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Monogrammed Gifts You Can Do

by

Nicole

Big Fat Cake asked Nicole, “What are the best monogrammed ideas?” Here is Nicole’s response:

  1. Most practical monogrammed gift that could be used after the wedding:

    2. The wrap robes are a great price point at $36 and are beautiful not only for the bride to wear while she gets ready on her big day, but the bride can enjoy at home or even bring with on a trip – overnight, weekend or extended trip! Monogram this item with her new initials or write Mrs. X and any bride will flip for this!

    The cosmetic cases are also a gorgeous item for any new bride to receive at her shower! Brides can’t get enough of displaying their new initials! Choose from 7 colors and adding either her new last name, or new initials and she will get a gift she can enjoy on her wedding day, honeymoon and for years to come. Afterall, she will never grow old of showing her new name!

  2. Most fancy gift to impress the bride:

    3. For a gift that any Bride is sure to love, you can’t go wrong with the bathing suit personalized with crystals. Brides can’t get enough of this! They can enjoy this on their honeymoon and for many years after! You will be the hit of the shower with this adorable gift! You can choose to write the last name of the bride, MRS. X or you can customize with any of the following expressions: Bride, Just Married, The Mrs. or I do. You can even add a crystal heart to the front of the bathing suit for an additional cost. This item is $129 and comes in either halter or string, black or white! Give this gift.. and your bride will be so excited to sport her new name on her honeymoon and for many years after!

    Another great option is a make up case with the monogram ‘BRIDE’ across the front. Choose from a few adorable color combinations and give this to a special bride for her to enjoy on her big day! She can bring all she needs for the day in this adorable case. Choose one that matches her color scheme. This make up case will also be a great piece for her to use after the wedding! This size is perfect – it fits everything and fits in any size bag! She will adore it!

  3. Most popular, or most purchased monogrammed gift from your site:

    4. We can’t get enough of these gorgeous 3 letter monogrammed necklaces! Brides are loving these for themselves!!! Brides can wear these every day with any outfit – from jeans and a tank to a dress.

    These are the 3 most popular styles on Nik’s Naks: Either the 3 letter monogram charm with the addition of a stone of your choice, the most popular being the diamond, the 3 letter monogrammed oval shape necklace or the 3 letter monogrammed disk with a double chain attachment.

    These pieces are stunning, head-turners and make a really special gift for a Bride!

  4. Most inexpensive monogrammed gift that could be purchased for an entire bridal party:
    Two popular choices are either these adorable zodiac necklaces or a monogrammed tote: These are both great quality at a reasonable cost!

    • Jewelry:For $42 you can give an adorable zodiac sign necklace: Below are some of our favorites. This is a great price point and your bridal party can enjoy this special piece for years!
    • Another cute idea are the monogrammed totes! They are also a great price point, and your bridal party can get a lot of use out of this item! For the beach, books, every day use, overnight bag, you name it.. they can use it!  These bags are $24.

    5. Give your bridal party something they can enjoy after your wedding. Keeping this in mind, if you choose to monogram, we recommend monogramming with their name, nickname, or initials! They are doing all they can to make your special day all you want it to be, so lets treat them with something they can enjoy well past your wedding day too!

  5. Most popular monogrammed gift for Men, maybe for groomsmen gifts:
    Give something that they can enjoy at the wedding and use after!

    We are loving the line from Molly Rodgers formal wear. You can choose coordinating ties for your groomsmen – choose from a wide variety of swatches, and add a nickname, initial, initials or monogram to the back for his eyes only  (sewn into the back) and he can enjoy this special gift both at your wedding and for years after.

    If you plan on having the groomsmen also wear a pocket square, buy one for them that matches their tie. Men always need ties and pocket squares. These are of the highest quality and look fabulous!

About our guest blogger:

Nicole created Nik’s Naks because she loves giving the best gifts, and is always in search of fantastic and unique products. She have worked hard to ensure that her site has fashionable, high quality products.

by Guest Blogger | posted in Vendors | 4 Comments »

Bridal Shower Gifts

November 1st, 2009

Going to a bridal shower and clueless about what to give? And you’re clueless because you don’t want to give the bride something generic, i.e. cookware, dishware, home decor, or lingerie. Of course all girls love a few additions to her lingerie collection. {I sure did!} But its not always easy to buy underwear for other people.

So first, you want to think about who the bride. Is she a technology lover? This is a great gift idea: flip camera

flip camera

flip camera

Is she a foodie? Do some research on restaurants in her or her fiance’s neighborhood and get a gift certificate to a place where they can share a nice meal. Or subscribe her to a monthly wine club membership.

from www.photographybydiana.com

from www.photographybydiana.com

Do you know where the couple is going for their honeymoon? Some nice travel guidebooks would be a thoughtful gift.  Place the books in a beach bag with a matching beach towel for a complete package {if the destination is a tropical one}.

Lonely Planet Guidebooks

Lonely Planet Guidebooks

Sometimes, brides just want to be pampered.  A gift certificate to a spa is a great way to send the bride off to relaxation.  Or give her some relaxation material like candles and soaps.  Some of my favorite gifts from my shower were from Sabon.  Fresh and L’Occitane are great shops to find similar gifts too.

The mega basket from Sabon

The mega basket from Sabon

Do you now if the bride is changing her last name?  She can show off her new initials with a monogrammed tote bag.  In the tote, you can stash other some little gifts.  My MOH gave me a monogrammed LLBean tote stuffed with the cutest t-shirt from Magnolia Bakery and a pair of pajama shorts.

All sorts of totes from LL Bean

All sorts of totes from LL Bean

So those are a few gifts I got and loved from my bridal shower.

What are some of your favorite gifts you got at your bridal shower? Or seen given to a bride?

by Mel | posted in Miscellaneous | No Comments »

Bridesmaids Gifts

October 27th, 2009

Trying to figure out what to give your bridesmaids? There’s no correct way and specific gift but just like any gift, hopefully you can find something that they’ll like. Being part of the wedding party requires alot of money on their part so if you can do something to relieve that financial burden, I’m sure it would be appreciated. You can give a pair of earrings, necklace, or bracelet that they can wear to the wedding but tasteful enough that they would choose to wear after the wedding is over. Some brides will consider paying for hair & makeup or the bridesmaid’s dress as the gift. For myself, I had only two bridesmaids so I felt I could spend a little more than expected. Because one bridesmaid was still in college, I paid for her dress to relieve financial burden. The other bridesmaid was my lawyer-sister who I thought would appreciate an iPod Shuffle especially since she didn’t have one yet. If you’re looking to spend a little more, Apple products are a nice gift especially since they get outdated every few years. You can get one for $59 for 2 GB or $79 for 4 GB, plus they offer free engraving!

Bridesmaids gifts dont have to be traditional!

Bridesmaids gifts don't have to be traditional!

Other gifts that I have seen include purses to match the dress, and bridesmaids mementos from Things Remembered. The gifts can be any amount, both inexpensive or expensive, as long as they express your thanks for helping and being part of the wedding party.

What did you give your bridesmaids? Did they like it?

by Christine | posted in Etiquette | 1 Comment »

Tit for Tat Gift-Giving?

September 25th, 2009

Question?

Reader Question:
I’m annoyed at how nowadays wedding “gifts” aren’t really gifts at all and they’re more like buying your ticket to the wedding. Gifts are freely given, or should be, but I feel like in weddings its not like that anymore. You should expect to spend however much you wanna spend and  guests shouldn’t feel compelled to give gifts… they should WANT to. And it shouldn’t be their meal ticket. That is all. K bye.

A gift is “something given voluntarily without payment in return, as to show favor toward someone, honor an occasion, or make a gesture of assistance; present.” (Source: Dictionary.com)

Source: Manolo Brides

Source: Manolo Brides

Like a kid at Christmas, I like to expect nice gifts at a wedding, but have the expectations for wedding gifts gone out of control? Maybe guests have taken etiquette (bringing a gift to cover the cost of your attendance) too strictly, or maybe wedding couples are selfishly expecting great gifts from every guest? The bottom line is, the wedding is a celebration of a marriage between two people who love each other very much and the event should be about their new marriage, not what gifts they get. Did guests and wedding couples lose sight of what’s really important?

I believe you are commenting about the post earlier this week when I shared some ideas about what I have done or thought of doing when traveling to attend a wedding. The reader did not want to show up as the close college roommate who didn’t give a wedding gift, so hopefully those ideas will work for her. But you should not feel that any of those gift ideas are required. However, not knowing the wedding couple, who knows how they would react? I would like to think that the wedding couple would be understanding if someone traveled from the other side of the world to attend the wedding and did not give a gift. Attending the wedding should be gift enough. But it’s always safer to bring something in hand and even better when the couple doesn’t know how much you spent on it. :O)

Gift-giving is an expectation that is formed by customs from culture, religion, and family. Everyone does not have the same view so it’s best not to dwell on it. As a gift-giver, I’m not going to get wrapped up in the amount, but focus more on what I think the couple will enjoy. Etiquette is just a guideline and not a hard fast rule. For those of you who are the wedding couple, you won’t get disappointed if you don’t expect something in return, even though etiquette says you should. In the end, the importance should be on your nuptials, not monetary objects.

by Christine | posted in Etiquette, Questions from Audience | 2 Comments »

Long Distance Travel

September 23rd, 2009

Question?

Reader Question:
I was invited to a wedding in Utah and it’s going to cost me several hundred dollars to fly out there, stay in a hotel, and rent a car. Am I really expected to spend about $100 on their gift, too? Oh, on top of that, I’m poor!

That’s a very good question that I’ve heard several times. It doesn’t seem fair to the guest if they are expected to spend so much money just to attend the wedding. I once was invited to a wedding in Iowa that would have costed us $700/pp for just the transportation. After a slight heart attack, I told the couple that we wouldn’t be able to go and bought something off their registry that was several hundred dollars. We figured it was way cheaper than attending the wedding and the couple got an awesome gift. If you’re a really good friend, you probably wanna go in person and witness your friend’s nuptials. So what’s the etiquette?

Source: Inhabitant.com

Source: Inhabitat.com

Well, there has to be etiquette for this but I would ignore it. :O)  You should spend what your comfortable with and it will depend how close the friend is. The closer the friend is, the more you spend but if you’re broke, then you’ve got to think of something. Here are some options:

  • Buy a gift certificate that will cost you less than its face value. Here are some deals that I’ve recently seen:
    • restaurant.com allows you to purchase a $100 gift certificate for $40. Look at their site for a price that you’re comfortable with. This is a good idea for a couple moving to a new area because they can try out a new restaurant for $100 less than what they would normally pay.
    • I bought a $100 bedandbreakfast.com gift card for $80 while shopping at Costco. The couple can use the gift card to put $100 towards any deal on the site. It’s also a nice suggestion to contribute towards a nice weekend getaway in the future.
  • Offer your functional skills towards the wedding event. Here are some ways to volunteer:
    • Create a slide show with photos from the couple and from friends
    • Help setup before or clean-up after the event
    • Transport people from/to airport with your rental car
  • Find other cash-strapped friends and chip in for a bigger gift off the couple’s registry
  • Buy a gift that can be used during the wedding event

Do you have any awesome budget gift-giving ideas?

by Christine | posted in Etiquette, Questions from Audience | 1 Comment »

This past wedding season I got a lot of questions from guests about etiquette so I wanted to share with everyone:

Question?

Reader Question:
How much do I spend on the wedding gift?

No one should think of this as a hard fast rule, but typically, guests are expected to give gifts that are equal to the cost of attending the wedding. In most metropolitan areas, that’s about $100 per person, less for suburbs. So if there are two of you, that’s $200 for a wedding gift. If you don’t know what to give, give cash. Most couples will not find it impersonal because many couples start their marriage with big holes in their pocket!

Question?

Reader Question:
I’m strapped for cash. What gift ideas do you have for me?

Yes, money is tight these days but it’s the same for the wedding couple. Of course, couples should not expect to be showered with extravagant gifts from everyone. For example, a friend who recently graduated from school and just joined the Peace Corps will not have the same expectations put on them as the I-Banking friend from NYC. Some couples will appreciate receiving a thoughtful gift that costs less than $100 but some may appreciate the cash more. I would gauge the gift depending on the couple. If you’re looking for some gifts that give a little more meaning but don’t cost as much, consider buying a gift that benefits a non-profit cause. Ten Thousand Villages sells crafts from around the world and gives their profit directly to the artist, usually living in a developing country. Shop either Tabletop or Home Decor. If these products were sold in a department store, they would go for much more. If the couple has a philanthropic heart, then donate using the I Do Foundation.

If you know of others that are strapped for cash, consider pooling together resources to get one nice expensive gift from a group of people.

Question?

Reader Question:
What if I don’t attend the wedding? Do I still need to give a gift?

It’s customary to send a gift even if you don’t attend the wedding. The wedding couple invited you with the intent of sharing their special occasion with you.

Question?

Reader Question:
How long do I have to give a gift?

It’s customary to give a gift up to a year after the wedding.

Question?

Reader Question:
What if I have guests that don’t give gifts, even a year after my wedding?

Hahaha. You can’t demand for a wedding gift. Keep in mind, sometimes things get lost in the mail, stores can mess up orders, etc. The fact that they don’t get a thank you card might tip them off. Or, you can still send a thank you card but thank them only for attending the wedding. The fact that you leave out thanking them for a gift might tip them off. If those clues don’t do anything, resist the urge to ask and consider it water under the bridge. There’s a perfect example from King of the Hill of what NOT to do:

King of the Hill - Wedding Gift Collection

King of the Hill - Wedding Gift Collection (Source: Hulu.com)

Etiquette can be seen as a best practice but of course, it’s not the absolute rule. Your decisions should be dealt with on a case-by-case scenario, and to maintain your relationships, leave your judgments at the door. :O)

by Christine | posted in Budget, Etiquette, Questions from Audience | 2 Comments »