Happy Tuesday, lovely readers!
Ah wedding season, what a glorious time of the year! Now if you’re like me and have yet to be the bride, but always the wedding guest, I think you’re really going to like this post.
*This post is in collaboration with Zola. All opinions are my own.*
Today is all about sharing my advice on purchasing the best wedding gift! I feel like as a guest of a wedding, we feel just as much pressure to play a part in the overall perfection of the couple’s big day by buying a great and memorable gift. This pressure for perfection makes buying the ideal gift for each and every couple’s wedding that you attend even harder.
I don’t know about you, but I always feel immense pressure to make sure that every gift that I give is what the couple wanted, and is personalized for them in some way.
To make your wedding gift shopping easier, I’ve compiled a list of Do’s and Don’ts!
1.) DO begin your wedding gift shopping by researching and planning to buy items that are already on the couple’s registry.
Now listen, I’m all for personalized and sentimental wedding gifts, but before you decide to go rogue with what you buy for a gift, look at the registry first. Couple’s make registries for the sole purpose of being able to ask for items that they actually need or want. So, take that into consideration before you decide to buy something that is off the registry. Zola, a super-simple-to-use wedding registry website, offers their tips on wedding gift shopping below!
In regards to buying something that isn’t on the registry, there are two exceptions that I think justify buying an item that isn’t on the registry.
- If you have a solid, and I mean GOLDEN idea for a super specific item and you would consider yourself to have a close relationship with the couple, then you’re not completely bound to the existing registry, in my opinion.
- By GOLDEN idea, I am talking about something that is personalized to the couple. This would most likely only be possible to do if you were close enough to the couple that you would know what to purchase.
- If you wouldn’t consider yourself to be super close to the engaged couple, I would stick to the registry. Chances are higher that they’ll wonder why you didn’t buy something on the registry if they don’t know you that well.
Foolproof Gift Ideas for Shopping without a Registry!
- Ceramic Cooking Dish with Personalization: Lillian Vernon
- Stainless Steel Roasting Pan with Personalization: Williams-Sonoma
If the couple loves to cook together, this is such a personal and adorable way to add a little charm to an otherwise basic piece of cookware. Lillian Vernon, Etsy, Williams-Sonoma and Personal Creations have really awesome options for personalized pieces of cookware and cooking accessories.
- Champagne Flutes: Anthropologie
- Moscow Mule Copper Mugs: Pier 1 Imports
- Wine Glasses: Crate and Barrel
Drinking glasses and stemware are foolproof options for items that may not be on the registry. Whether the couple will use them often or not, it’s always nice to have extra glasses around the house for when company comes or when family visits.
- Set of Wall Frames: Wayfair
I find this to be the most sentimental and simple gift in my foolproof gift list. I love the idea of giving a set of wall frames in varying sizes because that way the couple can showcase their favorite memories in a stylish way.
- Personalized Wall Decor: Etsy
I’m clearly a huge fan of anything personalized, and I think that finding a vendor on Etsy who will create some kind of wall decor with the family name in it is such a one-of-a-kind idea. I mean, I would want this gift and I’m not even getting married!
2. DO be aware of how much you plan to spend on a wedding gift.
When shopping for any gift, especially a wedding gift, take time to plan out your purchase and decide how much you really want to spend. Now I know what some of you are thinking … how do I know how much to spend, and how much is too much or too little?
It’s definitely a complicated field to be in, but I’ll give my best insight on the matter! I think that first you need to look at how close you are with the couple. As I mentioned above with buying items off the registry, really knowing the couple has a huge effect on the outcome of your gift purchase. If they’re family, a best friend, or someone that you’ve been friends with for years, then that justifies spending more on a gift.
I think that the biggest thing to wrap your head around before buying a wedding gift is to realize that no one will judge you because of what you spend on a wedding gift! You were invited to the wedding because of your awesome presence in the couple’s life, so don’t worry too much about how much you should spend on the wedding gift.
Zola has a really great gift-spending tip card that I think every wedding guest should be keeping in their back pocket when they go shopping!
3. DON’T, I repeat, don’t bring your wedding gift to the the wedding!
I’ve seen people do this on a couple occasions and every single time that I see it, I’m always like, WHYYYY?!! I totally understand that things happen and sometimes you’re left with no better choice than to bring it to the wedding, but don’t do that!
For one, you’ve got to worry about lugging the gift around with you to the ceremony and to the reception. If you’re anything like me, I would honestly probably forget that I even had the gift, or I would forget it somewhere. Avoid that and just don’t bring it with you.
Now trust me, I get it that things come up and sometimes you can’t make it to the wedding shower. Completely understandable. But still, don’t bring it to the wedding! You could do several other things than bring it to the wedding.
Here are some ideas!
- Ship the package. I know that shipping can be super expensive depending on the weight of your gift, but if what you bought is relatively light, just ship it!
- Drop the gift off a day or two after the wedding. I really don’t think that there’s anything wrong with doing this, because then both you and the couple don’t have to worry about the gift on the wedding day.
Zola also has some helpful ideas on when the best time to give or purchase your gift is!
4. DON’T let the stress of the wedding gift keep you from enjoying the wedding!
Ultimately, weddings are about bringing all of your loved ones together and celebrating the marriage of two incredible people in your life. Of course, giving a gift is a nice gesture, but don’t let the stress of the perfect gift consume your life or the fun that you have while at the wedding!
Are you planning a wedding?
If you haven’t heard of Zola, it’s this amazing wedding registry website that seriously makes everything about planning a wedding so much easier! Zola allows you to create a registry, make your own wedding website (so cool!), save your guest list and provides a variety of checklists for keeping your wedding deadlines in order.
I think the coolest thing about Zola is that they also help couples following the BIG DAY by providing resources for things like buying items for their home and buying experiences around the country, like a NASCAR ride along. I don’t know about you, but I’m all for finding resources that make juggling multiple things at once easier. That’s exactly what Zola does for engaged and married couples — they make everything that goes into planning a wedding and newlywed life, easier. Definitely give them a look if you’re trying to plan your upcoming nuptials!
Click here to visit their website!
Well, that’s all I’ve got for you this week! I hope that my tips and tricks, along with Zola’s super helpful wedding gift tips, make buying the best gift a little bit easier! As always, keep radiating good vibes in your life!
Until next time!
Alicia
All Info Card Photos Provided by Zola