www.levenger.com/PAGETEMPLATES/PRODUCT/Product.asp?Params=Category=5-344

Yes, I know it sound odd. But it has been incredibly useful. It’s great for doing homework (as a student, or an adult taking work home from the office), and works great as a place to put your keyboard and mouse if you’re surfing from the couch. If you like to read in an armchair but grow tired from holding the book up, just lay the desk across the arms of the chair and stick the book on the desk. I have no idea how someone thought of giving this to us as a wedding present, but it’s been in constant use since we received it over eight years ago.

Worst present—hideously awful sheets. I didn’t even know they made sheets this ugly. Imagine a plaid and paisley pattern done in 70’s colors–I remember it had avocado green and a off-pink color. We never even took them out of the package. We used them to start a new tradition–the passing of the ugly sheets. We gave them to my brother, and it’s passed along to 3 or 4 more couples since then. Share the torture!

If you don’t go down the registry route, I’d like to second what asquared said. Go with a gift card. You can also give them a card at the wedding (make sure they know to open it/take it with them on the Honeymoon) with cash in it, telling them to buy something memorable for their home that reminds them of where they went for the honeymoon.
 
Wedding gift ideas? Unless the couple drinks, I wouldn’t go the wine route. My dh and I would have been so disapointed if someone had given us wine! Anyway, if you know the colors the couple wants their bathroom in, a complete set of towels (as in two bath, two hand and two washclothes) in those colors are always nice. Flour Sack dishtowels are nice, they are practical even if the couple has a dishwasher - there are items that have to be handwashed and dried. The frame idea is a good one. As is a gift card for a store near them.

The oddest present we got was an egg cooker (for hard boiled, soft boiled and poached eggs). As odd as it was, it was one of the best too as I used it all the time, I wore it out and have since bought another one.

Another odd one was half a kissing couple Lladro. The only thing I could think of was the other half was supposed to be purchased by another relative and either got lost in the mail.

Now, you have to know that I am remembering these from 26+ years ago. That was how long ago we got married and our friends were marrying. We now have our daughter’s friends getting married so will be back in the wedding gift arena soon.

Brenda V.
 
I am part Italian so the tradition in my family is that we all give money as a wedding gift. We use the wedding registry for shower gifts. The money gift is what you can afford or choose to give inside a card. Then the couple can use it however they see fit. My husband and I will be giving our daughter a money gift along with something like a wall Crucifix or Holy Picture when she gets married next year. When I got married almost 30 years ago, we received $1,500.00 total for our wedding in gifts and we were able to purchase a bedroom set with it. I already got the basics like dishes, pots and pans, can opener etc from my bridal shower. We really appreciated the $ gift. It dosen’t have to be alot as it all adds up!
P.S. In those days the Bride carried a money purse(yes, like in The Godfather), but I don’t think they are used much these days( I still have mine). I’ve seen something like a Wishing Well or decorative Birdcage to put the Wedding cards in.
 
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