Unique Bridal Shower & Wedding Gift Ideas...

As I stated at the beginning, I started this blog to organize myself - my computer, my house, and my head. So in an effort to do that, this is another post. :)


1. Alphatography - of course my own side-business has to be #1

2. A personalized drink tub
- Several years ago, this one from Lillian Vernon was my wedding/shower gift of choice
- Suzanne's sister Trisha started making some as well; these are on her Etsy site; Trisha also makes a personalized tray that can coordinate with the bucket

3. A Wine Theme - corkscrew, a wine bottle coaster, wine glass charms, coasters for glasses (some even have initals on them - get their last name initial!), a bottle of wine, wine glasses. You could also add cheese and crackers and combine this with a picnic basket idea...

4. A Beer Theme - Sometimes the couple registers for beer glasses...you could have them etched with their monogram, last initial, etc. Include a six-pack (or more) of their favorite beer!

5. A picnic basket with various items - can be made by you or pre-purchased. Some things to include - include a service at least for two!: melamine plates, napkins, melamine wine glasses, a tablecloth, silverware, a corkscrew, a cutting board

6. BBQ tools - might also include bbq seasonings and a cookbook for bbqing

7. A recipe book - or a photo album with some of your favorite recipes included, printed on
index cards. You could also put this in a gift bag with some of the utensils the couple registered for - slotted spoon, serving, spoon, tongs, spatula, etc.

8. The last wedding I went to, the bride had registered for this container of cookie cutters from Crate and Barrel. Long story short, I put together my own set of cookie cutters, for way cheaper from a little store in IL that specializes in baking. Then I added some of mine, my grandma's, and her grandma's favorite cookie recipes. (Our grandmas knew each other years and years ago and are both deceased, so this was really special to her...plus it was my best friend's sister...so it was special to me.)

9. Gardening tools - even if the couple doesn't garden, weeds still need to be pulled. You could include gloves, a pot, a garden hose, and some tools.

10. A friend of mine got this for a shower gift - holiday decorations for every holiday. The gift-giver had been collecting them throughout the whole year on clearance! St. Pat's wreath, Halloween fingertip towels, Christmas cloth napkins, etc. It was QUITE cute, but took a lot of planning ahead of time.

11. Suzanne and I got married 2 weeks apart...after the weddings, we both mentioned how we didn't get many personalized gifts. Strange, we thought - but we ordered these photo frames for ourselves. We have the black one, and on the frame you can put the couples names (first and last) as well as the wedding date. Too cute!