How to buy a wedding present in the 21st century

157

Have you got a friend or family member’s wedding coming up this year, and no idea what you should get them? These days up to 75% of couples will already be living together before they get hitched, and so should already have most of the basic home appliances. The traditional route may not cut it on this occasion. Many couples will ask for cash instead in these modern times, but if you are close to the couple or particularly want to get them something separate, then this list should inspire you to find the right gift for them.

A couple’s experience

Buying your newlywedded friends an experience is great for multiple reasons. It allows them to create long term memories together, it does not clutter their home, and is often better for the environment than purchasing goods. You can also enjoy the satisfaction of seeing their faces if you decide to choose for them to do something mind-blowing. The options for gift experiences are plentiful, through organizations such as Virgin Experience Gifts. You can purchase a pleasant photo shoot experience for two or go as adventurous as pushing your friends into a hot air balloon ride, floating up to three thousand feet above the ground! If you want to give the happy couple a bit more choice though, you can simply pass them a gift voucher of a set value so that they can pick something out for themselves.

If you are going to head down this route with your present, consider the couple’s availability, any physical requirements that they might have such as mobility or dietary issues, or fears of extreme heights! It is also worth making sure that no one else has had the same idea as you, or they haven’t done the chosen experience on a previous occasion. This is where the network of close family and friends becomes handy. Make use of pre wedding gatherings such as engagement parties, and bachelor parties to get some vital intel.

Travel

Similarly to giving your friends a gift experience, travel has a lot of benefits, but it can be a lot more complicated to arrange and deliver without their knowledge. If you are planning to keep the gift secret until the big day, then you will need to recruit the help of others to gather essential details to create travel arrangements. Things like passport details and availability will need to be obtained for you to book a surprise honeymoon for your favourite pair of friends. You will need to decide if your friends would want you to get so involved in arranging something like this, as they may not want you to contact their workplace about their holiday arrangements for instance. If you can tell the couple of your intentions in advance, the entire process will become a team effort and will be much smoother.

Many couples that use travel agents will arrange for wedding guests to contribute to their honeymoon costs directly with the agency. If this is an option for you, it will take out a lot of hassle regarding arrangements and is still a generous gesture.

Luxury home comforts

Whilst the couple in question may already be living together and have plenty of home appliances and other essentials already, it does not mean that you cannot upgrade them as your wedding gift. You may have already heard mention of their fridge that keeps breaking down, or them saying how much they enjoy eating waffles together. Well, why not offer them a new fridge or a lovely heart shaped waffle maker. Your gift could be something practical for rooms like the kitchen. Easy to buy from websites like cooksboutique.com. Alternatively, you could offer some fun home comforts such as a membership to Netflix or satin bed sheets for their new marital bed.

Listen carefully to what is said about the state of their house, and you might even find that they already have a wish list of items to choose from. If you know that there is something that they particularly like to do together at home, then consider what you could get for them for this activity.

The wedding supplies

A lot of people will discuss with the couple in advance what they want to get as a wedding gift. More often than not, close family members of the couple will contribute towards the actual wedding celebrations as their gift. This could be in the form of purchasing all the wine and champagne for the wedding, paying for the photographer or the DJ. This will be a huge help to the couple with what is bound to be an expensive day. It is often easier to go down this route than get the couple things they do not want. Many people do not want this sort of gift, however, as they may take a lot of pride in paying for their own wedding event. Discuss it properly with the couple in advance and if they seem against it, do not push the issue.

Something symbolic

A gift that the couple can have to remember their big day is always a clever idea. This could come in many different formats depending on the shape of the day itself, your access to key materials and information and the risk of duplicating ideas with another guest. Some examples of ideas include having a canvas made of one or more of the day’s wedding photos, reproducing the wedding’s scent in the form of a candle, or a music playlist to keep. There are plenty of places to look on the internet for ideas, but just be sure that you are not overstepping any boundaries and have a close enough relationship with the couple to provide a sensitive gift like the examples above.

Whatever you get for the newlyweds for their special celebration, they are bound to appreciate it, but the more you can think it out properly and discuss it with other guests, the more likely you are to nail it!