Guest Blogger: Marcela de Vivo
It’s wedding season and everyone is trying to find the perfect wedding gift. While many couples are still using registries, the occasional few have opted out of using a registry, which makes your task of finding the right gift a little more complicated. Even if the happy couple does have a registry, you may have waited too long and are now faced with the option of buying one spoon and one knife to go with a blue striped throw pillow as your gift. Whether or not you have a wedding registry to guide you, here are a few tips on how to find the perfect wedding present.
{source}
Buy for the Couple
If you decide not to go with a gift that is available on the gift registry or the couple did not set up a wedding gift registry, your gift search starts withconsidering the needs and interests of the couple. What do they enjoy doing together? Do they enjoy the indoors or the outdoors? Do they like to travel? Do they already have most of the household items they need or want?
Young new couples just starting out together will probably need the usual kitchen and cooking essentials. A couple who already has the essentials may be more interested in decorative pieces for their home. If they don’t seem particularly interested in home décor, consider their interests. Buy a picnic basket filled with their favorite wine or beer and other food travel supplies for couples that enjoy dining al fresco. Invest in a wine membership for oenophiles.
Even if you pick an item from the registry, you can personalize the gift by pairing it with something that fits the item and the couple. If you pick a kitchen appliance, include necessary ingredients to make a dish that the couple will love; add a cookbook from the couple’s favorite chef. Tailor the gift to their mutual tastes and interests and your gift will be well-received.
Try Something Unusual
A gift doesn’t have to be something concrete. You could donate to a charity of their choice in their name if they are service-oriented or if they have explicitly asked for no wedding gifts. A personalized scrapbook or photo album of the couple and their family and friends would be a cherished gift.
If the couple loves to travel, offer to set-up a travel fund or help out with their honeymoon expenses that others can contribute to as well, like a personal Kickstarter. If the bride and groom bond over music, give them tickets to a concert or music festival that they will enjoy. If they enjoy movies, buy a set of movie tickets or create a DVD collectors set complete with movie snack foods.
Generic Gifts
If you’re not familiar with the couple and there isn’t a registry, stick to the usual wedding gift options. Gifts like picture frames, vases, monogrammed bathrobes, or a create a gift basket filled with fruit and cheese are safe and often appreciated gifts for the wedded couple.
If there is a registry, stick to what the bride and groom have spent time picking out to ensure that they’ll love whatever you buy. Try to group the items together for a cohesive gift.
When it comes to picking out wedding gifts, knowing the couple’s interests and needs will help you find or create the perfect present. Whether you use their registry or not, these tips should help you find something they’ll love.
Marcela De Vivo is a freelance writer from California who specializes in marketing, business and technology. Having been to several of her friends’ weddings, she is always coming up with unique ideas for wedding gifts.
