The practice has evolved and now wedding guests shower the happy couple with gifts. However, while the “new” tradition might have the Bride’s Father sighing with relief, it has created a maze of issues for wedding guests.

As the wedding season is now in full bloom, I’m starting a series of posts on wedding gifts – which will hopefully help you find the right gift! This first post is all about finding affordable wedding gift ideas that will still make an impact.

Pick your gift from the wedding list early

Wedding gift lists can be useful, if you’ve no idea what to buy the bride and groom. However make sure that you choose and buy your gift as soon as you get the list – you will have more choice of presents and will hopefully be able to pick a gift that suits your budget too.

Creative wedding gift alternatives

But what happens if the gift list is out of your price range completely – remember the antique shop scene from Four Weddings and a Funeral?

Well, something personal might be an option.

For couples you’ve known for some time, put together a photo album or scrap book charting your friendship and their developing relationship. You could collect well wishing notes and pictures from other friends and relatives too to create a really special book. While the cost will mainly be your time, photo developing and an album, the end result will be priceless for the bride and groom.

On the theme of photos; if you have a particularly good photograph of the happy couple, have it enlarged and framed or a canvass print made from it – just make sure it’s a photo you know that they like.

“Safe” wedding gifts for all budgets

If there are no affordable gifts left on the wedding list and you don’t know the couple very well, a bottle of  wine or champagne will always go down well – and you can always add a couple of nice glasses to make your gift more special.

You could also choose “useful” gifts and buy the couple a set of nice fluffy towels or even tea towels.

Still unsure? Why not give the bride and groom some gift vouchers? You can buy vouchers according to your budget and they can choose something they like and need.

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For more Wedding gifts tips and ideas also see:
Wedding Gifts – What To Do If They Are Asking For Money
Last Minute Wedding Gift Ideas

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If you’re looking for a fun alternatives to cards why not send one of our wedding balloons, delivered inflated to the address of your choice, it’s sure to make the occasion more memorable. You can always add wedding teddy bears or chocolates to make your wedding gift extra special.

While it’s a practical solution for the happy couple, not all guests like to give cash or voucher gifts. Knowing how much is appropriate to give and the transparency of how much has been spent can make some guests feel uncomfortable.

To overcome this problem, if the wedding gift is for someone you work with, why not club together with other colleagues?

If it’s a friend, agree a set amount with the rest of your group of friends and give them one big cheque from all of you. This way, you know you’ve all given the same and you’ll be presenting the couple with a much larger and impressive looking gift cheque than if you’d all given separately. A perfect solution all round!

If you are traditional and would like to treat the couple to a gift for their home, why not just tell them and ask them what they need or like?

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For more tips and ideas on wedding gifts also see:

Affordable Wedding Gift Ideas To Delight The Bride and Groom

Last Minute Wedding Gift Ideas

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If you’re looking for a fun alternative to cards why not send one of our wedding balloons, delivered inflated to the address of your choice, it’s sure to make the occasion more memorable. You can always add wedding teddy bears or chocolates to make your wedding gift extra special.

Well make sure that you’re prepared in future and as soon as you know that you are going to a wedding, buy the gift. The earlier you do this, the more choice you will have, which means you can choose an impressive looking present that doesn’t break the bank.

But if you’ve  left things until the last minute, then you might need some inspiration.

If money is no object, then an experience gift might be something different and memorable. A sunset and champagne hot air balloon trip could be incredibly romantic! Or if they prefer to keep their feet on the ground why not book them a meal at their favourite restaurant and arrange to pick up the bill?

Alternatively you could fall back on gift vouchers, or treat the newly wedded couple to a selection of fine wines or Champagne.

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For more Wedding gifts tips and ideas see:
Wedding Gifts – What To Do If They Are Asking For Money
Affordable Wedding Gift Ideas To Delight The Bride and Groom

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For fun ways to send your wedding wishes, check out our wedding balloons, bride teddy bears and groom teddy bears.

While many couples might feel that sending out gift list details with their wedding invitations can seem presumptuous, the reality is that most guests (especially close friends and relatives) will want to buy a gift to mark the occasion. After all, would you really feel comfortable turning up to a wedding without a gift?

If you know the couple well, you should be able to choose a gift that suits their personality or matches their home’s style.

You can always buy them a bottle of their favourite wine or a magnum of bubbly, or some stylish frames and albums to display their wedding pictures.

You could also make a donation to charity in their name. Some charities, including Oxfam, have a list of ‘gifts’ you can buy – including school books for children in developing countries.

Alternatively, if they have young children that you know well, why not buy gifts for the kids or offer to babysit for the happy couple when they return from honeymoon? Having children myself, I’m sure the offer would be well received!