Back in the old days when you thought of Wedding Gifts it was things to set up house, like toasters, kettles and pot sets. After all the young couple would probably just be moving out of home and starting their life ‘alone’ for the first time and their wages wouldn't generally stretch to covering the necessities of married life.
Later on things like toasters and pot sets went out the window and in came the Age of Luxuries. This was no longer a time where couples needed the basics of home life but more the things they couldn't afford as they’d been living together a while and had all the things they ‘needed’. The Age of Luxuries was all about fine Crystal, Collectible Ornaments and Silverware. My mother still has a giggle about the fact that they received 3 cutlery sets on their wedding day from various family members but hey they all matched and I remember having that same cutlery set right through my childhood! In fact I think it was only in the last 5 years that Mum finally upgraded to a new set and I’m 33 so not a bad lifetime on those babies huh.
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Check out the Royal Selangor range here: www.raptonline.co.nz |
So what is the Age now? Well it’s a bit of a funny time really as not only do couples now set up home well before marriage and have everything they need but often times they also have alot of the luxury items as well however Crystal, Silver and Branded Homeware and Ornaments will never go out of fashion as long as you do it right. And a new trend to consider is Quirky/Trendy Homeware, this is a trend that is extremely well received. This trend is that of word art, clocks, vases and frames.
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| Check out www.raptonline.co.nz for lots of great gift ideas |
Today is the Age of Money. Like it or loathe it many couples these days are opting to go for a Wishing Well option where they ask Wedding Guests to gift a denomination of money and this often times goes towards the Honeymoon, the House or even to help pay off the wedding itself.
For some guests this is the perfect solution as they are happy to give money and not have to worry about buying something the couple will not enjoy and therefore feel their money has been wasted. For other guests however who enjoy the art of gift buying it’s a shame they don’t get to find that perfect gift and take joy in the giving of that gift. For me whilst the Wishing Well is hugely practical as the couple can use the money as they see fit, the gift has then lost the personal touch that a non monetary gift has. Whether you love what gifts you get on your wedding day or not you will always remember ‘Aunty Vera gave us that’ or ‘That’s from Kevin & Judy from round the corner’ and this sentimentality is gone with the monetary Wishing Well approach.
About 2 summers ago I was inundated with invitations to Weddings with all my friends tying the knot all of a sudden and every single one of them had the Wishing Well option. I talked to alot of friends and customers about this and they agreed with me that whilst the Wishing Well was practical, it’s not as personal or significant as a well thought out gift. I pondered it a while and came to the conclusion I couldn't ignore the idea of a Wishing Well so I could do both and give Money and a Gift I’d enjoy choosing just for them. In each instance I purchased a thoughtful gift they’d always cherish and remember as well as gave money to the Wishing Well. To avoid overspending I simply took the budget in mind and halved it – 50% money and 50% gift.
Some of the Gifts I purchased and always recommend to people were:
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| Product links: Promise and Together |
Willow Tree – Promise or Together Figurine
This is absolutely one of our top selling Wedding Gifts. This range is just huge and exceeded all expectations of it having grown since 2000 in leaps and bounds. With the range always changing and adding and retiring pieces this gorgeous sentiment can be the start of a lovely collection for the couple or the addition to one they already have and marks life moments beautifully.
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| Check out all the lovely wedding frames & albums here |
Wedding Albums
It is really hard to get a special album that is not overpriced and these stunning albums are just brilliant to pop a few of your favourite snaps in and leave on or around the coffee table for people to peruse your big day without finger marking a special album you want to keep safe. At $69.90 they are great to wrap up, add a card and add $30-$50 cash with for a brilliant gift.
Obviously dependent on your relationship to the couple you will need to assess the amount you want to spend but I think to be realistic gifting would generally start at about $40 and go right through to the $100’s.
In my experience if you are a friend of the couple most people would want to spend around the $80-$100 mark so if you want to contribute to the Wishing Well and gift then split in half giving $40 or $50 cash and a $40 or $50 gift.
Here are some top ideas for that price range:
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| Check out www.raptonline.co.nz for lots of great gift ideas |
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| Check out www.raptonline.co.nz for lots of great gift ideas |
Weddings are such lovely occasions to be a part of and a day the couple will remember for the rest of their lives so my best advice is to think about the couple and what you think would make their day. Buy not on price or discount or sale but on what speaks the couple. If there is a Wishing Well in place which often times there is consider a Gift and Money so you and the couple get the best of both worlds. And when selecting your gift think about their tastes: Are they modern or prefer more vintage style? Are they practical people or enjoy the finer things in life and you can indulge them with beautiful homeware? What are their plans with the array of Wedding Photos they’ll have? Do they require anything such as cake servers, toasting flutes etc to use on the big day itself? (in this case I’d recommend gifting this to the couple early – I did this with friends of mine and they loved it, I even had the servers engraved with their names and the date of the wedding for that personal touch)
At the end of the day they’ll love anything you give – its their Wedding Day!! Have fun with it and for some inspiration definitely check out the RAPT website.
If you can’t make the day then RAPT is your perfect solution as well as we wrap and write cards out and send it all on your behalf for just $5!! Even if you’re going to be there you can order online or pop instore and have a chat with our staff to get just the right gift!
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