No matter how grand or intimate your wedding, it’s likely that your parents will attend if they can. While it’s not always necessary these days for parents to contribute to the cost of the wedding (although many still do), it’s worth remembering that they’ve supported you throughout your life and your wedding day is a great opportunity to say thank you.

Gifts for Mums

Flowers are a traditional gift for mothers (and step mothers) of the bride and groom, but if you’d like to give them something longer lasting, then jewellery is an option. A locket with a picture of you (or your spouse for his or her parents) or a bracelet engraved with a personal message, are both special thank you gifts for mums.

Gifts for Dads

Dads on the other hand, might welcome a personalised bottle of champagne, wine or whisky. Alternatively you could merge the two gifts together and treat mums and dads to a special meal in a top restaurant or even a weekend away if budgets allow.

For a fun thank you gift, why not send them a thank you balloon? Once you’ve said thank you to all the important people in your life – then just remember to have fun and enjoy your special day!

With all that pressure on your best man, it’s only fair that you say thank you and present them with a small gift to express your gratitude. But men are notoriously difficult to buy for so, we’ve put a few suggestions together to help you.

Traditional best man gifts

Traditional thank you gifts for the best man include cuff-links, hip-flasks and tie pins, all of which can be personalised to make them even more special. Pint glasses, whisky tumblers and shot glasses can also be personalised to make interesting best man thank you gifts.

Treat them to a memorable experience

If you’d prefer to make a more original thank you gesture, then experience gifts are great for best man thank you gifts. From power boat driving gifts, theme park tickets and skydiving to paint balling, sporting event tickets and flying lessons, you can give them a thank you gift they’ll never forget.

Thank you gifts for ushers

If you’re having a church wedding or a larger civil ceremony, then you might also have ushers to thank too. While the best man thank you gifts we’ve mentioned are also suitable for ushers, you might want to go for something a little bit more quirky. How about wedding party socks, or cuff-links that state their role in the wedding or even personalised chocolate bars?

Both ushers and best man would also appreciate bottles of their favourite tipple. However, if you’re really stuck, we’ve a great range of chocolates and thank you balloons that are sure to make them smile when they receive them after the wedding. Our chocolate pizzas will make a quirky and affordable gift they’re bound to remember.

To help get the creative juices flowing, we’ve put together some great ideas for stunning bridesmaid thank you gifts that won’t blow the budget.

Affordable jewellery

If you want to buy your bridesmaids jewellery, then choose inexpensive costume or fashion jewellery. And why not break with tradition by giving your bridesmaids their gift before the wedding, to wear as part of their outfit. This will also help accessorising your bridesmaid’s outfits.

Cherished memories

Alternatively, plump for something more personal and present them with a framed favourite photograph of you both from your earlier, single years together. It’s bound to trigger some great memories.

Budget gifts for young bridesmaids

If you have very young children for bridesmaids then you might want to give them a thank you gift that they’ll love immediately. A doll dressed as a bridesmaid, bridesmaid teddy bear or a wedding teddy bear are reasonably priced gifts that young children will adore.

Personalised sweets, chocolates or cup cake gifts are fun low cost thank you gifts for young bridesmaids.

Books are also an alternative thank you gift for young bridesmaids. You could present them with a children’s classic and write your own message of thanks inside the cover. Other ideas for budget thank you gifts for young bridesmaids include personalised money boxes and jewellery boxes

Always remember, you’re thanking them for helping you make your wedding day special and it’s the thought, not the price tag, that really matters.

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For more bridesmaids gift ideas, also check out our Bridesmaid Thank You Gifts to Rival the Royals post.

After all bridesmaids not only look great in the photos but they’re also there to help and assist the bride on the day. Just think what a great job Pippa Middleton did with Kate’s train, not to mention keeping those younger bridesmaids under control.

Keepsake jewellery

Jewellery is always a welcome bridesmaid’s gift – necklaces, bracelets and earrings can be tailored to the taste and age of all your bridesmaids. If you’re trying to keep costs down then fashion jewellery can be a relatively inexpensive alternative to gold or silver jewellery.

Fun bridesmaids gifts

For a fun and lighthearted gift, why not choose a thank you balloon or a keepsake bridesmaid teddy bear that will let them know just how much you appreciate their help and friendship.

Small novelty gifts and colouring books are perfect to keep young bridesmaids entertained throughout the day. Prince Harry entertained the young bridesmaids with a “wiggly worm” toy, that was so popular that it made it onto the official wedding photographs.

Experience gifts

Alternatively for something that little bit different, you could always treat older bridesmaids to a spa or beauty treatment as a thank you gift. For more daring bridesmaids, an experience gift might be an option. Just imagine – bungee jumping bridesmaids would be a great one for the wedding album!

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!