Just in time for some last minute Valentine's Day ideas (or getting an early start on your wedding registry), I've got some amazing gift ideas for you this week. Well, I have some amazing people helping me by lending their advice and giving some new direction to gift giving. Let's be honest, who doesn't want a box of chocolates on V-day or need their fluffy towels as a wedding gift? We can do better though folks! It's time to step it up this year and really be mindful of the giving you are doing...because it only means that the "getting" will be that much better.
First up today is Anne from
Unique Gifter who takes gifting and registries a step further by providing options for every holiday and every person's needs. Take it away Anne!
“The whole is greater than the sum of
its parts.” – Aristotle
Dyson or Miele vacuum
Kitchenaid Stand Mixer
Sterling Silverware
Original Artwork
Pot Set
DSLR Camera
The above are some of the more common,
more expensive items that show up on wedding registries. For many
people, they are drool worthy consumer goods that remain out of
reach, or are just plain un-justifiable in their own budgets. There
are all sorts of reactions to high priced wedding registry items;
invariably someone secretly (or not-so-secretly) thinks that you’re
being gift grabby. The high roller may be disappointed in the lack
of selection and the organizer jumps at the chance to pull together a
group gift. All of the items listed above have long lives and high
use. Additionally, for many, they are things that they dream of
getting but are financially out of reach most of the time. That is
precisely what makes them such fantastic gifts!
I invite you to join me in bringing
together an awesome gift for a lucky couple that you know. You can
select one of the pricier gifts and organize a group of contributors.
Take the gift as a base and create a complete moment or memory. All
of the pieces come together to create a complete picture, just like a
puzzle. Here are a few examples of fantastic group gifts:
The Espresso Machine
This past summer,
some friends received a very pricey espresso machine, from about a
dozen of their guests. The guests all got together and picked up the
machine, plus a nice milk thermometer, a steaming jug, some coffee
beans and a selection of espresso and coffee mugs. Now, they have a
daily ritual made possible, down to the last detail, by a great group
of friends. Some more ideas to add to an espresso machine could be
some honey, raw sugar, or maybe even a nice jazz CD for a lazy
Saturday morning.
The Camera
Another set of friends selected a DSLR
Camera as their long-shot wedding registry item. The newlyweds spent
the first year of their marriage teaching English in Korea, snapping
photos and adventuring together. Their memories would have been very
different had they not had generous guests who came together to bless
them with this gift. They also picked up a convenient carrying case,
to complete the gift.
Artwork
This is Reenie’s Rose’s wheelhouse!
Ensure you know the couple well, or check with them first, but
original artwork can be an extremely touching and valued gift. It
will be something that the couple keeps and displays in their home
for a very, very long time. They will be able to enjoy it almost
daily and it will remind them of the gift givers.
Vacuum
Now, you may be puzzling about the
vacuum. Are your friends or family pet owners? Yes? Guess what,
they will LOVE that vacuum and so will any guests that set foot in
their home! It may seem a very bland and boring thing to give, but
trust me on this one, their future health and happiness may well
depend on it!
Group gifts are unique in how they
provide an opportunity for friends and family to come together and
show their support for a couple. They are a form of symbolic uniting
on behalf of the couple, showing more than the etiquette obligation
to bring a gift to a wedding. The effort put forth to coordinate,
plus the joy at receiving some of the most costly registry items that
they may not have expected to be gifted, is overwhelming for some
newlyweds. Put another way, group gifts are like a great big hug
from friends and family!
Anne writes about all sorts of great
gift ideas, including creative and fun ways to give cash, at her blog
Unique Gifter. She covers
wedding savings tips for guests, plus tips for adding that special
touch to gift giving.
