Anyone Have Wedding Shower Gift Ideas?

The girl I was roommates with for four years in University (known her for 7 years) is getting married this July. Her mother-in-law-to-be is hosting her wedding shower for her THIS Sunday (June 8th) and I am looking for an interesting/useful/long lasting/memorable/any combination of these descriptive words gift idea!

So keep in mind I have only this week to get the present together (I'm such a procrastinator) and that I am not a millionaire.

Has anyone recently had and/or attended a wedding shower and noticed a unique wonderful gift?

All suggestions welcome!!! Thanks!!!

Does the couple have a wedding registry?  That might be a good place to start looking for ideas.

Just get them something they can use.  Honestly no one will remember what "things" that everyone got them for the shower/wedding.  If you want to do something meaningful or memorable, take her out for a girl's day/night - do dinner, shopping, mani/pedi or whatever you like to do together and have a fun, special day.  Maybe you can also help her with her wedding planning. 

Actions are way more memorable than "stuff".

i don't go to wedding showers anymore, because--for the most part--everyone has everything they need, and it's just another of those traditions people don't want to let go of.  but if you must, a gift card is a good bet.  at least you know it's useful and won't be returned, exchanged, or abandonned in a closet.

what's up with the wedding shower? Do you get them a gift there, and also another gift for the actual wedding? Just curious...

Original Post by fuzzys:

Just get them something they can use.  Honestly no one will remember what "things" that everyone got them for the shower/wedding.  If you want to do something meaningful or memorable, take her out for a girl's day/night - do dinner, shopping, mani/pedi or whatever you like to do together and have a fun, special day.  Maybe you can also help her with her wedding planning. 

Actions are way more memorable than "stuff".

 I disagree.  4 years later, I still remember what every person got me.  Then again, I had very few people.  Every time I use my cutting board, I think of my friend that gave it to me and his attached card that said "here, now you don't have to use the dirty dirty counter"

I think the nicest gifts are the ones that are useful, and thoughtful.  I remember one guest sent us a barbecue grill.  We never asked for it, never would have though of it.  We use it constantly, and it was such a GREAT idea.

Another friend put together a giant bag full of random stuff (coasters, humerous magnets, lip gloss, candles, bracelets, lingerie, etc).  I honestly can't remember what was in it.  However, I still remember the thought and effort she put in to pick out things that were "so me".

I would say think about your friend, what they like to do, and what they have.  Then work from there.

that's what you're supposed to do, figure.  hence, my boycott.

my mom says that bridal showers used to be about little, household gifts (this would have been the 50s & early 60s).  like, you could get her wooden spoons or trivets.  it was all about the fact that the bride was leaving her parents' home and becoming a "wife." 

Kaff, maybe you are the exception.  It also probably helps if you have less gifts as opposed to more.

thanks pg. I am going to a wedding in July and was invited to a bridal shower in June. I can't make the shower but I did get her a gift card which I'm sending in the mail. I've also got the wedding present.

I was thinking a bridal shower was more for stuff for the bride exclusively, hence the gift card... I considered a few more risqué gifts but these people are ultra conservative, the boss's daughter...

Yeah, definitely the exception when my memory is concerned.  ;)  I can remember where I bought every piece of clothing I own (including shoes).  I also remember specific conversations with people for years.  I don't think it is healthy. 

it just makes me SUPER self conscious about everything, cause somehow I can't accept that most people aren't this way (obsessing about the dumb things I say, or proper etiquette).

I am a traditionalist I suppose and I am definitely going to the shower and bringing a present along. She is a good friend so I don't feel like the event is a present grabbing scheme. However the fact that she does already live with him means they do have a lot of the things they need to function normally.

I could probably come up with some hilarious risque gifts but of course I don't want to offend the parents/grandparents attendees so I'll save those for our girls night out...

Kaff - I'm glad to hear that not everyone forgets what they receive! This is what I'm trying to go for!

(Which is why I'm ignoring the registry because I think it is boring and meaningless and unoriginal and unmemorable to pick a set of bed sheets off the list - but that is my back up plan!)

Keep the ideas coming!

I recently went to a Bridal Shower.  The bride was registered at Target so I went there and saw that a pizza cutter was on the registry.  So I got her the pizza cutter but also got her a pizza pan (not on the registry but everyone who has a pizza cutter should have a pizza pan and because I've made pizza at her apartment before, I knew she didn't have one), pizza sauce, pizza crust mix, and crushed red peppers.  She thought these were all nice.

However, the real hit was the Baggu Bag (www.baggubag.com) that I threw into the gift bag.  It is a re-usable shopping bag and it was probably the gift at the Bridal Shower that everyone took the most interest in.  There was another Bride-To-Be at that Bridal Shower who is having a shower in a few weeks; I'll probably throw a Baggu Bag into her gift as well.

Hey!  Those reusable shopping bags are actually a great idea.  I am going to buy some for all my friends and family this Christmas.  For anyone that doesn't have them, it's a great idea and gets them to start using them; but even if someone already has them, you can always use more.

Put together a gift basket and use whatever you like.

Baking basket-cookie sheets,cookie cutters,recipe book of cookie recipes,pot holders,spatula,wooden spoons,cookie jar ect.

Basket with a bottle of wine,glasses,coasters,wine chiller

Fill a small cooler with picnic items.

Buy a first Christmas together ornament.

Coffee and Tea basket- coffees,teas, mugs,

fuzzys - That's exactly what I do with the re-usable bags!  I gave a bunch out for St. Patrick's Day (going "green" for St. Patricks) and now my room mates and my mom use them all the time.  I also gave one to my cousin as part of a birthday gift; now she uses them whenever she goes shopping and she bought some for her mom too.  I've even had cashiers ask me where I got them.  My next step is re-usable produce bags (www.ecobags.com); I'll probably throw these in everyone's stockings for Christmas.

How about a massage or spa gift certificate? If my friends are anything to judge by, planning a wedding is stressful! I'm sure she could use a little personal TLC.

I'm a little lazy and didn't really feel like reading every entry.  So, if this has already been suggested, then I 2nd the suggestion.  Anywho, a gift I like to give and brides have been really appreciative of is a large picture frame with a lot of matte around the picture that the wedding guests sign and give congrats.  Their not terribly expensive and you can normally find one at a home goods store and I have even seen them in Wal-Mart.  It is memorable and nice and still something for the "new home". 

i'm always a fan of art.  depending on where you live you can find some really kickass affordable artwork.  the last time i bought a piece as a present, i got it from a local painter and spent $95 for a small framed painting.  trick is to give it to someone you know well, so you know what they will like....and if it's framed, it'll be up on their walls soon!

atech - I like the produce bags but the ones on ecobags are pretty expensive.  I buy mine off of ebay and they are much cheaper... searching for produce bags doesn't come up with anything, but you can find some under muslin bags, drawstring bags, and/or lingerie bags (yep, the mesh laundry bags for lingerie work great for produce!)

The shower gifts I remember were really practical and thoughtful, but not always very expensive. Like, one of my friends got us a really nice set of Coleman Coolers--you know, for picnics, with wheels and everything? People may have junky styrofoam ones, but almost everyone could use a nice, new set. Another friend gave us nice plastic tableware--plates, cups, utensils, even a few serving bowls--to use on the deck. I love those and use them all the time! Oooh, and cookbooks. I loved getting cookbooks as shower gifts! Since you all lived together, you know what she likes to eat, so you could get her something she'd really enjoy.

One friend of mine was having her wedding reception at their house, and she was mildly freaked about being ready, so I gave her a complete housecleaning for a shower gift. She still talks about how helpful that was.

All very practical. None of them very pricey.

I just had my shower on Saturday, and we appreciated everything we got.  We just moved in to our new house and were using all old kitchen stuff, so all that new stuff was awesome.  I'd say just go with something that she loves, that would also be useful.  The people there knew I loved wine, so I got beautiful sets of stemless wine glasses, and bottles of wine.  They also know I love to bake, so I got a ton of new bakeware, and a cookie press, and all that fun stuff.

I would say (and others might disagree with me) avoid giving decorator style things unless she is registered for something specific-it's sometimes hard to determine someone's taste and what they would like to display in their house, and to be honest, almost all of the things I got that were little statutes or figurines or small pieces of art, I would not have picked out myself and am having a hard time deciding what to do with them.

Good luck!