So you’re planning a wedding? Did you appreciate it would be so hard? There’s flowers, venue, ceremony, guest and wedding gift lists, bridesmaids dresses, morning suits for the guys, entertainment for the reception, food and wedding favours for the guests to organise. Unless you’re a guru at wedding planning, we think that you might have got some help. Here’s betting that your parents have played a big party in organising your special day. All the more reason to remember wedding gifts for your parents as a way to say “Thanks guys xx”.
It’s not just to say a big thank you, but a way of showing them your gratitude for raising you, always being there when you needed a shoulder to cry on, and agreeing to share your happy day. Wedding gifts for parents can also be a way of thanking them for their financial help with the wedding arrangements and putting up with all your bad moods and tantrums while the wedding was being planned.
That’s more than enough reasons to consider wedding gifts for your parents an important part of the day, so we’ll get on with some suggestions.
Thoughtful ways to say thank you
Flowers for the ladies are a great way of saying thanks, but we think this idea is a trifle old hat. A great alternative is a gift from Eternity Rose. They have perfected a technique that involves dipping a single rose bloom in a precious metal, which makes the perfect long-lasting gift. As a way of making it more personal, the stem of the rose can be engraved with words of gratitude. However, there are lots of other wedding gift ideas to choose from.
A living plant as opposed to a bouquet – The only problem with bouquets is that their beauty quickly fades, so a great alternative is to give your parents a plant for their garden. Over the coming years it will grow and flourish and be a constant reminder of your special day.
A colourful piece of art – Find a piece of artwork that will sit comfortably in their home and you’ll be giving them a long lasting reminder of the day you were walked up the aisle.
Don’t forget your dad – Time to spoil your dad, and make sure he doesn’t feel left out, as so often happens. If your dad loves gardening then give him a personalised spade. If he’s a bit of a sports fan then give him a jersey from his favourite team. How about a personalise apron for all those garden barbeques when he loves to be in pride of place at the grill. Your dad has watched you grow from a small child to an adult, so a gift of silver cufflinks in the shape of acorns would be the perfect gift on such an occasion as your wedding.
Thoughtful wedding gift ideas for your parents
Sometimes gestures speak louder than words, and mean more than a gift that cost money. Show how much your mum and dad mean to you with one of the following meaningful gestures.
Bring your mother’s wedding gown into your celebration – A great gesture to make is incorporating a piece of your mother’s own wedding gown, or something from her wedding bouquet, into your own flower arrangement. There may be some ribbon that you can borrow and wrap round the handle, and you can add a miniature photo of your mum and dad on their wedding day to make it even more memorable.
If you’d prefer to leave her dress in one piece then why not have it on display at your ceremony? Some of the other female guests might be interested in taking part and help to create a living museum display of wedding dresses through the ages.
Have your parents in one of the wedding photographs – We mean by paying homage to your parents, as they’re obviously going to be in some of your wedding shots. Speak to your photographer and see if he’s got any ideas. However a couple of suggestions would be a picture of the bride and groom holding the parents wedding photos, or a photograph with daughter and dad saying their final goodbye, or the last hug from mum.
Your first dance – If you and your husband haven’t got a favourite tune you’ll be dancing to at the reception, why not borrow the tune from your parent’s special day?
A nostalgic cake topper – If you and your future husband are struggling over the cake decoration, use the cake topper from your parents wedding cake.
Present giving is an art, and not many people ever learn to perfect it. This shouldn’t be an obstacle though, because there is so much help available you’ll never be short of ideas and suggestions. We’ll continue to offer our own tips and advice and help to make the wedding days of hundreds of couples a successful one.
If you’ll soon be walking down the aisle, or are looking forward with anticipation to a couple’s big day, all our good wishes are with you.