Best Inexpensive Wedding Gift

lanternwaste17 · March 2015

Ladies,

I need advice about a wedding gift for my husband's brother's wedding coming up in 2 months.

My husband and I got married almost a year ago, are expecting our first in October and planning to buy a house this summer. Money is tight between all these things and now we have a big wedding to add to it!

The cost of flying out to the wedding, hotels, tux for my husband (best man), bachelor party, etc. is well over $1000. The couple are not having a fancy wedding (afternoon wedding with cake) but their registry is a little out of our price range.

Is it better to buy one china/platinum place setting or to try to find something in a similar style off-registry? I know I can find Waterford crystal and Ralph Lauren duvet covers at Home Goods in a similar style for way less than Macy's. I want to get them multiple nice things but I'm not sure if that's tacky and I should just get them something small from the registry.

I am making them a keepsake cross-stitch thing but after seeing the registry I feel kind of stupid.

What was an awesome not too expensive gift you all received?

ShesSoCold · March 2015

I have no idea what my aunt paid for it or where she got it, but My aunt gave us a print of the constellations and night sky on the night of our wedding. It was beautiful. We got married in a downtown high rise and it even had the skyline in it.

It was something like this

http://indigonight.com/

lanternwaste17 · March 2015

What a sweet idea! I love it!

[Deleted User] · March 2015

I think the thing that you are making is priceless because it is being made with love. Brides & Grooms shouldn't look at how much you give them. Because you are spending a lot of money, yes by your choice, to be a part of their special day. I'm sure they know you are expecting, if not yet, soon, and should be sympathic to the fact that you have some big expenses coming up this year.

[Deleted User] · March 2015

lanternwaste17 said:
Ladies,

I need advice about a wedding gift for my husband's brother's wedding coming up in 2 months.

My husband and I got married almost a year ago, are expecting our first in October and planning to buy a house this summer. Money is tight between all these things and now we have a big wedding to add to it!

The cost of flying out to the wedding, hotels, tux for my husband (best man), bachelor party, etc. is well over $1000. The couple are not having a fancy wedding (afternoon wedding with cake) but their registry is a little out of our price range.

Is it better to buy one china/platinum place setting or to try to find something in a similar style off-registry? I know I can find Waterford crystal and Ralph Lauren duvet covers at Home Goods in a similar style for way less than Macy's. I want to get them multiple nice things but I'm not sure if that's tacky and I should just get them something small from the registry.

I am making them a keepsake cross-stitch thing but after seeing the registry I feel kind of stupid.

What was an awesome not too expensive gift you all received?

Give them the hand-made item now, and when you find you have some money to gift (in a year or two) get them something else. After they host you at their home and you realize they could really use a serving dish for Thanksgiving mashed potatoes, have one appear on their doorstep from amazon. You're allowed to give gifts for No Reason as well as for a wedding.

photokitty · March 2015

My go to wedding gift is a waterford bowl, it's a Irish tradition to give a wedding bowl. If you can get one on sale elsewhere I think it is an excellent gift. I buy a lot of waterford off eBay and Crystal Classics has some great sales. There's a wedding wishes champagne coaster for $39 right now.

poodledoodleooo · March 2015

I received a "date night in" in a box. It had fancy cheeses (ones that didn't need immediate refrigeration) crackers, jam, pasta, pasta sauce, etc... It was super cute and was basically one simple, but fancy dinner my new Husband I could make together. We love to cook, so this was perfect

I've also heard of friends doing "date nights" that are have a gift card to a restaurant and movie theater, or even a movie you think they'll love with popcorn and other movie-watching goodies, or a board game and some other little snacks.

Just be careful if you go with cheese - they might not open it right away

ETA: The date night in came with a rather inexpensive cheese board/cheese knife (I wanna say $15 or so) set I registered for as well. She fancied it up

southernbelle0915 · March 2015

I always think it's safer to go on registry. Even if it's just one piece of a bigger collection - that's what their completion discount is for.

But if there literally isn't one thing in your price range, I like the idea of a restaurant gift card or a basket for date night in.

Also, I'm side-eyeing their wedding HARD. They're making your H rent a tux, fly across the country and plan a bachelor party for an afternoon wedding and only serving cake? F that noise.

chibiyui · March 2015

Yeah, I usually don't care about tuxes in the afternoon, but tuxes for an afternoon wedding with just cake is pretty side eyable.

Handmade gifts are lovely. One of my favorite gifts was a quilt my aunt made for H and I. I also received a lovely antique vase from an Aunt. I feel like if you know their tastes well enough, you can go off registry, and if you can find a Waterford pattern that's on their registry at Homegoods, I think you're pretty safe.

STARMOON44 · March 2015

Don't get something in a similar pattern at home goods- much better to have one place setting (which is a lovely gift!) in their pattern or a lovely homemade gift.

huskypuppy14 · March 2015

I think the cross stitch is a wonderful gift. My grandma made us a cross stitch with our names and wedding date, and we love it.

You don't have to get them anything else, especially not off their registry if you can't afford it.

Gifts should not be expected anyway.

lanternwaste17 · March 2015

Thanks for the great ideas everyone! I like the idea of a date night basket...I'm thinking about maybe doing a picnic basket and pulling a couple small picnicky things off their registry to put inside. They live near the beach so I can imagine them using it.

Casadena · March 2015

I like the idea of incorporating small registry items in a "basket" gift like that. One of my favorite wedding gifts was a spice rack that we had registered for, with a small newlywed cookbook, and a small set of fancy spices. It all fit together nicely, was not too expensive to put together, and we use it all the time! I think you're picnic basket idea will be great

amelisha · March 2015

Anyone who side-eyes you for a handmade gift is a jerk you don't need to worry about pleasing, IMO.

A gift like that requires a hell of a lot more thought and effort than clicking on someone on a registry and anyone who doesn't appreciate that sucks, period.

ohannabelle · March 2015

amelisha said:
Anyone who side-eyes you for a handmade gift is a jerk you don't need to worry about pleasing, IMO.

A gift like that requires a hell of a lot more thought and effort than clicking on someone on a registry and anyone who doesn't appreciate that sucks, period.

This times 5000.

(Note: I try very hard to be a thoughtful giver. I don't give handmade things to everyone, because my work just isn't everyone's style. I often shop off registry. A registry is a suggestion, not a shopping list. And if you give a handmade gift, there's no need at all to send a second gift, as if the first wasn't good enough.)

vmj23 · April 2015

My favorite gift wasn't off my registry, it was a gift certificate for this:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/111917001/wedding-photo-turned-artistic?ref=shop_home_feat_1

After the wedding I sent them one of my photo's and then turned it into an 8x10 digital drawing with our name and wedding date on it. My friend framed the certificate in a nice frame, so I would have a frame for the photo once I received it. (a portion of the drawing is actually my profile picture). I absolutely LOVE it. It is so unique and came out SO good.

[Deleted User] · April 2015

huskypuppy14 said:
I think the cross stitch is a wonderful gift. My grandma made us a cross stitch with our names and wedding date, and we love it.

You don't have to get them anything else, especially not off their registry if you can't afford it.

Gifts should not be expected anyway.

I know it's wrong to expect gifts (and I definitely don't), but I can't help but find the idea of going to a wedding without giving something kind of mortifying.

badbnagdway · April 2015

STARMOON44 said:
Don't get something in a similar pattern at home goods- much better to have one place setting (which is a lovely gift!) in their pattern or a lovely homemade gift.

I agree -- getting a bunch of place settings in a similar pattern I didn't pick would not be my favorite. Crystal is a little different -- if they've registered for Waterford crystal they probably would like another Waterford item, such as a bowl or vase, even if they didn't register for it.

I think the handmade gift sounds lovely, and I also think it is completely acceptable (and even expected) to purchase just a single piece of a larger set off of a registry.

I don't know exactly what price range their registry is in but if they didn't register for a bunch of stuff $50 or less they didn't do a great job with it.

TheArtemisMoon · May 2015

Hopefully your brother in law gets that you are tight on money and can't afford ridiculously expensive gifts.

Best Inexpensive Wedding Gift

Re: Best Inexpensive Wedding Gift

Choose Another Board

Search Boards