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Top 10 Bridesmaid Gifts

June 21, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

They’ve already dished out $300 for an un-reusable dress, $150 for a pair of matching shoes. In some cases, they’ve paid for a plane ticket, hotel room, and let’s not forget, the engagement, shower, and wedding day gifts they’re required to purchase. Above all, they assume all the responsibilities supporting the bride from planning to pre and post wedding stresses. The least these tolerantly good-nature ladies deserve is a practical and thoughtful gift to show your appreciation.

You love your girls and are grateful for their support, but after your lavish wedding and your extravagant honeymoon on the way, you have to keep you expenses down to a minimum. Below are ten budget friendly gift ideas perfect for your bridesmaids.

1 – A tote filled with all your, (I mean their) wedding day necessities. Bobby Pins, Hairspray, lip-gloss, Fashion Tape. Buying these items is bulk will be less expensive and can easily be divided into each bag. They’ll be thankful and your mind will be at ease knowing any last minute wardrobe, hair, and make-up malfunctions can be taken care of thanks to your thoughtful goody bag.

2 – Consider a group spa treatment a few days before the ceremony. Many spas offer group discounts. It’s the perfect way everyone can catch up and unwind together before the big day.

3 – Offer to host a dinner party for all your girls and a few of their closest friends. In Miami, Relish Miami Catering featuring Chef Elizabeth Guerra will cook an entire sit-down dinner for two to twenty people at your home, starting at just $23 a person.
Relish Miami (786-457-5589 or relishmiami.com).

4- Save the money on the video grapher and spend that money on the ultimate bridesmaid gift that’s special and timeless. Have a responsible friend videotape and then send the recordings to Well Spun Wedding Films. The producers will create a dreamy Super 8-style music video that you can easily upload to Facebook and then watch.

5 – Buy a case of wine or champagne and distribute one to each bridesmaid. Buying by the case will surely save you a couple bucks instead of purchasing individually.

6 – Don’t feel as though you have to get everyone the same present. Think about giving each bridesmaid a different gift, but all within the same price range. Get creative and build your own personalized gift basket. If she’s into aromatherapy, buy her some candles, bath salts anything to make her next bath tub experience revitalizing. Maybe she’s an aspiring writer, a pretty journal, stationary, and pens will suit her perfectly. Visit your local craft store, they usually offer great budget-friendly gift ideas.

7- Shop your local thrift store for some unique picture frames. They might need a little refurbishing, nothing a little spray paint couldn’t fix. Frame an ageless picture of the two of you from the past. It’s a personal and heart-warming gift she’s sure to value.

8 – Search for printable coupons or online coupon codes for participating vendors such as Target, Nordstrom, or Kohl’s for discount prices on any gifts that may seem suitable for your gals.

9 – Search for wholesale jewelers who are willing to sell you beautiful pieces in large quantities at cost. You can purchase the stunning studs your bridesmaids can wear the day of the wedding an offer it as keepsake.

10 – The best present might be the one you can’t wrap up… Consider covering one of the bridal party’s expenses, whether it be paying for their wedding-day hair and makeup, for a suite upgrade at the hotel, or even for their bridesmaid dress. It’s a gift you know can’t be re-gifted or shoved into the back of a drawer.

Have any wedding questions? Get all the answers you need now at Rachael West Designs.

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Practical Wedding Gifts

June 18, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

There are so many things to think about when shopping for wedding gifts. You must consider what you think is a wonderful wedding gift versus what the happy couple will think. Most young couples getting married are just starting out while also beginning a new life together. There are two types of wedding gifts out there – the kind that will really stick with the couple throughout their life together and the kind that no couple needs. When shopping for wedding gifts, you need to decide which type of gift you want to give.

Some of the best wedding gifts are the most practical ones. Practical gifts are gifts that any engaged couple will need. These gifts will prove to be useful for years and years, help the couple to become more frugal, save time, save money, and help the couple build a richer relationship by doing things for themselves and together. Practical wedding gifts range from a good cookbook and crock pot to a nice complete tool set or even cash that the couple can put toward a down payment on a home or car.

Practical wedding gifts really are the best gifts that you can give a couple. While the practicality may take away from the romantic appeal of some gifts, such gifts will keep on giving. For example, investing in a really good set of high quality pots and pans that will last a lifetime is an excellent wedding gift. Not only will the couple use the pots and pans almost everyday, they may find a new love together by spending time in the kitchen together over the years.

One very practical, yet very infrequent, wedding gift is the bridal tool kit. The bridal tool kit is an excellent idea for a newly married couple who will be moving into a new house together. This tool kit should include all the basic tools needed for everyday use within a happy home. Such tools would include a hammer, an assortment of nails, a flashlight, a screwdriver set, a few pliers, a wrench, duct tape, picture hangers, crazy glue, and electrical fuses. Maybe even throw in a few light bulbs.

Another very practical wedding gift, one that is more commonplace than a tool kit, is to be a sponsor for the couple. This type of gifting works best if you are in a good financial situation or if you have discussed the possibility of sharing the cost with several other people. However, sponsoring part of the wedding, honeymoon, or new house would be an invaluable gift for the couple (or their respective parents). Everyone knows just how expensive a wedding, honeymoon, or home can cost! This is a practical gift that would be remembered for the rest of the couple’s life together and one that would truly be appreciated. Your sponsorship could come in the form of cash, hosting a party, picking up the bill for the wedding night hotel room, or even by providing the champagne or wine for the reception.

Have any wedding questions? Get all the answers you need now at Rachael West Designs.

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A Tradition Of Giving Wedding Gifts

June 14, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

A long standing tradition at weddings is a gift given by the bride and the groom. A popular say about gifts that its better to give than to receive might not be agreed to by a newly wedded couple who probably received some of the nicest gifts ever on their wedding day..

The purpose of giving Wedding Gifts to wedding guests is to show your appreciation. A specially picked out Gift shows that you put thought and consideration into the gift. Including a personalized note with the gift or personalizing the gift itself to thank the person for whatever role he or she played in the wedding is certainly a nice touch that shows extremely good taste and thoughtfulness. The Wedding Gifts need not be very expensive so as to break your wedding budget but should be well thought out and consider the personal taste and likes and dislikes of the person on the receiving end of the gift. Also the packaging and presentation goes a long way in showing how much you care and appreciate the people in your life.

So who should be at the receiving end of the Gift by the bride and the groom? Members of the wedding party have always topped that list, which includes almost everybody, the best man, maid or matron of honor, bridesmaids, ushers, groomsmen, junior bridesmaids, flower girls and ring bearers.

Although it is not mandatory, but it is a nice gesture for the bride and the groom to give gifts to each other. These days both the bride and the groom include each set of parents on the gift giving list. It is also a nice gesture to give a gift to someone who did something special during the occasion for instance someone who did a special reading at the ceremony or to step in for the bride’s father and walk the bride down the aisle. It is good taste to give gifts to acknowledge the contribution these people made and include them in gift giving.

Gifts should be purchased about four weeks prior to the wedding date, which will give you enough time to have them engraved and to create personalization messages etc.

To help the gifts make an even greater impression on the recipient, take special care in packaging the gifts. Use tasteful wrapping paper and embellishments using colors that complement the wedding colors. The best time to give your gifts is during the rehearsal dinner as it is intimate and the people to whom you’re giving the gifts are all present at the occasion.

Last but not least need some gift ideas? Well first check your wedding budget to see how much you have allocated to this category. You have more than likely spent quite a bit of your money by this stage, so it is important to take a realistic look at the your remaining budget.

Brides typically give each member of the bridal party a piece of jewelry or a hair accessory that can be worn on the wedding day. Other gift ideas include bud vases, picture frames, bath oils, a collectible item or a gift basket.

The men in the wedding party like to receive engraved pens, pocket watches, cigars, business card holders, clocks for their desk, or key chains. For the parents, a professional wedding photo in an engraved frame is perfect or a personalized letter detailing your appreciation. For each other, anything that conveys your love and devotion is ideal.

The tradition of giving wedding gifts makes the wedding day more special and personal for every couple and it will be alive for as long as there are weddings in one way or another.

Have any wedding questions? Get all the answers you need now at Rachael West Designs.

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Wedding Gift Monetary :: Giving the Right Amount

June 8, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

When it comes to wedding gifts, how much to spend on a wedding gift is determined by the following factors: where the wedding will be held, your budget as a wedding guest, and your relationship with the bride and/or groom. If the wedding is a destination wedding, only a bridal shower gift is usually deemed proper because there is a larger cost for each person attending the wedding. If the wedding is local it is often deemed proper etiquette to bring a gift to the bridal shower as well as give a wedding gift.

When attending a wedding either as part of the wedding party or as a friend of the family, you should decide your appropriate wedding gift spend. If you have been invited to be a bridesmaid for an out of town wedding, you should first tally up your costs and then decide what is an appropriate wedding gift spend.

These costs could easily amount to $500 dollars or more, broken down into $200 traveling expenses and $300 for the bridesmaid dress. Adding another $100 for the wedding gift monetary amount would bring your total expenses to $600.

Some people believe it is proper etiquette to spend about the same monetary amount on the wedding gift as the bride and groom paid for the reception on a per head basis. There are two very strong schools of thought on this approach. Some people really believe that this is the most appropriate way to gauge how much to spend on the wedding gifts, while others believe it should depend completely on how well the wedding guest knows the bride or groom and how much the person can afford to spend.

Where a person lives can also dictate how much a person should spend on a wedding gift. In some areas of the country the weddings tend to be more formal and would in turn require a more expensive gift, especially if the person is not also attending the bridal shower. If someone lives in an area where the wedding would be less formal the popular belief is that a smaller amount spent on wedding gifts would be appropriate.

Most people today have a gift registry set up to let their attendants know exactly what they would like for their home or a fund to which they would like their guests to contribute. Also, because many people live together before they are actually married the need for gifts for the home is often less than the need for cash gifts.

Many couples actually prefer to receive money either to save for a big-ticket item for their home, a new home, or even a special honeymoon they’d like to take.

Have any wedding questions? Get all the answers you need now at Rachael West Designs.

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Wedding Shower Gifts: How to Get the Right Ones

June 7, 2010 By admin 10 Comments

As much as you enjoy receiving an invitation to a friend or relative’s wedding shower, it can be difficult to find the perfect gift. If you’re lucky, the bride has registered at local stores or online so that people will know what she wants. If she hasn’t, how can you know what to get her that she won’t get a dozen of? The secret is to come up with something unique, something only you can give. That doesn’t mean you should find something really weird to give her. Instead, you can give her something of yourself that she will cherish forever.

If you have a talent, you’ve really got it made. You can make her a special wedding quilt, create a scrapbook where the happy couple will be able to insert pictures of their first year together, or make up some casseroles that they can put into their freezer so that they won’t have to worry about cooking for a few days. You can knit them Christmas stockings with their names on them to use their first Christmas together and to start a family tradition (then you’ll have a sure gift when each child comes along, because you’ll be able to knit matching stockings), paint them a picture and put it in a lovely frame, or craft some special item that only you know how to make. It will all depend on what you do well.

So what do you do if you don’t have any special talents and crafting abilities? There are still a lot of novel ideas that the bride is sure to appreciate. You can always create a coupon book offering your services for various tasks. Offer to do some laundry, clean the house, weed the garden, prune the bushes, or babysit if the couple happens to have children. These are tasks that the bride may have never tackled before, depending on her previous living situations, and you might be surprised at how much she’ll love your offers of assistance. Just make up a bright, colorful book of coupons and wrap it like you would any other gift.

If you still haven’t gotten any ideas that you think are right for you, stop and spend some time thinking about something you could do to help the bride. Wedding shower gift ideas like these are all the more special for coming from your heart, and your efforts are sure to be appreciated much more than another toaster.

Have any wedding questions? Get all the answers you need now at Rachael West Designs.

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Universal Wedding Gifts

June 4, 2010 By admin 8 Comments

Finding great gifts for the close couple who is going to tie the knot is a difficult task. Most of the times we give the same gifts at weddings. This does not only become boring but also a waste for the couple as every second person brings in the same gift.

A gift must be something that is of utility to the person. Otherwise what is the point of giving a gift if it cannot be used. Here are five gifts ideas for the newly wedded couple that may make a difference.

  • Tote Bags – These bags are trendy and can be used by both men and women. They are practical gifts which will definitely be used by the couple. You can get them at various prices. There are plenty to suit every budget. There are a lot of tote bags especially made for the weddings. You can get them in any store which sells bags or which sells wedding gifts. These bags are made up of a variety of materials. You can get them in very attractive colors.
  • Personalized T shirts – You can gift the couple a t-shirt set for both the bride as well as the bridegroom. You can get them personalized by getting them imprinted with personal messages or photograph of the couple’s dating days. The best thing about these t-shirts are that they can be worn by both men and women. The couple can wear them together to actually look like husband and wife.
  • Picture frames - These may be a common wedding gift item, but is something which will never lose its appeal. Most of the times a couple shifts to a new home after their marriage. This will be the prefect decorative item for their new bedroom. These photo frames can be imprinted with some personal messages from you. These are available in a variety of styles and colors. You can choose one which will suit their new home. These can also be gifted to people with whom you share a formal relationship. These photo frames are classy as well as traditional. Everybody who receives them will surely love them.
  • Wedding baseball caps are a hit among the young couples. They love receiving this as a gift. These gifts are practical items which are sure to be used by the recipients. These baseball caps can be customized. You can get them imprinted with personal messages or something which is common to the couple.
  • Cuff links for men and bracelets for women are a very popular gift item. If the couple is the classy type, you can never go wrong by giving these as a gift. Your gift is sure to be appreciated by the recipients.

These gift items are practical, trendy and affordable. The couple will definitely like them.

Have any wedding questions? Get all the answers you need now at Rachael West Designs.

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Variation of Wedding Gifts According to the Wedding Themes

June 1, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

Finding and buying wedding gifts for a special friend can be a dreadful task. You want to show your love, care and happiness for them, and so presenting wedding gifts could be the best option in your mind. There are so many wedding gift ideas you can see at local gift shops or malls, however, most of them are just same old items. If you know the couple for a long time, what you want to do is to think of spending some time to find unique wedding gifts that they may probably not expecting from you.

Wedding gifts can really take a bunch from your pocket. Even if you will spend a lot for these items, you may never tell that it would be highly appreciated and would really stand out. If you opt for inexpensive and cheerful gift ideas for the couple, the options are plenty.

Most couples are making their wedding registry so that their family and friends will know the gifts they want to receive. A wedding gift registry has been proven and tested to be effective and helpful in find the right choices of gifts for every couple. Couples can make their registry either at local malls or online. Today, there are so many websites that sell a wide variety of wedding related gifts in different themes and a wide range of prices.

Weddings these days are more likely to be theme-based. Couples can go very personal when planning their own nuptial. They tend to include their personal touches and preferences to every detail of their wedding. There are lots of themes to choose, and it is up to the couple on how they can get creative and imaginative to make there choice reflective to their wedding celebration.

For a theme-based wedding, you may choose gifts that fit the theme of your friends’ nuptial. You can get very creative to make yours very ideal to them. Themed wedding gifts are mostly available for customization. There are so many stores both online and offline that offer such specialized items according to their customer’s needs.

Anything that makes a wedding gift can be customized according to the personality of the bride and groom. This is one great way to make the present extraordinary. If you opt for these kinds of wedding gifts, all you need to do is to consider the couple’s personal preferences. For example, if they are sort of sporty couple, you can have something customized with their favorite sports, sports team logo, or add sporty charms to your present.

The birth of the Internet makes shopping for gifts easier. Today, most couples prefer to shop online than shopping at a local store. Shopping online gives a more easy way to find and buy anything without going out of your home and spending a lot. There are plenty of websites nowadays that offer a wide variety of wedding gifts, including presents for the couple, wedding attendants gifts, gifts for parents and a lot more.

Have any wedding questions? Get all your questions answered right here at Rachael West Designs.

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Wedding Thank You Cards Etiquette

June 1, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

One way of expressing gratitude to your family members and friends is to give them wedding thank you cards. These people will be sharing their time, money, and effort and what a nice easy way to thank them is by simply sending them cards with a printed thank you message that comes from your heart.

Most couples are sending thank you cards within three months upon receiving the gifts from their relatives and friends. But, sending thank you cards depends on when you receive their presents. Couples who take thank you cards seriously would ideally prepare the cards during the wedding planning.

There is etiquette when sending wedding thank you cards for the gifts that were received before the wedding, received on the wedding day, gifts that were received during pre-wedding parties, gifts for the host, and even gifts for wedding attendants.

If there are some people who sent you gifts before your wedding day, thank them by sending thank you cards within two weeks upon the arrival of the gifts. Wedding guests who prefer to give wedding presents prior to the wedding day have a common reason in mind: they don’t want to bring a bulky wrapped gift to the wedding. An appropriate thank card informs the giver that his/her gift has been received promptly.

You and your partner need to complete enough cards for the guests who will be bringing their gifts on the actual day of the wedding. The proper time to send thank cards to those people who gave their presents on the wedding day is within one month of the wedding. However, you still have three months allowance to send the cards, according to The Emily Post Institute.

There are gifts that you should anticipate during pre-wedding events such as engagement party, wedding shower, bachelor party or bachelorette party. The giver of such gifts deserve to be thanked as well. You can send them thank you cards as early as possible after receiving their gifts, as you will likely be sending thank cards as well to the same people who sent their wedding gifts prior to the exact date of your nuptial.

For the host of your pre-wedding parties, you can also send thank you cards within two days after the event. It is also a nice gesture to give a nice small gift to this host as a symbol of appreciation.

Last but not the least, you want to thank your wedding attendants for sharing a priceless time for your wedding. Aside from giving them wedding thank you gifts, make it more special by including a heartfelt thank card. The card must let the attendants know that their involvement and hard work were highly appreciated. Wedding thank you cards come in various choices to choose from. You can either buy or make your own at home. Although little, but these wedding supplies can really make a great difference to your special day. It is always a good feeling that you are appreciating someone’s effort for your advantage.

Have any wedding questions? Get all your questions answered here at Rachael West Designs.

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Displaying Your Wedding Gifts

May 31, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

A dying tradition is the tradition of displaying wedding gifts after the wedding. Since I happen to like this tradition, I have written this article to provide a guide of how to do this, in order to help revive the tradition to some extent. The overall purpose of displaying wedding gifts is to acknowledge people’s gifts and to let others see their generosity. However, displaying gifts has some complexities attached that I will discuss.

When to Display Gifts: The best way to display gifts is to do it at a housewarming party that you give following the wedding. This need not be the only time you display the gifts, but it is the primary one. What you do for this tradition is to put the gifts around the area where you plan to entertain your guests, so that they can see who gave which gifts.

How to Display Gifts: The gifts should be arranged by theme. This prevents the pretty gifts from outshining the practical ones. So, for instance, you can put all of your bedding together, all of your kitchen appliances together and all of your china together. This allows people to see the extent of people’s generosity without comparing apples and oranges. For each gift, accompany it with a small, folded-over card, identifying the gift (even if it is obvious) and providing the names of the gift givers.

What About Money?: You should do your best to lay out financial gifts as well, but there are a couple of tricky things. For those who donate cash, lay out the original envelope without the actual cash inside. For those who donate checks, lay out the checks, but cover up the actual amount donated. Under no circumstances should the actual amount donated by revealed.

Have any wedding questions? Get all your questions answered now at Rachael West Designs.

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Guest Wedding Gifts :: Ideas for Personalized Wedding Gifts for Wedding Attendees

May 30, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

I have a small budget, and I’m looking for something to give to my guests as a wedding gift. I’ve thought about koozies and champagne flutes, since I don’t like the candy idea. Any ideas?

Have any wedding questions? Get all your questions answered now at Rachael West Designs.

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