Most of us cringe at the prospect of purchasing a wedding present. Will it be the right color and style? Will the couple receive two or more like it? If they’re older or have been married before, do they already own one?
Even if the couple is registered in several stores, choosing the right gift still can be a daunting task. The good news is, with a little thought and imagination, it doesn’t have to be. Here are 25 gift ideas that are uniquely yours. Best of all, some require little or no cash.
1. Buy a gift certificate to a trendy, new restaurant.
2. Secure tickets to a play or sporting event they would enjoy.
3. Offer to sit with the couple’s children and/or pets while they are on their honeymoon.
4. Arrange for a cleaning service for the couple’s new home, or offer to do it yourself.
5. Cook and freeze a week’s worth of meals for the pair to enjoy when they return from their honeymoon.
6. If you’re handy, offer your decorating, plumbing, electrical, carpentry or painting skills for their new home.
7. Enroll the pair in a course which interests them both.
8. Put together a basket for a romantic evening including wine, cheese, fruit, candles, massage oils and a tape or CD of soft music.
9. Using photos, hire an artist to render a portrait of the couple.
10. If the couple is moving into a home, buy them a wedding tree which, like their love, will grow through the years.
11. Start a photo album of the combined families.
12. Treat the couple to a weekend getaway for their six-month anniversary.
13. Employ a masseuse as a pre-wedding treat.
14. Volunteer to run any last-minute errands the couple may have.
15. Use your home to house out-of-town wedding guests.
16. Host a pre-wedding party for the couple and their families.
17. Arrange for a rental car for the couple to use on their honeymoon.
18. Stock the couple’s honeymoon suite with a champagne and goodies basket.
19. Act as the couple’s personal driver and ferry the couple and their out-of-town guests back and forth from the hotel, airport, train station or other destinations.
20. Fill the newlywed’s refrigerator with perishables, and their bedroom with fresh flowers to enjoy upon their return.
21. Extend your services to act as a bridal coordinator with the photographer, florist, caterer, musicians, clergy and others on the wedding day.
22. Create a video of all the bridal celebrations including their engagement party, wedding shower, bachelor/bachelorette parties and rehearsal dinner.
23. Take instant photos throughout the wedding day and present the pictures (and, perhaps the camera) to the couple as they depart on their honeymoon so they can see their wedding photos immediately.
24. Offer your home for the wedding and/or reception.
25. Upgrade their airline tickets from coach to first or business class.
Choose one of these gifts, and no one will be standing in the return line at the department store after the wedding.
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