We’re right on the cusp to the kickoff of wedding season, which means plenty of bridal showers to attend. Whether it’s your best girlfriend, sister, neighbor or cousin, you want to send her off to a blissful marriage with her spouse by giving her a thoughtful, yet practical bridal gift she’ll love for years to come.
Shopping for shower gifts is no walk in the park and can often come across as impersonal. We often hop online or go in the store where they’re registered, pick a few items off the list and wrap it up expecting them to be “surprised” by the gift you’ve given. Instead, think outside the box, quite literally! Lots of brides-to-be put kitchen items on their list. Get her that coveted crockpot she’s registered for, but toss the box aside and spend a few extra minutes filling it with goodies that will make your gift memorable. Trust me, going this one extra step further will really be that extra special touch the bride needs leading up to her big day.
Want to really be that friend or family member that went above and beyond to give the best bridal shower gift? Add a touch of personalization to those wood serving spoons or spatulas by adding her soon-to-be new last name to the handles. This easy DIY project takes 15-20 minutes and will really make the bride feel extra special.
The Dos And Don'ts Of Choosing The Perfect Bridal Shower Gift
You’ll need a wood burning hand tool and letter stamps to complete this project (unless you’re willing to try freestyle handwriting). Follow the instructions provided by the supplier and I would recommend practicing on a scrap piece of wood before you start on the handles. You can also spell out words like L-O-V-E or their wedding date to mix things up. Trust me, once you get started you’re going to want to personalize every piece of wood lying around your home!
Within this one gift you’ve set the new bride & groom up with the essentials towards their first night of cooking together to be enjoyed with a bottle of wine and decadent chocolate for dessert. That’s the recipe for a long lasting marriage! As you may already know, our good friends Nathan and Ashley are getting hitched! And, with the wedding coming up in May, it was time to celebrate the bride with a special shower just for her. So us women folk gathered this past weekend to do just that, with tasty finger foods, a delicious cake and lovely floral arrangements put together by the enormously talented mother of the bride.
Mady, Ashley’s sister, was the mastermind behind the entire event and she nailed it. I wish I had more photos to share with you, but imagine handmade bunting with the letters for “Miss to Mrs” handpainted on each flag, rustic burlap table runners and springtime raffia with yellow blooms wrapped around the cake. It was perfection and felt SO “Ashley.”
Bridal Shower Gift Idea
But, of course, no bridal shower is complete without the gifts and, as I’m sure you could guess, I felt the need to get creative with mine. I really wanted to put together something unique for Ashley and eventually (after a night of tossing and turning to brainstorm) I finally came up with the idea of DIY “Perfect Pairs” Bridal Shower Gift inspired by the most perfect pair of all—Ashley and Nathan!!
The idea was to pick up useful things for the home that naturally went together—things like “fork & spoon” (a salad fork and spoon set), “pen & paper” (nice pens and a package of note cards) and a “chip & dip” (I don’t think
One needs explaining!). In order to bring the point home, I put together little tags in InDesign and Photoshop using colors to match the overall theme of the gifts—blue and green. Once printed and cut out, I was able to attach each to their respective pair using Scotch tape.
How To Give The Perfect Bridal Shower Gift
As for the wrapping, I decided to skip a paper gift bag and went with a utilitarian rubber bucket instead. It actually cost about the same as a large gift bag, but will last through whatever project Ashley puts it to.
The final step was adding one last paper cut out to the front of the bucket that simply read “Perfect Pairs inspired by Ashley & Nathan.” I think Ashley got a kick out of the gift and I hope she and her hubby-to-be enjoy all of their new housewares! We had a blast watching her eyes light up as she unwrapped things like her gorgeous new dishes, Anthropology kitchen utensils, teal Keurig, serving ware and even a stunning gold Kate Spade bracelet. Bridal showers are so much fun…And Ashley deserves every bit of love!When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your devices and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. You can find out more about our use, change your default settings, and withdraw your consent at any time with effect for the future by visiting Cookies Settings, which can also be found in the footer of the site.
Jessica Booth is a journalist with over 10 years of experience and a freelance writer whose work has appeared on sites such as Bustle, Insider, and Refinery29.
Perfect Pairs Wedding Shower Gift
An invitation to a bridal shower almost always comes with a link to a registry full of gift options. But sometimes ordering off the registry isn't possible, whether that's because you've put off the gift-buying so long that nothing is really left, or because you just want to get the bride-to-be something that feels a bit more personalized. In either instance, opting for a bridal shower gift basket is an excellent idea.
A bridal shower gift basket is either a box or an actual basket that contains several different products instead of just one gift. It usually features some sort of theme and is given to the bride at her bridal shower.
A gift basket like this not only allows you to make the gift feel more sentimental but also gives you the opportunity to include several items instead of just one. A bridal shower gift box is the perfect way to never show up empty-handed, Chelsea Moore, founder and CEO of BOXFOX, tells
Shower Themed Diy Wedding Gift Basket Idea
There is no exact formula to follow when creating the perfect bridal shower gift basket. You can choose to include a wide variety of small items with one stand-out item, you can just select three or four items to include, or you can do a bunch of smaller items. The possibilities are endless, making this a really versatile gift idea. Moore adds, It can be a small token or a grand gesture, whatever your budget allows.
Once you decide to gift a basket like this, your first step in creating it (if you choose to put one together yourself instead of buying one already made) is to settle on a theme. There are so many themes you could pick, like a kitchen/cooking theme filled with basic cooking utensils and some food or a romantic newlywed theme filled with items like a bottle of wine and Mr. and Mrs. glasses.
While bridal shower gift baskets certainly don't have to be picture-perfect, it's always a nice perk to make them look beautifully put together. The easiest way to look like the most thoughtful person in the world is to stick to a color palette, Moore says. Select a color or two colors, and try to pick only products in those shades. It delivers a cohesive, aesthetically pleasing basket every time.
Diy Bridal Shower Gift
You should also decide whether you want the gift basket to be completely focused on the bride or more on the couple. It's nice for the bride to receive a gift basket full of items just for her, but it's equally as nice to receive useful gifts for the couple. So, really, the decision is yours!
Once you have a theme and potential color palette in mind, you can start selecting items to add to the gift basket, and there is no right or wrong amount. You can include two items or 20, it really is up to you, Moore says.
She recommends selecting items that are personal to your relationship with the bride, groom, or couple. A little can have a big impact that way, she says. My favorite shower gifts are the ones that maybe call out a specific memory or lean into their honeymoon or the wedding destination. Choose items that feel personal to make your basket stand out.
Bridal Shower Gifts That Aren't On The Couple's Registry
You can also pick items off the registry to add to the gift basket—this is a good way to buy them some of the smaller items they registered for. But don't feel like you have to stick to that. We are huge fans of going a little bit rogue and ordering off registry for bridal shower gifts, Jamie Kutchman Wynne of Marigold & Grey says.
