Great Ideas for Wedding Gifts if You Did Not Attend the Wedding

If you must decline a wedding invitation from someone who is dear to you, you’ll want to give an excellent gift that both underscores your feelings for the recipients and serves as something that will remind them of you for years to come.  Here is a list of the best wedding gifts to give if you cannot attend the wedding:

 

1. Money

Believe it or not, money is the best gift to give a new couple, whether or not you attend the ceremony.  This is agreed upon by married couples, engaged couples, and those who write the rules of etiquette for things like weddings.  People who are just starting out together need big things.  Your wedding couple might need money to buy a new house or car.  The thing they most need to start a new life together might be to pay down past debts or pay off school loans.  Giving the gift of money is traditional for a reason.  It gives the bridal couple the choice of how to spend it, and that ensures they will get exactly what they want most as a gift from you.

 

2.  An item from their registry

Many people bypass the wedding registry when trying to decide on a gift for the bridal couple.  Maybe they want their gift to be seen as more creative and heartfelt than something that might be on a list.  The problem with this is if you buy something that isn’t on the registry list, you run the risk of getting the couple something they do not want, have no use for, or already own.  The wedding couple registered for things they needed.  If you cannot be there to watch them walk down the aisle, you can at least give them something you know they will use.

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3. The gift of a memory

Buying picture frames and engraved wedding goblets is popular because there is a desire to give the couple a gift that will remind them of their wedding day.  These ideas could use some creative twists.  One way to do this is to buy the couple a bottle of fine wine or aged scotch engraved or labeled with their names and the wedding date, coupled with instructions to enjoy on their first, fifth, or tenth wedding anniversary.  Another gift in this theme is to commission a portrait of the two of them.  Select a portrait artist and send them photographs of the couple, both posed and candid.  Your wedding couple will enjoy the resulting painting for years to come.

 

4.  The gift of an original

This is a category you don’t want to go crazy with, but which can produce really nice gifts if done right.  The wedding couple probably doesn’t want a set of handmade macrame plant holders, but a carefully-selected handmade, antique, or heirloom can be an excellent wedding gift.  These gifts will truly show that you have put thought into the gift and will remind the couple of you whenever they see it.  Works of art, a wedding ring quilt, handmade wooden furniture, and antique silver all fall into this category.

 

5.  The gift of a honeymoon

Find out if the wedding couple has registered at a honeymoon registry.  This is a service that allows guests to gift the couple with dollars toward a vacation or toward specific items they might enjoy on a honeymoon, such as dinner, massages, drinks, or adventures.  These gifts are truly memorable because they allow the couple to make the kinds of memories together they may never have a chance at again.

 

Sometimes life prevents us from being present to witness the marriage of those we care about.  Sending a gift from one of these categories, along with a personal message of care and well wishes, will show the wedding couple how much they mean to you and contribute to the gift of their togetherness for many years to come.

Alex Lemone is a wedding and engagement writer.  For more wedding gift ideas and wedding ideas go to Wedding Ideas Etc. 
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Honeymoon Without Breaking The Bank

With wedding costs skyrocketing, so many couples have to skip the honeymoon in favor of inviting 50 more guests or getting the designer dress of their dreams. While priorities vary for each couple, once the wedding day is over and done with, many newlyweds wished they had spent less time, effort and money on the D-day details and more on each other. A honeymoon is usually a week long and the memories you get to make while bonding with each other as man and wife far outweigh the lace on the placemats or the name of the band playing at the reception. Here are some tips on making sure you get to go on a great honeymoon.

Make a firm wedding budget and allot your desired amount for the honeymoon. Don’t let cake, flowers or bridesmaids gifts eat up any part of that budget. Don’t postpone the honeymoon saying that you’ll take it later; tomorrow never comes for honeymoons. Now is the time; later work, kids, family and everything piles up and the charm of a honeymoon at the right time fizzles out.

If airfare is eating up your entire budget, forget about Hawaii or Europe and save the flying time and airport hassles by going away some place local. Not only will you save big money, you won’t get lost as much, you’ll have a honeymoon memory you can visit again if you like and you can even come home early if the place doesn’t turn out to be as you expected.

The least expensive way of going on a honeymoon is to stay at someone’s house while they are away. Look into home exchanges where someone can stay at your place while you see a different locale. Similar to the Cameron Diaz- Kate Winslet movie, you might snag a great deal on seeing a new city without spending a dime on hotels.

If you can’t find a time share or other free accommodation, you can still have a great honeymoon by skipping the five star hotels and staying at a bed and breakfast instead. The rates are much lower, the policies less stringent and the innkeepers more friendly. There is no need for you to get souvenirs from your honeymoon for all your friends and family. Chances are you threw a great wedding and everyone got a favor; pick up a trinket or two for your new place together but leave it at that.