Wedding Etiquette Forum

Wedding gift ideas, budget $200-$300, custom made shoes or wedding bobblehead ?

I am trying to come up with something not in the registry. looking around and narrowing down to custom made shoes or wedding bobblehead. 

the custom shoes, as shown in the picture, I found this website pretty cool, you can tailor made the shoes, including its materials, color and even adding stitched signatures. I feel like the custom made shoes are  great. 

On the other hand, the wedding bobblehead, shown in the other picture attachced,  is something that seems to be pretty unique and funny, plus you can keep it forever. 

what would be your pick? 
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Re: Wedding gift ideas, budget $200-$300, custom made shoes or wedding bobblehead ?

  • Honestly, I wouldn't want either of those. And I sure as hell wouldn't pay $200-$300 for them. I would get something off the registry if you want to give a physical gift. Why are you opposed to using the registry?



  • Are you serious with these ideas?

  • Neither, unless the couple are collectors of novelty bobble heads it would be a gift that would end up in the back of the closet. Shoes - I'm really picky. I would not want someone purchasing shoes for me without me seeing them and saying yes or no so if I didn't like them that would be another thing in the back of the closet.
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  • lilacck28lilacck28 member
    1000 Comments 500 Love Its Fourth Anniversary First Answer
    edited April 2015
    No. Just no. If that is a gift for someone else... no. My feet are annoying. Not wide enough to be wide, but are often a touch too wide for some normal shoes. They are princess and the pea feet. How do you know what your friend likes or what will fit her? I would not want nonreturnable shoes, and unless your friend has specifically talked about this website and that they always fit her... I doubt she would either.  And bobble heads that look like the bride and groom? FI thinks they're really creepy. We have talked about how much we would NEVER do that, so why would we want them from someone else??? Unless your friend has mentioned wanting these... then absolutely do not buy these. And if they DO want them, they'll probably buy them for themselves as a wedding cake topper! (ETA: FI and I really liked picking out our cake topper ourselves. It would have been VERY odd for someone to buy it for us.)

    I would much prefer $200 cash or something off my registry. We did receive a very pretty platter that was off the registry as an engagement gift. We liked that. But your choices seem... odd... unless your friend has mentioned liking things like this. In which case, why wouldn't you tell us that? 

    If you're picking  a gift for yourself... how could we possible help?  
  • So... I'll break from the crowd and say it is possible that people out there would love a gift like this... but you really have to know that they would.

    If this is a friend you are close to, and you know her style, and you know that she is crazy about shoes, and you know what she likes, this could be a really cool gift. Unfortunately, even if you know she'd love it and the style, buying a shoe without trying it on can be very risky. It would be a shame to get a beautiful pair of $200 shoes that she loves, but that don't fit right / are uncomfortable.

    The bobblehead could also be cute if this is something the couple is in to. If the couple collects bobbleheads / toys / action figures and/or lots of goofy personalized stuff like lots of framed caricatures of themselves, then this could be an awesome gift.
    But if they don't seem to collect such things, it's possible that your very thoughtful and unique gift could end up on the back of a shelf somewhere.

    I think it's really nice that you're looking into interesting and unique gift ideas. And as gifts should never be expected nor mandatory, it is your choice in the end what kind of gift, if any, you give them. You probably want to stop and decide though, if you think it's something they'd use/truly enjoy. Otherwise you might be spending a lot of money on something that's not that appreciated. Now, if that doesn't bother you, then do whatever you want. If it does, definitely analyze them and their likes and such a little more. We on this board don't know them; only you do.
  • And I am confused with the shoes.  If there is a groom involved, will the heels only be for the bride? Well, unless they are for the groom, which is possible, but still the shoes will only be for one person, not both, so how is that a wedding gift?

    THIS. I forgot to mention this point. 
  • labro said:


    If you're looking to spend $200 to $300 on an off-registry wedding gift - what are the couples interests? Wine? Maybe a custom, hardwood cutting board with a laser engraved monogram or other design, a really nice bottle of wine, and a basket of wine tasting/drinking accessories.

    Does the couple like to host parties? There are tons of great hostessing gifts out there. Lenox has a really beautiful collection of metal serving dishes and special pieces that someone may not normally purchase for themselves.

    Or you know, just give them cash. Cash gifts are ALWAYS welcome.
    THIS. I think if you're going to go off registry, it has to be a really nice gift, that you know they'll love. The wine gift for example would never be on my registry, but I'd love it. And if you do a hostessing gift, just put the gift receipt in it. 

    You can also stick to the registry but "theme" your gift. For example, if you see a pizza cutting board, a veggie chopper, a pizza stone=pizza gift! Add in some fancy sauce, sausage, and pizza recipe book, and it's a unique and thoughtful gift, that also incorporates their wedding registry.

  • I'm all for off registry gifts.   We give gifts in the $200-300 range also.  So I'm not opposed to the amount either.


    That said, I'm not a fan of either option.  A $200 booble-head?  No.  Custom shoes?  How odd for a wedding related gift.

    I say keep trying.






    What differentiates an average host and a great host is anticipating unexpressed needs and wants of their guests.  Just because the want/need is not expressed, doesn't mean it wouldn't be appreciated. 
  • peachy13 said:

    Sorry OP, I think your heart is in the right place and you want your gift to shine, but stick to the registry or cash. 


    PS - I think bobbleheads are weird and scary and if I received them for my wedding they would go in a box and left in a dark corner of my basement.
    If I got bobbleheads, they'd go in my garden next to my gnome.
  • @littlepep bahah thank you. You cannot mention bobbleheads without thinking of Dwight.
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  • Thanks everyone for chipping in your thoughts. I guess I am gonna kill those two ideas then. Looks like the safer bet will be going along with the registry.  maybe gift card is the easiest....... 

    Yay! And just a general gift card would be best (or cash!) - not a $300 gift card to "bobbleheads usa" or whatever.
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  • Gift card it is. But if it is for myself, I would consider custom making a pair of shoes over the boooooooobblehead~~~~~~~~~~~~. , especially seem like they have return policy for a year in place. 
  • You have a pretty good budget and you know these people so if they are bobble head or high heel shoe people, maybe these gifts are appropriate.  That said, I don't like bobble heads and I think the ones you posted are way overpriced.  The high heel shoes seem odd to me for a lot of the reasons previously mentioned- fashion is personal and shoes even more so (feet are weird), they are likely for one of the newlyweds and not the other, the shoes shown in your example don't seem particularly unique or special for something you design yourself.  

    If you know these people well, take ten minutes or so and write out a list of things you know they like; hiking, bike riding, hot air balloons, wine, labradors, tropical vacations etc.  From that list you should be able to narrow down a couple of areas that lend themselves to gifts and you can search about for a gift that falls within that category.  Think about things like a subscription to a wine/coffee/gourmet food of the month club, massage for two, tickets to show (a bit dicier if you have to select a particular date because you want it to work for their schedules).  I tend to steer away from personalized items because I wouldn't want them but if you know they like that, get them a personalized cutting board, welcome mat, piece of art. 

    If you know these people well but can't think of anything that caters to their hobbies/lives, or you don't know them well, that is why they created a registry- to take the pressure off the guest.  They have selected a variety of presents that you already know they will like so that you wouldn't have to grasp for straws.  And if none of those gifts are acceptable to you, then go for a gift card or look for something registry adjacent- if they registered for all orange dinnerware, buy them an orange fruit bowl or an orange tea set, if they registered for lots of gardening supplies, get them something garden oriented. 
  • Gift card it is. But if it is for myself, I would consider custom making a pair of shoes over the boooooooobblehead~~~~~~~~~~~~. , especially seem like they have return policy for a year in place. 

    Either you're advertizing the custom shoes, taking the piss, or drunk.  I refuse to believe anybody would entertain buying bizarre custom shoes or a bobblehead doll as a wedding gift. 



  • You should get them custom bedding with your face on it.


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    I'm sending you this as a late wedding gift. I know how much you want to wrap your body in my ugly selfie face (specifically, the one where I look like a thumb). I'm certain the mister wont mind.
  • You should get them custom bedding with your face on it.


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    I don't give a shit whose face is on that. If it's soft, give it to me. My only requirements for blankets is plushy warm softness. And cocoonability is a major plus.

    (Insert that Colbert gif here)
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