Gifts for Bridal Showers and Engagement Parties
I’ve never been a good gift giver. At least not when I’ve had to be.
If it’s somebody’s birthday, an anniversary, or a major holiday, I never have any idea what to get them. I putz around. I put of the decision for as long as I can, and then I end up with something lackluster.
That said, if I’m walking around a store on a random Tuesday afternoon, the chances of me seeing something that reminds me of someone is very high. (And admittedly, I’ll probably buy it and mail it off to the person it reminded me of.)
But as life has it, sometimes we don’t always have time for that. Especially during wedding season.
While we’re on a break from wedding season (in the Northeast U.S. it’s definitely that Memorial Day to Labor Day timeframe), I decided to do some research on the best gifts to give for a bridal shower. I talked to friends, looked back on past experiences, and came up with a go-to list for the most loved gifts.
Money
I’m just going to put it out there. No one is ever going to be disappointed with money. Not a gift card or gift certificate, but good old-fashioned money. (Hence why honeymoon funds have gotten so popular.)
There was one wedding for a really good friend where I knew both people in the couple well, so I was trying to come up with something really special. I came up with a gift certificate idea that was unique enough to them that I thought they could enjoy. Because I know the couple well enough, I just went ahead and texted and asked which they would prefer: money or the gift certificate. And the answer was money. As per usual, I overthought it. Sometimes it’s just easier to keep it simple.
Admittedly, in my open forum (and by that I mean Facebook post), this answer didn’t come up until about halfway down the chain, but once one person finally admitted it out loud, a number of people agreed with the sentiment.
The Practical Gift
Whether or not it’s the first thing they think of, people like practical gifts. Now, I wouldn’t necessarily go ahead and try to buy someone a vacuum if it wasn’t on the registry – or you didn’t know first-hand that they wanted one, (My dad tried that once for Christmas. Actually he got my mom three vacuums in the same year. To clarify, yes, they’re still married.) but there’s definitely some merit to the practical gift.
As my friend Victoria said, think of it as a “life upgrade.” Now’s the time to go ahead and get those nicer, practical items that you might not splurge on yourself, but you know would really be an asset to your life and home. Some suggestions from talking to friends about things they’ve been really happy they registered for and/or received were:
Regular plates (this was the most highly suggested item)
Gift certificate to help with the paperwork for getting your name changed (might not be able to be registered for, but it’s definitely a thoughtful gift)
Comforter and sheets
Electric blanket
Fire-safe file cabinet
Convection oven
Kitchen Aid mixer
Wine fridge
Mixing bowls
Clothes steamer
Pots and pans
Good spatulas
Good knives
Vacuums (but maybe not three)
The Gift that Uses Your Creative Skills
I mean this in the nicest way. If you have creative skills, and other people you agree you have those creative skills, you may want to consider using them as part of a personalized gift. If it’s a skill that you think you have or that you’re trying to learn, you may want to hold off on using it this time around.
I always make homemade cards for the guest of honor.
My friend Sarah drew and stylized her own version of the save the date photo and framed it for my friend Tara.
My friend Elaine received a homemade quilt.
The Gift that Keeps on Giving
More than one person recommended a gift that they loved that “keeps on giving.” The two most popular options were sets of wine bottles and candles. These weren’t just any set though, there is one wine bottle, or one candle for each milestone they hit in their marriage. They might be the first anniversary, the first fight, the first home, the first child, etc. Or you could go by years and have one for the 1 year anniversary, one for 2, one for 5, one for 10, etc. (If you do this with wine, just make sure you’re choosing one that ages well.)
These types of gifts have definitely become more popular over time, which means it’s more likely that someone else at the celebration might do this as well, so find a way to customize it. Think about the guest of honor and what they like doing and personalize it. They might love hot sauces or lingerie or coffee or books or board games. You don’t need to drag it out as long as 10 years, but even just a fun item once per month for the first year could be a good time.
Sentimental Gifts
These are a little bit harder, and you need to have a close relationship and/or know some personal information about the guest of honor. Which, presumably if you’re invited to their bridal shower or engagement party, you do, but that’s definitely not always the case. Some of my favorite sentimental gifts I heard about were:
A gift certificate to turn a wedding bouquet into rosary beads for those Catholic friends of yours out there (I literally had no idea this was a thing until my friend Jillian told me.)
A scrapbook, photo album, or photo collage of memories together
A framed wedding invitation
Family heirlooms. My good friend Courtney received her great grandmother’s silver candy dish, her grandmothers green creamer and goose figurine, and her great aunt’s crystal bowl. These were some of the things that meant the most to her.
Courtney’s grandmother also had her own wedding dress and her daughter’s dress (Courtney’s mom’s dress) turned into a purse. I thought this was a really unique way to keep something in the family, but repurpose it to a new cause.
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Overall here are just a few general rules to think about before making your purchase –
Stick to the registry. This is not an always thing, you can see above that there are definitely some other good ideas in the world, but just remember, there’s a reason they created the registry. Many actually: to make your life simple, to get what they actually want and or need, and so they know their stuff is going to match itself and their style. So if you can’t think of what to get, or creativity isn’t your strong-suit, go ahead and use the registry. Don’t worry, there’s still a way to personalize it for the couple. Speaking of which –
Personalize it. No matter what type of gift you’re buying, there’s still a way to personal is. Think about what the guest of honor enjoys doing – if they have a favorite color, if they really love music, or if they have a favorite food, and try to incorporate that into the gift in some way. Even if it’s just money you can get a nice card and an envelope that reminds you of the person. You can buy a smaller more trinket-like gifts to go with the gift you get from the registry.
Think about the person’s lifestyle. If your friend is a minimalist or trying to get rid of everything or about to go on a year-long road trip where they plan to live in an RV, you probably don’t want to get them a lot of stuff. Don’t just buy something because it’s trendy (people were really divided on the personalized cutting board thing, y’all), because there’s a chance that people end up with a dozen of them.
Thank you to all my friends who helped me put this list together, it’s definitely going to be my reference guide for next spring. If you have any other suggestions for bridal shower or engagement gifts, I’d love to hear them below in the comments.
