Silver and I have a couple of friends from church who are having their wedding in exactly one week (they legalized the deal a couple months back). They haven't asked for gifts, and as far as I know have no registry, but we want to get them something.
Question: What would make a good wedding present?
We've been trying to think of what things have been indispensable to us, but I'm coming up short (it sounds like they may already have a cast-iron skillet, which was Silver's first thought).
They're a young-ish couple (late 20's/early 30's). They're both in (or were in; he used to, I think, be an EMT, not sure that he still is) medicine, and she used to be in the army and speaks Chinese. They like to bike and hike and do active things.
Ideas?
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9 comments:
Well, you know me, I think money is a perfectly respectable wedding gift, and when you don't know the bride and groom particularly well, it may be the best gift you could give. I don't think it is tacky in the least...or that it doesn't show thoughtfulness. Except for the very wealthy, I don't know many newlywed couples who couldn't appreciate some cash reserve.
If you don't know how much cash would be appropriate, and that's why you don't want to give money, I'd say just give what you can. If you have humble means, a $20 bill or a $25 cash gift in a beautiful card (handmade is especially sweet) is a thoughtful gesture. And plenty.
The average cash wedding gifts for the average American couple would range from $50-100. Gift givers who are older and financially established tend to give on the higher end, gift givers who are younger and/or less established tend to give on the lower end. When folks don't know one another very well, it also tends to be a lower gift...sometimes just two crisp $20 bills for a $40 gift.
Cash is preferable to checks, though checks are acceptable. Some folks also prefer to give gift cards to places like Target or Macys in the amount that would otherwise be given as cash.
Also, it is considered tacky to ask for gifts and advertise your registries. You're supposed to rely on close friends and family to spread the word among folks who are wondering.
So before you assume they don't have a registry, you might just ask the couple. Again, that wouldn't be tacky on your end. People feel badly when they get gifts they can't use, and receiving gifts should feel good. We appreciated people who asked.
All that said, I absolutely *treasure* the art we received at our wedding. For most folks, art is treated as luxury purchases, so a gift of original artwork is such a savory gift.
The few folks who gave us art when we got married didn't know us well, so it was surprising and delightful that they picked out peices that were very fitting for us. And that's really the problem with art. It's a matter of personal aesthetics, and unfortunately, there is no good way to predict what someone will love or hate.
If you don't feel like you want to risk giving them art that they might not like (but might feel obligated to put up in their home), which is certainly valid, then I think you are right on in trying to give something more functional.
From our wedding, our breadmaker and Kitchenaid stand mixer get a TON of use still ten years later, but those are both pretty expensive items and I also think their usefulness is lifestyle dependent.
A pizza stone, pizza cutter, and maybe a handmade book of your own favorite pizza recipes (if you make your own pizza) could be fun. We got something like that from someone for our wedding. She completed it with these "pizza plate" things she found and thought were cute. Or you could go with a pizza and popcorn theme and throw an air popper in the mix.
Do you can any foods yourselves or make jams or anything? We received some gifts along those lines for Christmas that were heavenly. We also received wool soap (http://candleandsoap.about.com/od/soaprecipes/ss/soapfelting.htm) and handmade salt scrubs that were just wonderful!
My tomato knife is indispensable to me, but it seemed like a weird gift when I got it. I truly and deeply love my microplane grater, too. Maybe you could make a bouquet of cheap-ish oddball kitchen tools!
I think a french press is also a really nice thing to own (iirc, Jenna got you one).
Cash is a good idea (no one in our congregation being wealthy), as is the french press, but I think they have one. They talked about starting to brew their own coffee with it to save money...
But yes, I still use my french press all the time (hooray for tasty decaf!)
What about some of our yumma homemade vanilla!? Or the chocolate syrup I have yet to make myself, but want to? With instructions for making more?
Mmmm...vanilla?! How?
Super easy! Just get a pretty bottle (or any old glass bottle with a lid) a bottle of cheap vodka and a couple of vanilla beans. Put in the beans and vodka and a month or three later, you have...vanilla extract! WAY cheaper than the storebought kind (though vanilla beans are pretty spensy) and you can keep topping off the vodka, so it lasts a loooooong time.
So what did you end up doing?
We finally went with a Downtown Fort Collins gift card -- since they can use it for practical things (Ace Hardware, the Cupboard, etc), but it's also a good excuse if they just want to go out.
Oh, that was a great idea!
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