As a token of appreciation for everything they've done to help out before, and on, the big day, it's common courtesy for the newlyweds to hand out a series of wedding party gifts to the various members of the bridal party. This article takes an in-depth look at wedding party gifts, from when to hand them out to how much to spend.
Wedding Party Gifts
When it comes down to it, could you really organise everything (and we mean everything) without the help of the people in your bridal party? From the organisation of the stag & hen do’s, through to the ushering of guests away from places they aren't supposed to be, the members of the bridal party play an essential role. Throw wedding speeches and financial contributions into the mix and it's easy to see why it's important to invest time and money into some decent wedding party gifts.
The value of the 'reward' will obviously depend on your overall budget and the number of members in the Wedding Party, but we would suggest that anywhere from £10 to £100 is perfectly acceptable to spend on a gift for each Wedding Party member – but what to get them?
There are no rules or regulations about what you should buy, the only caveat we will add is that the gifts should be given thought and not just be the first (or cheapest!) thing that you see. For example, it is all well and good deciding to buy your Best Man a pair of football tickets, but if he prefers Wigan Warriors to Wigan Athletic then you may wish to tweak your plans.
The table on the next page sets out a few of our ideas as to what you may wish to buy the Wedding Party members, but there are a few things to remember as you take a look.
Firstly, you do not need to spend exactly the same amount of money on everybody – a figure somewhere in the same ballpark is good enough.
Secondly, you do not need to buy both the Mother of the Bride and the Mother of the Groom (for example) the same things. If one has been instrumental in organising the day’s events then perhaps a little something extra special could be purchased for her (be subtle when presenting of course!).
Finally, if there are others outside of the traditional Wedding Party list, grandparents or Auntie’s and Uncle’s for example, who have made a major contribution to the success of the day then why not buy them something a little extra special too.
|
Wedding Party Member |
Under £20 |
Personalised Gifts |
Cash to Spare |
|
Father’s of the Bride & Groom |
Bottle of Whiskey |
Engraved Hip Flask (full of whiskey!) |
Golf Mini Break |
|
Mother’s of the Bride & Groom |
Bouquet of Flowers |
Engraved Jewellery Box |
Theatre Break |
|
Best Man |
Aftershave |
Engraved Pewter Tankard |
Day Off-Roading |
|
Chief Bridesmaid |
Sterling Silver Bracelet |
Engraved Photo Frame |
Spa & Pamper Day |
|
Usher(s) |
Crate of Lager |
Engraved Cufflinks |
Tickets to a Football Match |
|
Bridesmaid(s) |
Big box of Choccies each |
Personalised Mug / Champagne Flute |
Deluxe Makeover |
When it comes to giving the gifts to your Wedding Party, you have three options – before, during or after.
Presenting them with gifts is a personal way of saying thanks and whilst giving them the gifts before the day is OK, firstly you are being presumptuous that it will all work out fine (I’m sure it will, don’t panic!), and secondly it doesn’t really give you the opportunity to ‘make it special’. Unless there really is no option, we would advise against gift-giving prior to the day.
A common choice is to present the gifts at some point during the day. Coercing some venue representatives to present the gifts at an appropriate moment during the groom’s speech is always a nice touch, but make sure that it won’t take half an hour to do so and that there is somewhere suitable to place any large gifts (particularly bouquets). If you don't think about this beforehand, not only will the rest of the guests begin to get bored, but they may not even be able to see your new mother-in-law’s beaming face, and that would be a real shame wouldn't it? (nod!)
Perhaps the best way we have heard for handing out gifts is to do so ‘in secret’. Assuming that the Wedding Party are all staying that night at the Reception venue, then why not give the gifts to the on-site wedding coordinator and ask them at some point during the day to sneak in and place the gifts on the bed in the room of each guest – obviously make sure that the guests are not in the shower at the time! A mention of thanks during the speeches followed by the receipt of the surprise gifts upon returning to their room is a fun and loving way of showing your wedding party just how much their efforts mean.
There really is no excuse, other than sheer laziness, for not buying any gifts. So armed with all these ideas and advice what are you waiting for? Get yourself down the high street and start buying some natty presents.
Your website here? - 
