Selecting An Appropriate Wedding Gift
How To Decide On What To Give and How Much To Spend

So what exactly would an appropriate wedding gift be to the modern couple? To be honest, there is no right and wrong rule to this since every couple is different, as is every wedding guest's budget. What is well received and appreciated by one couple may horrify another. If you are having trouble deciding on what you should get or how much you should spend, here are some questions to consider to help guide you in your gift selection:

• What are the bride and groom's personalities like?
  
  Are they a fun-loving couple? Are they eccentric? Are they very conservative? By answering such questions you should be better able to search for an appropriate wedding gift that will suit their personalities, and therefore be happily received.
  
  
• What hobbies and interests do they have?
  
  Choose gifts that will enhance the enjoyment of their interests. For example, some couples love bowling together. Search for a gift that's related to this sport such as matching personalized bowling hats.
  
  
• What type of food do they both love?
  
  If they love Italian food, then a gift certificate to a romantic Italian restaurant would be appropriate. Another idea is to put together or purchase an Italian food gift basket for a romantic picnic. If they're the type of couple that loves barbecued foods, a gift basket full of barbecue sauces, recipes and spices would be a welcomed wedding present.
  
  
• How is their home decorated?
  
  For those who know the couple well and have been in their home, you may want to look for something that will compliment their decor, such as a special figurine, a picture or a collectible.
  
  
• Choose an appropriate wedding gift based on the theme of their wedding.
  
  This can become a collection of wedding memories that they could display in their home. As an example, my husband and I had a swan and heart theme wedding. Based on that wedding theme, some of the gifts we've received for anniversaries have been a small table fountain featuring two swans "in the pond," and a musical swan snow globe, plus swan ornaments for Christmas.
  
  
• Do they have a gift registry set up?
  
  If so, you can choose something that you know they are guaranteed to like.
  
  
• Money is always appreciated.
  
  If you still can't decide, then send a check equal to what you would have spent on a wedding present. Make it out to Mr. and Mrs. Whatever (unless the bride is keeping her maiden name - in which case use both names on the check).
  
  

• Gift certificates... to or for anything you believe the couple could use.
  
  
• Make up a coupon or certificate offering to do something special for them. For example, if you are good at manipulating videos, you could follow the couple around prior to the wedding, as well as doing video taping during the wedding, then put together a special wedding DVD. Present it to the bride and groom once they get back from their honeymoon.
  
  
• As another example, if you enjoy scrapbooking, be sure to bring your camera to the wedding. Get some good shots of not only the bridal couple and attendants, but of the wedding guests as well. Also get some childhood photos from the parents and put together a special wedding memories scrapbook as your gift.
  
  
• If you're a good cook, prepare a week of meals that can be frozen and placed in the freezer for when the couple returns home. Often times it's back to work as soon as the honeymoon is over. The newly married couple will appreciate not having to cook while getting back into a routine.
  
  
• Make a donation to a charity the couple supports.
  
  

• Don't pick something that could be construed as gaudy. You may love it, but you have to put yourself into their shoes... would THEY like it?
  
  
• As many brides and grooms are usually established - either on their own or already living together - it's probably wise to stay away from the typical kitchen appliances. The exception to this would be a couple who are very young and are moving from their parent's home to their own. Just hang onto the receipt should they wish to exchange the gift.
  
  
• Again, go back to the recommendation of finding out the bride and groom's interests and sticking with that over what your interests are. Here's a little story from my own experiences. For my birthday, my friend purchased two movie certificates to a cinema which were good for a year. She kept one and presented me with the other so that we both could go to the movies together. I hate going to cinema theatres and I had said that time after time to her. She loved going to cinemas. So the gift she gave me is something SHE would have like to receive (and so it never got used.)