Anyone with a large social circle can have budget problems when wedding season strikes and invitations to weddings, showers and parties start to arrive. The cost of multiple gifts can quickly add up, turning what ought to be happy celebrations into financial nightmares. Wedding gifts do not have to be expensive to be thoughtful, however, and there are many great gifts that can be bought even on a small budget. While some of these gifts may require a bit more effort than just clicking off an item from a wedding registry, that effort more than makes up for the lower cost.
- Kitchen Storage: A set of plastic storage containers is a gift many couples forget on their registries, but it is one they will use often throughout their marriage. A starter set often includes multiple sizes, making it even more useful.
- Utensils: Select multiple spoons, spatulas, turners and other utensils from a couple’s registry or choose those you know from experience to be most useful and tie a bow around them in a bouquet shape for an instant, affordable gift.
- Family Recipes: Choose a decorative recipe box and coordinating recipe cards and fill in some familiar recipes for the couple. Contact family members and friends for a wider range of recipes to give the couple great menu options.
- Framed Invitation: Save the wedding invitation carefully and frame it with a mat in a coordinating color. If possible, choose a double frame and leave the extra space blank for the couple to include a wedding photo.
- Romance Gift Basket: A romantic gift basket can include inexpensive items such as candles, bubble bath, chocolate, lotion, music and other simple gifts, but packaged attractively, it is worth far more than a price tag.
- Dinner: Many couples receive dishes, pans, and utensils, but a more unique gift is a dinner basket. Use a wicker basket or other decorative container to hold dry pasta, a jar of sauce, seasoned dipping oil, and a bottle of wine, or choose other coordinating foods the couple can use for a first meal as man and wife.
- Practical Products: When couples begin to settle in to their new home, they will appreciate practical necessities such as dish soap, toilet paper, facial tissue, paper towel, window cleaner, sponges, and similar items. While not glamorous, this gift is one of the most useful a couple can receive.
- Wine: A bottle of wine can be a thoughtful gift, and make it even more memorable by giving two bottles – one to share now, and one to save for the first (or other) anniversary.
- Movie Night: A gift basket with a movie night theme can be fun and inexpensive. Include a DVD, popcorn, popcorn bowl, a blanket to snuggle under, boxes of candy, and similar items to complete the gift.
- Magazine Subscription: A magazine subscription is a gift the couple can share throughout their first year of marriage. Opt for titles valuable to newlyweds, such as Good Housekeeping or Real Simple, or choose magazines about their favorite hobbies.
- Personalized Journal: Write questions and prompts on each page of a blank journal to help the couple create a personalized memento. Ask how they met, where they shared their first kiss, how they got engaged, and other questions they can answer now, and move on to questions for later, such as how they spent their anniversary or when they purchased their first house.
- Food: Help a couple stock their pantry with food that coordinates with an inexpensive gift, such as giving a cake pan or cupcake tin along with several cake mixes, cans of frosting, and different sprinkles.
- Talent: Offer your talents to help a couple with their wedding day. Offer to create a wedding website, make appetizers for the reception, take photos or video, or even just help set up or clean up.
- Personalized Gifts: Personalized gifts can become treasured keepsakes, no matter how inexpensive they may be. Create a stitched sampler with the couple’s names and wedding date, crochet a blanket in the wedding colors, or buy personalized his and hers tote bags.
- Board Games: Board games and puzzles can be great gifts that encourage the couple to spend time together, and several board games together can still be an inexpensive but impressive gift.
- Picnic Basket: A wicker basket, shatterproof dishes and cutlery, water bottles, and other picnic accessories can be a unique gift. Include cloth napkins and plastic wine glasses for a romantic touch.
- Christmas Ornament: Choose a “First Christmas Together” or “Our First Christmas” holiday ornament for the couple, and opt for personalization with their names or wedding date.
- Clean House: Offer honeymoon housecleaning or lawn care, allowing the couple to return after their trip to a clean, fresh home, ready to start their life together.
- Pet Sitting: Pet sitting can be a useful and welcome gift. Offer to keep pets a day or two before the wedding so the couple can take care of last minute tasks without distraction, and keep up the service until they return from their honeymoon.
- Laundry Gift Basket: A laundry themed gift basket is a practical option. Package the gift in a plastic laundry basket or hamper, and include detergent, stain removers, dryer sheets, a lint roller, and other related items.
- Spices: Help a couple spice up their marriage by giving them spices to stock their pantry. Buying spices in bulk is inexpensive, and simple spice jars can often be bought at dollar stores. Including recipes using the spices can be another great touch.
- Freezer Meals: Learning to cook for two can be a challenge, and you can help the couple enjoy easy meals together by providing freezer meals with appropriate finishing instructions. Pay careful attention to their dietary preferences and offer a variety of tastes for them to sample.
- Framed Poster: A framed poster is a great decoration for a couple’s first home. Choose a poster of their favorite movie or opt for a poster that replicates attractive artwork.
- Ring Holder: A ring holder can be a useful gift for a couple so they never lose the rings they have exchanged. Tree, animal, and abstract designs are all available in different styles and finishes to match their decorative tastes.
- Established Sign: A customized sign with names and the phrase “Established in” is a perfect decoration for the newlywed’s home and an ideal reminder of their very special day.
Wedding gifts should not be measured by their price, but by their thoughtfulness and usefulness for the couple. With care and consideration, it is easy to find a gift the newlyweds will love without spending a fortune.
