Q. Hey Jordan,
So in November I’m going to an ex’s wedding (I’m happy for him, happy for her, they’re excited to see me, etc., so we’re all in a pretty great place). They’re registered at a couple places and chose really affordable items, which I love them for, but all the items are soooo practical. (Fair enough – they might actually need this stuff, and far be it for me to tell them their wedding registry needs a little whimsy.) Still…
I’d love to get them something special. Any thoughts? I’m thinking that his fiancee, especially, will love to open up a gift that involves more than baking dishes and electric mixers…
Thanks for any advice you can offer!
– Anonymous
A. Giving a gift – any gift – is a wonderful, thoughtful gesture, and will of course be appreciated, but unless you’re super close to the couple and are absolutely certain that an non-registry gift is something they’d be totally over-the-moon about (maybe tickets to see a team or band that they both love?), my honest advice is to stick to the registry. When I got married, we registered for our honeymoon (via thebigday.com) and for a few basic household items that we really needed. A few people got us things that we hadn’t registered for, and while of course we loved these gifts…the truth is that we actually didn’t have room for any more stuff in our apartment, so some things only got unpacked once we moved into a larger place. Sure, registry items can sometimes feel like “boring” purchases, but they really are things that the couple needs and wants – and there are usually a few more interesting things peppered in among the forks and knives (cocktail shakers, picnic baskets, decorative items, etc).
If you want to make your gift to them more personal, how about getting them something off of their registry, and then sending a (small) additional gift? Some ideas (the last three can definitely be stand-alone gifts if you’re sure you want to avoid the registry altogether):
A jar filled with the (dry) ingredients for one of your favorite recipes (click HERE for recipe suggestions).
A book that you think they’ll love inscribed with a note from you.
A snowglobe or Christmas ornament with special meaning to the couple.
A handwritten recipe book with a few simple recipes that they can make together.
A reproduction vintage map of the town where they’re getting married, or the town where they met.
A fantastic bottle of wine that they can drink now, and a second fantastic bottle with a note instructing them to enjoy it on their one-year anniversary.
A Cooking Class In A Box for their favorite cuisine.
The bottom line: they’ll love whatever you get them…but most of all, they’ll love having you be a part of such a special day in their lives, so don’t stress too much over the gift.
Have fun at the wedding!
xo
J
Image via Save The Date Events.
