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Wedding party gifts

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agd1017 Posts : 464 Registered: 9/14/09
Wedding party gifts
Posted: Jul 8, 2010 3:38 PM

I just don't know what to do for these! My FH keeps saying "t shirts" when I ask him what he wants to get for his guys. At first I was like, no way... but now I'm ready to give up and say, whatever! lol I just really don't know.

Also, his best friend is performing the ceremony, and I feel like we should get him something special. But I don't know what.

His buddies are into racing, they all race different things and help each other out. But I can't think of anything that might go with that. Or if it even should.

My girls include best friend, who lives in Florida (we're in Iowa). Although she has a completely different lifestyle than I do, I love her to pieces. She's a mom to a 10 year old, she works in mental health at a prison, she and her husband just moved to Florida from Ohio because they are both into running and marathons and stuff and have more opportunity to do it there. Me? I'm a fattie with no desire to run! LOL And I stay home, and I have no kids.

My other attendant is my FH's sister, who is an OB nurse and makes enough money that she can buy anything she wants. She's a single mom. I have no idea what to get her.

I know I'm just rambling now. I just really don't know what to do.

Amanda and Eric
10/10/10

Amanda and Eric

 

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auntofthebride Posts : 9,357 Registered: 4/2/06
Re: Wedding party gifts
Posted: Jul 8, 2010 6:13 PM Go to message in response to: agd1017

Dear Amanda,

Ya know, T-shirts would not be such a bad idea.

You can stress and stress about what to give your attendents, but in the final analysis you want to give them something similar, so you don't look like you're playing favorites, and something they all would like.

Your wealthier friend can go out and buy whatever she likes, so it's not like you can get her something expensive that she would never pick for herself.

Why not look into some high-quality t-shirts, then have them somehow decorated to make them a special souvenir of your wedding? Maybe get them air-brushed to say something like

Amanda and Susan: Friends For Life

Susan is the Greatest!

I couldn't have said I DO without Susan!

or something like that.

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SpideyBridey Posts : 66 Registered: 5/17/09
Re: Wedding party gifts
Posted: Jul 12, 2010 10:05 PM Go to message in response to: agd1017

I'm so glad you posted this question since I am having the same issue! The 'experience' gift is a really great idea - thanks!!!

Daisypath Wedding tickers

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RyanandKelly2009 Posts : 32 Registered: 12/10/09
Re: Wedding party gifts
Posted: Jul 14, 2010 9:49 PM Go to message in response to: agd1017

I made my girls spa kits. I included sleep masks, luxury bubble baths, and body butter. I also bought small photo albums and in the first slot copied a friendship saying that I felt was unique to my relationship with that particular bridesmaids. I also got them all comfy, pretty ballet slippers to wear at the reception and a keepsake bottle opener.
My FH got all his groomsmen personalized pub signs. Some had a race car theme, some a hockey theme depending on the particular guy's taste. We shopped around and found them for only $30 a piece.
Hope this helps!

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CheetahAngel Posts : 2,017 Registered: 11/29/08
Re: Wedding party gifts
Posted: Jul 15, 2010 7:34 AM Go to message in response to: RyanandKelly2009

I'm having the same problem deciding on what to give my girls. The guys are easy...beer mugs lol. But for my girls I was also thinking t-shirts but then I was like, "eh". I may still give them t-shirts as a keepsake but I will give them something else to go with it. I really liked the basket filled with spa stuff idea. I can buy lotions, bubbles, masks, etc and put it in a cute basket or bag. Another thing you can do is perhaps pay for the girl's to do their hair/makeup. That can be part of their gift.
OrientalTrading.com has a bunch of gifts for a decent price. You should check them out :)Here is the link to the wedding section:

http://www.orientaltrading.com/party-themes-and-events-a1-388560+98-1-0.fltr

Photobucket wedding ticker

Visit my wedding website http://www.mywedding.com/alanandjarlyn

Check out my wedding pictures in the photo gallery of my wedding website!!! :)

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MsDenuninani Posts : 3,963 Registered: 3/16/07
Re: Wedding party gifts
Posted: Jul 15, 2010 10:52 AM Go to message in response to: agd1017

Experiences are awesome, but can be pricey. I thoght of it, but my issue was that I couldn't buy a ticket for just the BMs -- I'd need to buy tickets for both her and her respective partner. That was going to get really expensive, really fast.

Some other options.

I don't hate the t-shirts, as long as they are suited to their taste.

For example, a t-shirt of their favorite sports team/NASCAR team would be fine. T-shirts with funny slogans would work, too -- one of my favorite t-shirts to this day is an old Seinfeld t-shirt that says "Master of My Domain".

So if your FH says they'd like t-shirts, get them t-shirts -- just get them personalized to their tastes. (My husband keeps and wears every t-shirt he's ever gotten; I think it's a guy thing, so t-shirts for them might be just fine.)

My groomsmen got cufflinks - each got their own, though, coordinated to their college mascots.

My bridesmaids got mugs. I found a picture of myself with them from some previous time, put the pic on the mug, with a funny quote. For example, one bridesmaid, got a mug with a picture of the two of us from a trip to Italy when we were in college, and on the side of it it said "You're right, you're right, I know you're right." (Quote from "When Harry Met Sally", our favorite movie.)

Yup, mugs are generic -- but I know that they'll use them with their morning coffees and smile at the memory.

Because the mugs were cheap, I also got them aprons. It was a little toungue in cheek, because none of these women were known for their cooking skills, but I knew they'd get a kick out of them. I found them on the website for Anthropologie.

Good luck!

__________________________________________

"I'd hate to advocate drugs, alcohol, or insanity, but they've always worked for me." Hunter S. Thompson

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auntofthebride Posts : 9,357 Registered: 4/2/06
Re: Wedding party gifts
Posted: Jul 15, 2010 11:08 AM Go to message in response to: MsDenuninani

Dear Ms D,

" (My husband keeps and wears every t-shirt he's ever gotten; I think it's a guy thing, so t-shirts for them might be just fine.)"

My husband just walked out the door with a t-shirt he got after donating blood in 2001. Sigh.

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SMGray Posts : 84 Registered: 1/2/10
Re: Wedding party gifts
Posted: Jul 20, 2010 4:23 PM Go to message in response to: agd1017

I've gotten jewelery as a bridesmaid before and didn't like it, so I agree with whoever said don't go with jewelery.

I think the experience thing is really cool too, but it does seem like it could be a little pricey.

I'm putting together little tote bags with cooking stuff in them (wooden spoons, oven mitts, cute aprons) and a cookbook of my moms recipes. My bridesmaids have all stopped by my parents house for dinner at least once a month even since I've moved out- their moms don't cook every night like mine does. All of my girlfriends are in their first real "place" after college and we're all graduating from subsisting on takeout, so I figure the gifts will at the very least be useful.

My fiance is giving his groomsmen expensive sunglasses. They're all beach bums so it was a pretty easy pick.

I'm happy with what I decided on, it's very "me." I would advise you to try to give a gift that you think your bridesmaids will enjoy, but also something that's gonna remind them of you in a genuine way. If you'd rather be in the yard gardening than in the salon getting a manicure... don't give spa baskets.

Also, it's pretty obvious what kind of gift nobody will ever use. Anything that's got your name and wedding date on it in bold isn't a gift- it's an advertisement, and most people will put it in the back of a closet no matter what it is. Same goes for little trinkets. I always see pages and pages of monogrammed "gifts" at the end of bridal magazines, but I can never seem to figure out what a person does with an engraved sterling silver heart shaped box. I also find that my fiance has very little practical use for the 3 flasks he's gotten. They're lovely, but I suppose he just doesn't need to drink on the go as much as people think he does.

"And so I come, to be the one, who's always standing close to you."- Van Morrison

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studek Posts : 2 Registered: 9/26/08
Re: Wedding party gifts
Posted: Jul 23, 2010 3:02 PM Go to message in response to: agd1017

I like the "experience" idea, as well as something personal to each attendant. When my matron of honor got married a few years ago (now keep in mind this was for her wedding gift), I got her and her husband a gift certificate to the orchestra - she was a music major and loves going to the orchestra, and it allowed them to have a fancier date night out of the house. They were financially strapped at the time and I knew they couldn't afford something like that at the time.

For my girls, I'm planning on getting them jewelry for the wedding (cliche, I know), but also something personal - a gift certificate to Borders or Barnes and Noble for the girl who loves to read, a gift certificate to a trendy restaurant my NYC 'maid has been dying to go to, etc. This way it alleviates some of the cost of being an attendant (the jewelry), but they still get something that's of interest to them in addition. I'm not sure what my fiance plans to do for his guys, but I'm going to encourage him to do something similar if he doesn't know what to do. Good luck!

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Misstnt Posts : 26 Registered: 5/21/10
Re: Wedding party gifts
Posted: Jul 23, 2010 4:15 PM Go to message in response to: agd1017

The t-shirt thing is funny!

I was planning on giving my girls a spa day and we'd all spend it together. They are all nurses and moms so I really have a high respect for the amount that they "do" on a daily basis and I know they would love the time together and being pampered. Unfortunately though I had to add my younger cousin in to the wedding party and I really don't want to spend the spa day with her and my friends and I know they would feel the same way. So I think I will come up with a second gift to give in "public" and in private give my 3 best friends the special gift. I may suck for doing that, but my cousin won't know so it won't hurt her. I'm thinking of doing the mug idea so far, except my cousin probably won't like that, she's extremely picky about gifts...so I'll keep thinking . I'm glad this was brought up. I logged on here right now just to ask that very question and there it was!

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MrsGunnels Posts : 1 Registered: 12/25/09
Re: Wedding party gifts
Posted: Jul 25, 2010 12:55 PM Go to message in response to: agd1017

Hey! I got my gals (all 7 of them)big bags that I bought from amazon.com that were super cute and super cheap. I got them monogramed with their first inital. They are big enough that they can use them as a carry-all for extra junk they need to haul around- this would be great for the gal that lives in FL! You have a beach bag to give her. You could do something similar and then fill them with bath/ spa things or a mani-pedi gift certificate or something similar... im having a beach wedding, so mine are filled with beach things- towel, flip flops, and jelwery to wear with their bridesmaid dresses. If you want to get some nicer jewlery that they might like more and wear more often, you can go to overstock.com- I bought my MOH a ring in addition to her other BM stuff because she has been so awesome with helping me! As for our groomsmen- My FH wants to get them all cooler and a 6 pack. Whatever he wants- I gave up on suggesting anything else!

gifts
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SpideyBridey Posts : 66 Registered: 5/17/09
Re: Wedding party gifts
Posted: Aug 10, 2010 3:07 PM Go to message in response to: MrsGunnels

I decided to get my MOH a Tiffany's necklace and my bridesmaids a tote bag with their initials (filled with a few smaller gifts). When I present this to them at our rehersal dinner, do you think it will look odd that I'm giving the bridesmaids a tote full of stuff and just a small box necklace to my MOH?

Thanks

Daisypath Wedding tickers

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FutureMrsDJLeo Posts : 616 Registered: 2/26/09
Re: Wedding party gifts
Posted: Aug 10, 2010 3:12 PM Go to message in response to: SpideyBridey

Spidey, I would give her the necklace in private so that way no ones feelings get hurt.

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SpideyBridey Posts : 66 Registered: 5/17/09
Re: Wedding party gifts
Posted: Aug 10, 2010 3:42 PM Go to message in response to: FutureMrsDJLeo

Do you think I would be hurting the MOH's feelings? That was not my intention at all, I wanted to give her something different from the bridesmaids. Smaller, but much more expensive!

Thanks

Daisypath Wedding tickers

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auntofthebride Posts : 9,357 Registered: 4/2/06
Re: Wedding party gifts
Posted: Aug 10, 2010 4:15 PM Go to message in response to: SpideyBridey

Dear SB,

Why not give all attendants (including MOH) the totebag at the rehearsal dinner, then give MOH her special gift in private?

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