Gifts

rswan412

Hi Ladies-
Starting to think about gifts for my girls, gift for FI the day of the wedding, and gifts for parents after our wedding- what did you guys do for all of these?

My thoughts so far:
For the Girls- DIY name hangers, DIY Coasters, Coach Wristlets and ?????...probably all put together in a bag of sorts..

For FI: Bombay Sapphire Blue Gin (His something Blue)

NO clue for parents...was going to send flowers to the mothers a few days later as a thank you...

I'm really interested to hear what you guys did, or are planning to do!

Carebear62584

My BMs:  I am giving them their jewelry and paying for the deposits for hair and makeup.  (I know people will tell me not to do this, but I've been a BM in 3/5 of my girls' weddings and they did that so I know it would be acceptable.)  Their necklaces were from when I hosted a Lia Sophia party so they were pretty much free.  I will also get them something else but not sure what else yet.

My FGs:  I got them their necklaces from Lia Sophia as well and probably will get earrings.  I will also get them something to keep them entertained while we are all getting ready.

GM's:  We are getting them their shirts and ties because they are not renting suits...just wearing a black suit that they hopefully already own.  We are also getting them a personalized bobblehead.  My neighbor's sister did that and he said he laughs every time he looks at his. 

RBs:  Also their shirt and ties.  We may get them something Red Sox too because they are both die hard fans (and have never met....something to bond over)

Mothers:  We planned on getting them a pandora charm or 2 as a thank you. We are thinking the wedding cake charm and maybe something else. We also need to think of something for FI's stepmom, but not as much because she hasn't been involved in any planning and contributing very little.

Fathers:  FI's dad and stepdad are both in the wedding party so I don't think we will get them anything additional. If we do it will be something small. We were going to get my dad a boot (from the movie Beerfest) to go along with his tradition of drinking out of shoes at weddings (I know, kinda gross....but it's an ice breaker.)

My aunt:  Even though she says not to get her anything I would like to get her something small because she has been helping with a lot of the planning and is throwing us a BBQ the day after the wedding.

Salamandy24

For my girls, I got them all Coach wristlets (I got them all a different one that I thought they'd like, not ones that would match their dresses). I also got them each a LUSH lip balm and lotion, and then made each of them a survival kit with literally anything they could have possibly needed that weekend (Toothpaste/toothbrush, deodorant, hair spray, face wipes, qtips, mini shampoo/conditioner, razors and shaving cream, fast flats for the reception, oil absorbers, gum....etc, etc..) I basically wiped out target's entire travel section.

For the guys, we got them each a beer mug with their initials etched into the glass, and then gave them each a 3 month subscription to "Ale-in-the-Mail". They get 12 artisanal beers from around the country each month. They have all kinds of different packages to choose from, and were really easy to work with.

We didn't end up getting parent gifts. We mostly paid for everything ourselves, and our parents would have seriously been upset if we spent money on them when they knew we were budgeting every penny to pay for the wedding. My husband and I didn't exchange gifts either, because we didn't really see the point, and again, we were trying to save money anywhere we could. 

Good luck!

calindi

I don't have bridesmaids, so that's moot.  For FI's best men and my brother (who is my BOH - brother-of-honor), they'll probably each get a nice bottle of liquor and a flask with their initials.

For my Dad, we got him a really nice bottle of scotch with a sign that says "Open and drink as necessary during wedding planning. Repeat daily until the wedding is over."  He got a real kick out of it!

For my Mom, we made something particularly special.  She had given us her grandmother's ring to have the diamond reset for my engagement ring, so we took the extra diamonds on the setting and had it made into a pendant for a necklace.  It's beautiful and looks like it was always meant to be a necklace.  She started sobbing because she has had to keep the ring hidden for the last 30 years since her grandma died because her mother (my grandma) kept trying to steal it as she thought she should have received it.  So now she can wear it without hiding it!  It meant a lot to her.

For FI's Dad and his Mom, I don't know yet.  We will probably buy FI's Dad a brand new suit, as we're not renting tuxes and he doesn't really have anything appropriate to wear to the wedding otherwise.  Not a clue for his Mom. Something small.

After the wedding, we're having a photobook made for each of the parents with photos that are special to them - more photos of their family and friends, fewer of people they don't know (FI's Mom and Dad will get separate ones as they're divorced, my parents will get one).

bmetz34

I got my girls canvas beach bags and personalized them, and I think I'll get them robes that we can wear the day of to get ready.  I might get the flower girl a little robe since she loves big girl stuff. 

Groomsmen, we have no idea since that'll be up to FI and we have some time to go.  He still has to ask some of his guys. 

We'll do wedding videos and maybe albums for the parents.  And I was thinking of maybe paying for my parent's hotel rooms for the night.  FI's family isn't contributing so I don't really feel the need to get them lots of stuff. 

Salamandy24

@calindi- I LOVE the gifts you gave your parents. I love gifts that hold a lot of meaning. Your mom will cherish that forever.

I forgot to mention, I guess we did sort of do parent gifts. We gave each set of parents and godparents a copy of the wedding video (which we had to pay for).

megbrooks2011

There is a section in my bio that is Wedding Party Gifts for pictures but...

For parents we got embroidered handkerchief's with a message from us.  We also got them a copy of the wedding DVD and parent albums of the photos (we also got the moms everything we got the bridesmaids and the dads everything we got the groomsmen).

My mom I also got her a bracelet from Tejani that complimented the bracelet I wore.  I did the same thing for my sister "the matron of honor"

The BMs:
Land’s End Canvas Bag with Name or Initials in their Favorite ColorC.O. Bigelow Lip Gloss
Fuschia Pashmina
Hanky Pankys
Fit in Clouds Sequin Flats
Earrings
I paid for their shoes And then for a Bridal Shower Thank You, I got them embroidered robes and soaps/lotions from Bath and Body Works

The Groomsmen
Ties from Tie Bar
Thomas Pink Cufflinks
Mugs from Pottery Barn with either their favorite football team or baseball team and their name embroidered

Each other
He got me a David Yurman Citrine Ring
I got him socks (in case he got cold feet) and a "Memory Lane" print that had a bunch of our memories over the years on it.  It hangs in our hallway now.  He loves it.

And we did pay for 90% of the wedding ourselves.  We didn't decide on gifts due to that.

Mona8

We haven't decided yet, but here are the ideas we've been throwing around

For the girls:
-Coach or Vera Bradley wristlet
-Personalized tote bag
-Earrings and/or Necklace
-Gift cards to their favorite store
-Plush robes
-Personalized travel mugs/tumblers

For the guys:
-Engraved beer mug or glass
-Personalized money clip
-Personalized cooler
-Personalized gym bag/duffel bag
-Gift cards

For parents:
-Gift card to their favorite restaurant or tickets to a show
-Nice Picture frame


For FI:
I have no idea yet!! I think I'll wait to see if there is anything  he wants closer to the wedding, lol

dannie134

Bridesmaids: I did get each girl a J. Crew chunky pearl necklace and black pashmina, but that was for the wedding so I also got them each a 5 year journal.  They are really cool, each day you write a short note, and each page has a spot for all 5 years.  So by the fifth year you are looking back at what you did that same day the last 4 years.  My girls were all going through big life events (new babies, upcoming weddings, etc.) so it seemed really appropriate.  For my sister (MOH) I picked out a necklace (not for the wedding) from a designer we both love.

Guys: DH picked out a personal gift for each of his guys.  For example, a framed photo of a sporting event from a favorite team at an event that groomsman had attended, or personalized golf balls/golf towel.  They were really thoughtful and based on what each guy liked.

For our parents we are creating wedding photo albums tailored to each set of parents, and we let them know at the rehearsal dinner.  We each wrote the card to our own parents to thank them for their help in making the wedding happen.

H and I decided not to do gifts for each other, but I did write a card for him.  Unfortunately, it got misplaced, and he didn't see it until the next day - oops!

rswan412

Thanks for all your imput, I love the ideas here!