Wonderful Wedding Gift Ideas Most People Don’t Think Of

Ever got stuck trying to come up with the “ultimate” wedding gift? Well, you are not alone. Each day thousands of people rack their brains trying to come up with unique wedding gift ideas, only to throw their hands up in frustration and buy any of the common wedding gifts being sold out there.

Below are some wonderful wedding gift ideas most people don’t think of that you can use:

1. Gold-Plated Picture Frames - the perfect way to display favorite photos of their special day. Have them engraved with the couple's names and the wedding date for a treasured memory.

2. Etched Wine Glass - Have their wedding invitation, or other special verse engraved on a glass sculpture. This will be treasured for years to come, and definitely unique. Or, for a little variation, get the actual invitation, and mount it on a glass plate and finish it with matching colored paint.

3. Honeymoon Photo Album - this could be made out of wood, with something like “A Honeymoon to Remember” engraved on the cover a perfect place to capture those wonderful honeymoon memories.

4. Gift Certificates to a spa for the bride and groom are great before or after the wedding. The wedding day is often stressful, so you could offer a day at the spa to prepare them for the wedding day. Or, they could use it just after their honeymoon, as they prepare to resume their regular activities.

5. Keepsake Box - As time goes by, memories begin to fade, and what better and more unique gift than a special box where they can safely store all those precious mementos that become more cherished as the years go by This box is perfect for things like marriage license, special photos, place cards, vows, and all those other special keepsakes that often get lost as time passes.

6. Couples’ Home Spa Kit - As an alternative for the day at the spa, you could give them a spa in a basket, including monogrammed robes, towels, and a few other relaxing items, like candles, bath and body lotions, some romantic music, and even engraved wine glasses accompanied by a bottle of wine for a special evening at home.

Now, who says coming up with the perfect wedding gift idea is hard? The next time you go to a wedding, try picking up any of the above wonderful wedding gift ideas and you would be surprised at how well it works!

Wedding Ideas For Brides: 5 Ways To Capture Your Wedding Moments Forever

As far back as a girl can remember, she dreams of her wedding day. She imagines - to every last detail - things like: what type of wedding dress she will wear, what color the bridesmaids’ dresses will be and even more importantly, who that perfect man will be who becomes her husband. When that day finally arrives, it is the most important day of the bride’s life - a day she wants to look back on with fond memories for years to come. For more and more brides, one of the most perfect ways to capture their wedding is to create an Instant Photo Guest Book similar to the one created by Adesso Albums. Having such a keepsake, scrapbook or photo album to open up and share with your spouse, family and friends is the best way to capture the wedding day’s memory forever.

Instant Photo Guest Books are a unique "marriage" of a photo album and a guest book. To create a photo guest book at a wedding, simply take Polaroid pictures, slip them into your guest book and have the guests write their personalized messages to you the bride and your groom on the guest book pages. This will capture your wedding event instantly in pictures and words—and you won’t even have to wait weeks to get your photographs returned from your wedding photographer. You’ll be able to enjoy it as soon as it’s over. However, the beauty of these keepsake albums is that it can be used for all parts of your wedding event: engagement party, bridal shower, bachelorette party, rehearsal dinner, wedding, reception and even the honeymoon.

Here are 5 other great ideas to capture your wedding moments:

1. Wish Bowl

Here’s an idea, that won’t even cost you a dime. The purpose of a wedding Wish Bowl is to provide an opportunity for guests to wish good fortunes to follow the Bride and Groom wherever they go. The idea is to have your guests write their wishes for love and life on little slips of paper and place them into a crystal or decorative glass bowl or vase. You don’t even have to buy one if you have a nice vase or bowl at home already. For a more formal presentation, the slips of paper can be placed into little matching wedding stationary envelopes. The stationary paper and envelopes should match the Bride’s color theme and/or wedding stationary. After the wedding events are over, the notes can be read and placed into a wedding album or scrapbook while the bowl or vase can be used for the home or decoration.

2. Wish Tree

The Wish Tree theme, similar to the Wish Bowl, is for guests at the wedding to write down their wishes for love and life to the Bride and Groom - except instead of the bowl, a tree is used to collect the wishes. There are many types of Wish Trees - your can purchase metal ones, or fashion your own using blooming branches from a garden or florist, or even use a live potted plant such as a fichus tree. Gift boxes can be hung from the tree of your choice and your guests can take a box off the tree in exchange for their wishes. After the wedding events are over, the wishes can be taken off the tree and placed in a keepsake box, scrapbook or album.

3. Signature Platter

Wedding Signature Platters or plates make a unique alternative to traditional wedding guest books. The platter can be plain, decorative or even custom designed and ordered online or from a wedding stationary store. Guests simply sign the platter during the wedding event with a special ceramic marker and after the wedding events are over, the platter is fired in your home oven. The special signature platter can be used for serving favorite dishes at future dinner parties as husband and wife or just as a decorative memento of the special gathering.

4. Framed Signature Mat

Similar to the Signature Platter, the Signature Mat is another alternative to the traditional wedding guest book. A photo of the Bride and Groom - often a “before” wedding photo (like an engagement photo) - is placed in an acid free matte and mounted either on an easel or table in the entry area of the wedding reception. Guests sign their name and well wishes to the Bride and Groom on the mat surrounding the picture. The Signature Mat is then framed for the newlywed’s new home. The “before wedding” photo can be replaced with a wedding photo of the couple before framing.

5. Typewriter Guest Book

The Typewriter Guest Book is Martha Stewart’s latest discovery for a guest book alternative. Look for an old-fashioned, inexpensive typewriter either online, from a flea market or thrift shop – but make SURE it works - and set it out on a table in the entry area of the wedding reception. Load the typewriter with long sheets of paper for guests to type in good wishes to the Bride and Groom along with their name and any sentiment that comes to mind. After the wedding, the page can be tied into a scroll with ribbon or framed along with pictures taken at the wedding.

The above 5 unique ways to capture your wedding moments will help you and your loved ones relive your wedding memories over and over again.

Wedding Favors Ideas You Want To Know

Sending guests home with a little something to remember the night by is a classy touch to any wedding. And they don’t have to be extravagant gifts to make a nice impression.

Do you buy or do you make?

When it comes to the list of things to do for a wedding, you may already be feeling overwhelmed. So why make another chore for yourself with homemade wedding favors? Favors can be easily bought from local craft stores—all you have to do is make them personalized, or don’t.

Of course, homemade wedding do feel more special. Sachets and small tokens are simple to create in an afternoon. You may even decide to enlist the help of the wedding party. A little food and win will get them to help.
The usual suspects

If you’ve ever been to another wedding, you may have already seen these suggestions for wedding favors.

Small bags of candies or nuts are always nice to place next to each person’s placeholder. On the same vein, small boxes of chocolate with a nice ribbon or card indicating the wedding date are nice favors too.

Many brides and grooms have chosen to give personalized wedding favors. Match books, candles with holders, champagne glasses, and even CDs can be inscribed with the couple’s name and wedding date as a way to commemorate the day.

If you want to be unique

For the non-traditional bride and groom, you may want to give a little something different. If you have a themed wedding, you can try to give a gift that incorporates that theme. A Vegas wedding might necessitate giving decks of cards or poker chips.

If you’re having a more renaissance style affair, then you can give small sachets of herbs or flowers (such as lavender). And for an outdoor wedding, small bells might be a great gift to give.

The altruistic couple may want to make personal donations in the name of their guests. These can be designated on small cards at each person’s seat. Or the couple may decide to offer each guest a picture from the wedding that they can choose from the ones that have been taken.

In any case, wedding favors are a great way to commemorate a special day for both the couple and their guests. Thank your relatives and friends for supporting you and loving you enough to be with you on this happiest of days.

A Guide To Wedding Gift Ideas

A marriage is a joyous moment in the life of two individuals. A couple shares this beautiful personal moment with their near and dear ones, who rejoice in their happiness. A wedding gift is a tangible depiction of the feelings of the giver for the couple. A gift has to be carefully chosen, keeping the couple’s individual tastes, likes and dislikes in mind, if it is intended to serve its purpose. Nothing is more distasteful and insulting than an inconsiderately given gift. A gift’s value is not determined by its monetary value, but it must communicate the giver’s thought appropriately and adequately.

While the market abounds in numerous gift options and alternatives, selecting the right gift for the couple can be a challenge sometimes. While one can overhaul the market, surf the net and burn a hole in the purse, choosing the perfect gift requires some thinking and a little homework. A giver should always strive to give something unique and different.

Personalized gifts always stand out and make a personal statement on behalf of the giver. A special memento, decorative crystal, or a paired watch with the couple’s names engraved in it along with the wedding date is something memorable for the wedding couple.

For very close relatives, a hand-made scrapbook complete with family pictures, or a family tree platter with hand-painted pictures of family members along with their names, signature photo quilts, or customized ceramic plates with the couples pictures and wedding dates etched on it are a few ideal gift options.

In case of a hard-core golf fan, one can give a golf set with the couple’s names engraved on it. A Bible with the couple’s names and wedding dates engraved on it is an ideal gift for a spiritually inclined couple. It is necessary to be aware and informed about a couple’s interests, hobbies, tastes and the like. A gift can be given based on this kind of information. Romantic gifts like photo pillows with the couple’s portraits on it can also be given. One can also give gift certificates, home d้cor items, classic gift items like crystal and silverware, or various wedding mementos like a polymer clay image or metal candles, just right for the mantel and keepsakes.

The choice of exchanging gifts for each other rests on the bride and the groom. Couples can exchange framed love poems, engraved jewelry or even unconventional items like a vintage car, for those who can afford it. A thoughtful gift certificate to a relaxing spa or a recreational resort is just the right way for the bride or bridegroom to express their gratitude and love for their parents. It is the thought that matters, and mere framed poetry or a handwritten letter to the parent is also as valuable, if not more.

Parents can give bridal showers, a party to acquaint the couple to the family, or some personalized gift items, including gift certificates. Thank-you gifts need not be expensive, but should cater to individual taste. It should be given according to the kind of relationship one shares with the guests.

Fun Wedding Photo Ideas

Pictures are an integral part of any wedding. Newlyweds are usually thrilled to get their pictures back from the photographer so they can relive their special day. But there are many special activities you can build into a wedding that involve photos.

One fun idea that many brides employ is to take photos of everyone as they arrive at the wedding, almost like you do at a high school prom or company Christmas party. You can provide a backdrop and couples can pose either for a paid photographer or for whoever happens to pick up the camera. These pictures can be taken with a Polaroid camera for instant fun or with a disposable camera. If you want slightly higher quality photos, go for a digital camera.

This can be an excellent way to keep guests busy and happy until the "official" reception begins with the arrival of the bride and groom.

As an extension of that idea, you can take instant photos and create scrapbook pages or memory book pages with the photos. There can be supplies on hand so guests can create pages on site, or pages can be pre-made and photos simply placed into the prepared spaces. If guests don't want to create pages on site, or the bride doesn't want this particular activity going on, the photos can be saved for later. As a gift for the bride and groom, someone can create memory books with these photos.

If Polaroid cameras are used, another option is to have the people in the photo sign the Polaroid photo and place that in a basket somewhere. The bride and groom will enjoy looking at the photos later.

While it's not a particularly unique idea, many brides like to provide disposable cameras on each table at the reception so guests can capture candid shots of the reception and the table guests. These photos can be added to the newlyweds' wedding album or they can be placed into a separate album showing the wedding from the guests' perspective.

Another fun activity sure to be entertaining is to create a "silent photo guess" area. Here's how this works: before the wedding, someone close to the bride and groom collects pictures of the bride and groom at various stages in life. The photos should depict the bride and groom doing things, not at Christmas or with their first birthday cake. In other words, the photos should include some action, but it shouldn't be obvious in the picture what has taken place or where the person is.

Much like a silent auction, people will come along and look at the photos, then take a silent guess as to what the photos show. They can write their guess on a piece of paper and put it in a numbered basket that corresponds with the number on the photo. Reading these guesses during the reception is entertaining and sure to be amusing. The bride or groom can provide the real answers. This is a particularly fun activity at a relatively small, family wedding where the participants know the bride and groom very well.

If you want to provide an area for guests to have their photos taken but aren't thrilled with the "prom night" idea, how about having a photo corner set up somewhere in the reception hall or facility. Here, the wedding photographer will take candid shots of wedding guests. They might be couples, but could also be entire families, friends having a good time, or the groom being carried on the shoulders of the best man. Whatever the pictures end up being, they provide a fun, "let it all hang out" area for the wedding guests and a surprise for the bride and groom. Since they will likely be busy with all the reception details and having the time of THEIR lives, they might appreciate knowing their guests had a pretty good time too, as evidenced in the photos.

In Your Honor: The Maid Of Honor

The task of selecting the Maid of Honor is one of the most difficult decisions that has to be made by the bride. The complexity is due to the fact that the duties of the Maid are normally not defined and typically poorly addressed. Every bride actually has her own opinion on what how a Maid of Honor should act. However, communicating these ideas are difficult.



The Main of Honor is commonly perceived as a ceremonial figure that walks behind the bride down the aisle before the bridesmaids. In another light, the Maid of Honor can act, as the one that will help calm a nervous bride, helps in sending out invitations, making sure the registry is properly sent, gives tips on the how the wedding gown should look like and acts as the manager of the bridesmaids.



The Maid of Honor can also host the bridal shower or the bachelorette party. To sum it up, the Maid of Honor is the bride’s closest friend or ally in preparing for the wedding and will always be there during times of need and frustration.



The following are certain etiquette in choosing a Maid of Honor to help minimize stress and maximize pleasure.



The Maid of Honor does not have to be a family member.



It is not a requirement to make a sister or a female cousin the Maid of Honor. A best friend who has been there through thick and thin will likely deserve this distinction.



The bride should instruct the Maid of Honor on her responsibilities.



Brides should communicate what they expect from the Maid of Honor such as making a speech during the reception. Open communication between the two should happen frequently.



Choosing more than one Maid of Honor is not illegal.



The bride should make sure that Maids of Honor have different responsibilities in order to avoid jealousy between them.

The Maid of Honor needs to attend all-wedding activities such as showers and parties for the bride. She will also be tasked to plan and be financially responsible for any bachelorette party and assist in organizing invitations and always be open for favors.



The Maid of Honor’s emotional support is one her integral responsibilities. As the so-called “maid” she is expected to give her full attention to the bride during the wedding day. She should also make sure that the bride is looking almost perfect before they troop down the aisle and constantly check on her condition during the middle and end of the ceremonies up until the start of the reception.



Upon choosing the Maid of Honor, she should be treated out by the bride to a nice dinner or spa to make her feel she is a very important part of the wedding. The Maid of Honor could have a dress designed differently from the other bridesmaids to make her stand out in the entourage.



Etiquette also dictates that the Maid of Honor will wear the groom’s ring on her finger in the absence of a ring bearer. She is also part of the group that will decorate the bridal car and help the bride in wearing the bridal dress.



A wedding ceremony adhered to certain etiquette to make the occasion flow seamlessly and orderly.



- In a semi-private wedding, groomsmen and bridesmaids are given certain responsibilities in helping the bride and groom during the wedding day.



- The bridesmaids should be younger than the bride and their dresses should match. Bridesmaid dresses can include more ornaments and should be composed of light and graceful material. Flowers should functions as the chief decoration.



- The wedding dress should be simple but can be attached with small jewels or ornaments. The garland and veil should be the most eye-catching.



- Bridesmaids should stay at the bride’s left side during the actual wedding ceremony. The first bridesmaid should hold the bouquet and gloves.



- Bridesmaids can be positioned from the shortest to the tallest in order to be symmetrical. A bridesmaid and groomsman with similar height can be paired.



- The groomsmen are assigned to guide the clergyman and then show him to the couple. The groomsmen should stand at the groom’s right side during the wedding ceremony.

Wedding Favors for Less Than One Dollar

When most people think of wedding favors they do not think it will be a substantial part of the wedding budget. This is largely because the unit price of each wedding favor is often quite low. However, it is important to remember that this price must be multiplied by the number of guests in attendance and this can really add up if there are a large number of guests at the wedding. It can also add up quickly if the unit price is quite high. As example consider wedding favors with unit prices of $2 and $10. If you plan to have 500 guests at your wedding and give each one a $2 favor your budget for wedding favors will be the same as it would be if you plan to have a small wedding of only 100 people and give each of them a favor which costs $10. In both cases you would need to have a budget of $1000 for wedding favors. From this example you can see why it is very important to consider both the unit price as well as the number of guests. Fortunately, whether you are having a large or a small wedding there are many wedding favors available for less than $1 which can help to keep the wedding favor budget low. This article will provide some ideas for wedding favors which typically cost less than $1.

Place card holders are one type of wedding favor which is typically available for less than $1 per place card holder. There are certainly some place card holders which will cost much more than $1 per unit but you are likely to also find many which are priced under $1. Place card holders make great wedding favors because they not only serve a purpose at the wedding but they can also be used as small picture frames by the guests after the wedding.

Tins containing mints are another option for wedding favors which are often priced at under $1 per unit. These tins come in a wide variety of sizes and shapes but the tins which are priced at less than $1 are likely to be quite small. However, there are also a wide variety of designs available. You can purchase ones which feature a tuxedo design or a wedding dress. You can also find tins with wedding bells or flowers on the top.

Another way to find wedding favors for less than $1 per favor is to inquire with the wedding favor distributor about clearance or closeout items. These are often items which have been discontinued or which the distributor is not planning to stock anymore. Many distributors are willing to offer these favors at discounted prices because they do not have many left and are trying to free up space in their warehouse. If these items have been discontinued or the distributor is not willing to order more you may be limited to the number of favors the distributor has in stock. If this quantity is enough to meet your needs, you are certainly in luck but if you need more than is available, it might be a good idea to search for other inexpensive wedding favors unless you know for sure there is another distributor who can sell you additional quantities of the same favor.