Great Wedding Gifts

Finding great gifts for a special wedding couple requires more than looking at a price tag or choosing a traditional gift. The best gifts are thoughtful and useful. These presents should be items the couple wants and will cherish for years. Fortunately, there are several ways to find the best gifts for newlyweds.

The first step to finding great gifts is to check the couple's wedding registries. These gift wish lists will not only give you ideas for just what to give, but you can also note color schemes, design preferences, quantity needs, and other details that will help you choose a more unique gift that will still match the couple's wishes.

Some of the greatest gifts are those the couple can use on their wedding day. If you have special skills, you may be able to offer those skills as your gift to the couple: sewing the wedding ring pillow or wedding veil, baking the wedding cake, or arranging reception centerpieces, for example. Similarly, you might be able to arrange cheap wedding favors from a work-related discount, or arrange photography through your business connections.

Small appliances such as blenders, mixers, and toaster ovens are popular wedding gifts, but instead of just giving the appliance, make it an even better gift by including recipe books, accessories, or other related gifts for a more well-rounded package. With a blender, for example, you could include a set of tall glasses and a recipe book for healthy smoothies.

Cash is one of the greatest gifts you can give a couple because they can use that gift in any way they choose, whether it is to pay off wedding-related expenses, expand on a honeymoon, buy additional items from their registry, or start a joint savings account.

However, there is no single amount appropriate to give as a cash gift. You will have to decide which amount is appropriate for your budget and your relationship to the couple.

Adding something special to the couple's honeymoon can be a great gift. Contact their travel agent and arrange for a bottle of champagne in their room, dinner vouchers, entertainment tickets, or other accessories that can help make their special getaway even more memorable.

A wedding gift does not have to be glamorous to be great. A very practical gift, such as a sturdy set of food storage containers, can be useful and appreciated for many years. Other popular items include closet or drawer organizers, sewing or first aid kits, or grocery store gift cards that will be especially useful for a newlywed couple.

A good bottle of wine or champagne is a romantic and chic wedding gift. Choose a vintage special to the couple, and perhaps give a second bottle with the instructions to save it for their first, fifth, or tenth anniversary. Add a pair of suitable goblets, a corkscrew, and other accessories to complete the gift.

Instead of just choosing the right color towels or sheets from the couple's registry, give them something extra by including coordinating throw pillows, lap blankets, or other similar items that can help make their shared house truly a newlywed home.

Some great wedding gifts cost too much for one person to feel comfortable purchasing, but you can easily enlist several guests to pool their resources and purchase a larger, more expensive gift. This lets everyone be part of giving such a memorable gift without breaking the bank.

By definition, every wedding gift should be something the couple can enjoy together. Think outside the box, however, and choose unique items like sporting equipment, club memberships, or other things the couple can use as they spend time together after the wedding.

If a couple isn't planning a honeymoon or if they aren't leaving immediately after the reception, a romantic wedding night at a luxury hotel or intimate bed and breakfast can be a great gift. When arranging for the room, be sure to note that it is a honeymoon getaway and add extras such as a Jacuzzi room, chilled champagne, chocolates, rose petals, or other romantic details to make it even more special.

Many newlywed couples are at first so overwhelmed with their new roles that they may forget how much fun they always had while dating. Help them remember their love for each other by arranging date nights as a wedding gift by buying movie tickets, concert tickets, couple's massage packages, or other gifts they can enjoy for a few hours together.

One of the greatest wedding gifts you can offer is your assistance to the couple as they prepare for their big day. Whether you help the bride try on dresses, offer to address invitations, help set up the ceremony site, or stay late to clean up after the reception, your efforts will be appreciated.

A picnic basket is the perfect gift for a newlywed couple to enjoy, particularly if they are planning a spring or summer wedding. Be sure the basket comes with suitable dishes, linens, and other accessories, and consider including a list of local parks or other romantic locations where they can plan picnics.

Small, simple wedding gifts can often be even more useful and appreciated than larger items. Instead of choosing just one gift from a couple's registry, choose several coordinating smaller items such as kitchen utensils, baking pans, hand towels and washcloths, or other small accessories for gifts already purchased to help the couple complete their registry.

If your budget is tight, the best gift you may be able to offer a couple is your presence and support as they exchange their vows and begin their life together. Even if you can't afford a wedding gift, attending the ceremony and reception can let the couple know you wish them well, and you can share your wedding wishes in a thoughtful card, poem, or toast.

The best wedding gifts are thoughtful and sincere, whether all you can do is offer your assistance to the couple or if you are able to purchase multiple items from their gift registry. Whatever you choose, if you select the gift with care, it will be appreciated and enjoyed.

Need more wedding gift ideas? Check out:

• Unique Wedding Gift Ideas
• Wedding Registry Questions
• Wedding Gift Etiquette
• How Much Should I Spend on a Wedding Gift