What to Gift the Newlyweds

Captured by Williams Photography

Sitting at my desk wondering where on earth the last two months have gone made me realise how quickly times change - and I’m not just talking about the day to day, but eras too. We’re out of the eighties and in the 2K's now, so unless you’re stuck in a time warp it’s quite possibly time to get with the programme and understand that something for the home may not be the best option for newly weds.

Tradition once suggested that you should give a gift for the home, but these days your job of gifting as a wedding guest has got a little more interesting, most couples are already living together long before even their engagement and are fully kitted out in that department.

Which begs the question - what do you buy?

Most couples will either have a registry with the likes of Ballantynes, or Mildred and Co - but get in quick or you’ll be left buying the garlic crusher - I speak from personal experience, and the first wedding I went to! It's been on trend for a long time now to donate towards a honeymoon fund, you could gift this in the form of cash in a card, or donate directly to a travel agents registry if the couple have set this up. Nick and I opted for this idea as we are reasonably well set up at home and wanted nothing more than to make some life long memories in a new country together. It goes without saying that you should only ever gift what you can afford, but a question I’m always asked is ‘how much?’ Our personal rule of thumb sits around the $100 mark, and possibly a little more for really close friends and family.

Cash not king? You’d rather give a physical gift - I get it. Firstly, if they’ve requested dosh for a honeymoon fund, why don’t you find out where they’re going and purchase a specific experience for them instead? Failing that, ask the couple if there is anything that they would specifically like, and if their lips are sealed ask family or the bridal party. One thing we were gifted was the most beautiful hand knitted chunky woolen rug which is going to last us many, many years and you just knew there had been so much TLC put into creating it.

Cash king of you? Don’t sweat it, but be sure to give the gift of a card with a special note inside, and consider making something from the heart too. Don’t be afraid to to pair up with other wedding guests and combine your efforts into one larger present. One of my favourite examples of this is pitching in for Kubb Brothers personalised Kubb set.

But hey, let’s put ourselves in the couples shoes for a bit. Not everyone is after honeymoon cash after all - are they? I’ve seen some brilliant gift ‘requests’ come through lately, and ones I’d so love to contribute to. As many times as you say you don’t want gifts, people are always going to give - it’s only natural! So, have a long think about what you would love that you wouldn’t typically splurge on, and think about what you could be given that would last a lifetime. A piece of art maybe? Or a timeless piece of custom made furniture? Both things that you could include sketches of in your invites to show guests what your intentions are.

I really hope that this guide has served its purpose for you all. At the end of the day I think what's most important is to respect a couples wishes on their special day, and if you are to give a gift do make sure that it's something that will be appreciated for many years to come. After all, you don't want to walk into the couples bathroom months down the track and realise the ornament you gave them is tucked away in there!

Until next,