Saving Money With Creative And Inexpensive Wedding Gifts

These days, more and more couples getting married already own homes and have significant amounts of personal and household belongings. While many still have registries, often these registries contain mostly higher end items, like crystal or china, or duplicates of things couples already own. Sometimes you want to give the couple a more personal gift than another $45 crystal goblet, something you know theyll use and appreciate. Here are some ideas for creative and inexpensive wedding gifts you can give without breaking the bank.

Gift baskets

Often young couples, even ones who already have a lot of dishes and pots and pans, are strapped for cash. One nice wedding gift to give people is a gift basket filled with consumable items that you know theyll use. Be creative: a large pasta pot filled with pasta, olive oil, a good quality cookbook and dish towels or a laundry basket filled with linens, detergent, and cleaning supplies will be both attractive and practical gifts for a young couple just starting out. These items can be purchased during deep discount sales so that you are able to pack your baskets full of stuff for very little money.

Think holiday

Most couples get a huge amount of stuff to fill their houses with, but very rarely do they get anything that has to do with holidays especially if they get married in the spring or summer. We often forget how much money we spend assembling our holiday decorations the first time. A set of nice Christmas ornaments, a centerpiece, or other holiday goods can make a lovely and practical wedding gift that will be used and remembered for years to come. Plus, if you plan ahead, you can buy these things after Christmas and get them very inexpensively.

Works of art

Some of the nicest wedding gifts I got were homemade works of art. One of my friends gave me a framed painting she had done just for me. My mom and one of her friends gave me handmade quilts. A work of art like this serves as home d?cor but more importantly it is a constant reminder of how much you love the couple. Wedding gifts like this are priceless.

Events instead of stuff

Once the honeymoons over, the couple will still want to have fun and go on dates once in a while, so gift certificates to restaurants, tickets to concerts or shows, or memberships in museums they care about make excellent gifts. They dont take up space or gather dust, and they will be much more memorable than another place setting or a wooden spoon.

Money

This is probably the most traditional of all wedding gifts, but there are some more modern spins on it now. Some couples are asking for charitable donations in lieu of wedding gifts, and some are setting up honeymoon registries so that guests can help them pay for a vacation. These are not inexpensive gifts for you, but if this is what the couple wants its probably the best thing. Many couples just dont have storage or need of more stuff. If a couple prefers money, give them what you can. Dont feel like you have an obligation to give a certain amount of money, whatever the cost of the dinner. Youre not paying for your meal, youre giving the couple a gift from your heart.

By: Melissa Hogan