Gifts That Most Modern Newlyweds Will Love

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Times and traditions have certainly changed over the last 50 years or so when it comes to weddings, and what’s considered proper gift-giving etiquette.

Back in our grandparents day, it would’ve been pretty much unheard of to show up at a wedding with nothing but an envelope with money in it.

In those days, most newlywed couples had never lived together before getting married, so any gifts they were given were purely practical items to help them set up their home life together as a married couple and possibly even prepare them for starting a family.

Nowadays, things are a lot different. Most people live together for at least two years before even considering marriage, and do things in pretty much the opposite way from the past.

When people get married now, they usually already have a lot of things they would be given back then, though possibly not one of those floral China tea sets from a distant aunt who they never even met before.

Still, though: they do have pretty much everything they need, and if they don’t, then they’re more likely to buy it for themselves.

That’s why recent years have seen a big shift in giving the new couple money as a wedding gift, and some people will even specifically request this as a gift so as to avoid extra items they don’t want or need.

If you’re attending a wedding anytime soon, and would like to either give the couple something a bit more personal than money, or even just as an additional gift for them, then below are a few ideas.

Keep in mind, that some of these will depend on how well you know the couple, so if you’re unsure on whether you should get them something or don’t know if they’d like it, then it’s maybe best to just stick with money.

• A donation in their name: some people would love to see money going to a useful cause, so if you know the couple well and know that either one of them, or even both of them has a cause they’re passionate about supporting, then making a donation in their name could be a lovely gesture from you to them and a bit more personal than just giving them some money;

• A kitchen gadget: does either one of the couple love to cook, or is it something they enjoy doing together? If so, then there are many amazing things on the market to add to a kitchen that are on every budding cook’s wishlist. Things like blenders, especially the really good ones, don’t always come cheap, so getting them something they maybe aren’t ready to buy for themselves yet could really be something they’d appreciate. Even if they don’t go crazy over cooking, they may be on the lookout for a new coffee machine that makes all their favorites, so something like the Cuisinart 7 cup will do the trick – especially if it’s something they’ll get a lot of use out of;

• A romantic break: this could be especially nice for a couple who maybe aren’t getting a honeymoon, and this will make a nice alternative for them. Though, even if they are going on a honeymoon, what couple will say no to a relaxing and romantic break together? It doesn’t have to be far away, but somewhere they can both relax after the stress of the wedding, and get some nice spa treatments together will definitely go down well with them;

• Joint lessons: when you care about two people who are getting married, you want them off to the best possible start in their new married life, so that means they should also have time for each other and to spend time together doing something they both enjoy and that they have in common. You could encourage them to take up a new mutual hobby by getting those lessons for something like cooking, music, dance, or even a sport. It doesn’t really matter what it is, as long as you know they’ll both enjoy it and have fun doing it together;

As mentioned above, these are simply gift ideas, so the gift you give should always be based on your relationship with the couple, how well you know them, be something you feel comfortable with, and also be taking into consideration anything they may have asked specifically to receive or not receive.

Some couples, for example, will ask every guest to only donate to a charity, and others will ask only for money, whereas some won’t even specify and will just leave it to the discretion of their guests. There’s really no right or wrong way, so just ensure you’re aware of anything specific before getting your gift.