We've all been there – you get invited to a wedding and wonder: what should I give the bridal couple?
Something personal? Something original? Or simply money?
A wedding is an emotional day filled with love. The bridal couple has spent a long time intensely planning this special day and looks forward to it with excitement. As a wedding guest, you don't want to arrive empty-handed, but a gift doesn't always have to be physically tangible. A great joy is already the support in the planning and preparation of the wedding. Even if the bridal couple would love to be in 10 places at once – helping hands are a great gift, especially when carrying out the celebration.
In general, no one expects a particularly expensive or unusual gift. It should always suit your personal circumstances and your relationship with the bridal couple.
Money
The bridal couple is planning a big celebration where everyone can have fun and a special, beautiful day. Such a wedding can be quite expensive – for a "fitting" wedding, you should plan on €6,000 to €15,000. Depending on the planning and prioritization, the amount may be lower or higher. The money is saved for a long time, borrowed, or even financed with a loan. Many marrying couples use monetary gifts to partially refinance the wedding or to be able to go on their honeymoon.
Some people explicitly only want money as a wedding gift.
But how much money is appropriate as a gift? As a rule, it is said that at least the food and drinks of a guest should be covered. Of course, this can vary greatly, as not every wedding is equally simple or pompous. On average, one assumes €50 per person. Everyone has to decide for themselves whether that is appropriate, because you also have to consider your own financial situation. The bridal couple knows their guests and will not reproach a full-time student or someone in difficult financial circumstances, for example.
Depending on the relationship with the bridal couple, more money is often given:
Acquaintances/ companions/ colleagues usually give amounts of money according to the principle described above, an average of €50.
Friends/ close friends usually give the bridal couple more than €50.
Members of the family are particularly generous and support the bridal couple with up to €200.
Monetary gifts are particularly suitable as a last-minute gift. However, it does not have to be handed over in a classic envelope. There are many original packaging ideas and even beautiful Origami folding instructions for banknotes.
If you know that the bridal couple is well-off or otherwise doesn't think much of monetary gifts, you can also donate money in their name to a charitable organization. For example, if they have a big heart for animals, you could support the local animal shelter or similar. This would not only make the bridal couple very happy.
Homemade Gift
Something homemade can also bring great joy at a wedding!
How about a voucher booklet filled with various activities? If you get together as a group, the budget and the fun of the activities can be increased even more! Make a little booklet together and put together activities that the bridal couple can choose from. From a dinner together to exciting escape games – anything that is fun for everyone is allowed. This creates shared experiences and strengthens the relationship with each other.
A photo book of the guests or a guest book is a particularly popular gift from close friends or best men. Photos of the guests are taken on the wedding day (perhaps with an instant camera). These photos can be glued into the guest book and signed or provided with personal congratulations. As an alternative to the signature, fingerprints could also be left behind. This creates a unique memento, created by all the guests together.
Flowers
Bouquets of flowers are among the classic wedding gifts. Giving flowers is a matter of the heart. They are not only beautiful, but also convey a message. There is a reason why there is the "language of flowers". The colors and scents of the flowers touch our emotional senses and give the recipient the feeling of admiration and appreciation.
Thanks to online shipping, flowers are particularly suitable as a wedding gift for guests who are unable to attend and cannot attend the wedding.
A modern twist on classic bouquets are flower boxes with preserved flowers. These last particularly long and remind the bridal couple of their special day even years later. It gets a personal touch through the decoration of the box, for example by having the names of the bridal couple and the date of the wedding printed on it.
Personalized gifts
The individual design of drinkware is a classic way to honor the wedding couple. For this purpose, the names of the couple are put on champagne glasses that they can use on their wedding day. Alternatively, the skyline of the city can be engraved on a set of stemless wine glasses. This is an individual idea to capture where the couple met.
Some bridal couples have a wedding list, i.e. a wish list with a provider, from which family and friends can choose items, so that no gifts are duplicated. If there is none, it is also not wrong to ask the bridal couple directly if they want something specific. In general, the wedding gift should always be selected according to one's own means and possibilities. There is no right or wrong.
In the end, it is most beautiful to make the wedding day unforgettable for the bridal couple with a lot of good atmosphere and great moments.
