Wedding gift help

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I have a casual friend who is getting married in June (typical). I don't know him or his fiancee well enough to get a personalized gift, so it will be sort of generic.

I'm thinking about dish towels. Does that sound okay? It's pretty lame, I know, but I think gifts for this situation need to be practical.

 

Do they already have a house full of stuff, or are they just starting out in the world?

Wedding presents were easier in the old days when people got married in 18 and you knew they had nothing, so it didn't matter what you got them.

 

They've been living together for a couple years and have most of a household. I do know they are going to be living in Europe after the wedding because of work.

 

Oh, crap - Steven & Vickie, right? I never checked for mail from my landlord yesterday; it was late when I got home.

(kuemper's referring to a mutual friend of ours - our former DM)

Dang, if you're getting them dish towels, then what will I get them?!? (i.e. double the help, please? )

EDIT: Okay, got yesterday's mail - my invite was there.

Hmmm, the two are living in Manchester, and will be flying back here to get married for her parents, then having a reception in Dordrecht, NL later for his folks - rather flexible lot, those two families.

So we need to give them gifts that'd be appreciated, but also luggage-portable...

[ April 07, 2007, 01:41: Message edited by: jaded empath ]

 

You can get nice small silver items - candlesticks and candle snuffers, for instance They're light and not too expensive. You can get equally nice ones in brass that are not expensive at all. Add a few candles to the box and you have a very nice gift, IMHO.

 

Cash is always appreciated. Usually, newlyweds are just starting out, and they might be saving for a house or something. It may not be personable, but cash is the best option, IMHO. I do like revmaf's silver suggestion though.

The only time I'd give an actual gift is if it's something I've made myself, or they are registered someplace and have specific gift requests. It saves the hassle of figuring uot what they might need...

Just my two cents - but if I ever get married, and I invite you to the wedding...Remember: CASH!

 

I think if I were in their position, I'd prefer cash as well. It's what they put on most invites as a gift tip these days. At least over here. It's not personal, yes, but then again, many of the people attending your wedding reception aren't exactly personal friends. Party would be different I guess. But this is Belgian custom.

You could always get them a Dutch-English English-Dutch dictionary set.

 

I have very little cash to give. I feel cheap giving $5 when I can buy something for $5 that has some longevity to it.

Thanks for the ideas.

 

Picture frames - everyone can use a nice picture frame. Bed, Bath and Beyond has a good selection, plus they regularly issue coupons...

 

Kuemp? You know; we could just ASK Steven and Vickie...email them now...

 

Send me as your gift to them. I have a few talents I can use on their wedding night.

The Asian custom is to just give cash, while the American custom is giving gift cards. The poor man's custom is giving a box of fresh air.

We got all sorts of things from our wedding. One of friends that's been struggling with money got us a bucket that was filled with house keeping products...it actually came in handy when we moved into the apartment. My grandma couldn't come due to health reasons, so she sent us a very expensive pot and pan set from a brand that's known for selling high quality cookware for a killer price. My best friend gave us one of the most unique gifts...first he got us drunk, and when we woke up the next day we got a 90 minute full body massage.
He got married exactly one week after us, so we knew we wouldn't have much money left from the honeymoon, so about a month before our wedding, we took them to a park and took about 300 pictures of them; many of which they had on display at their wedding.

Anyway, my point is, you can give things that cost an arm and a leg, or something that doesn't cost anything at all. What matters is that you know what they need. If you don't know, the figure out what they like and get them a gift card.

 

I know when I got married we wanted cash. We footed a good portion of the bill ourselves, and needed the cash to pay everything off. I know that's not a practical solution for kuemper, so I would recommend finding something cheap on their registery. At least you know it's something they want.

 

*Registered*....hmmmmmmm

That would make things simpler; time to get in touch with the soon-to-be newlyweds!

 

If your friend owns their home I recommend a gift card to one of the big box home improvement stores; if not maybe a gift card to a local retailer or money. $25-50 for a wedding gift is actually the best gift to give.