Archive for the ‘Wedding’ Category

Thank You Gifts for Your Wedding Vendors

Friday, December 11th, 2009

When you are planning a wedding, there are many people that play a part in making your dreams come true. From the baker to the florist, without the professionals who collaborate to design your dream wedding, it just would not be the same. Thank the wedding vendors who went above and beyond with a special gift to show your appreciation. Not all vendors necessarily need a special thank you gift. If your photographer was merely okay, there is no need to go out of your way to give him a present after the wedding. Likewise, you need not bankrupt yourself handing out gifts left and right to every last person who helped you with your wedding. But there will be those who really went out of their way to make sure that you felt pampered, or that did all they could to ensure that every last detail was handled to perfection. Those are the people who deserve a small token of your gratitude. For some wedding vendors, you will merely want to give a cash tip. Vendors who are generally thanked for great service with an extra tip would include musicians, waiters, and limousine drivers. These are industries where a cash tip is the norm. Besides, the chances are that you do not know them well enough to pick out a more personal gift anyway. In other cases, a carefully chosen gift is a more personal and thoughtful way of letting someone know how much you value their service. A beautiful bouquet of flowers is always a nice thank you present. Many gracious brides will bring a bouquet of flowers to their baker at the last meeting or to the bridal shop when they pick up their gown right before the wedding. It would be rather silly to bring cut flowers to a florist, but a coffee table book about flowers would be a wonderful choice.


Sometimes there will be one wedding vendor in particular that really went out of their way to give you excellent service. Let’s say that the bridal shop not only made your dream dress fit you to perfection, but also polished your bridal jewelry, pressed your veil, and recommended a fantastic photographer. You might want to give a more substantial gift to show your appreciation. A beautiful vase or pitcher is always a nice idea. If you got to know the bridal shop owner or consultant well, you could also select a gift that is geared more to her specific interests or hobbies. A silk scarf in her favorite color would be one thought, or perhaps you could find her an autographed copy of her favorite classic book. Do not feel as though you have to spend the final days before your wedding running around town handing out gifts to your wedding vendors. It is perfectly acceptable to drop by to present a gift after you return from your honeymoon. It is even better if you bring along some pictures from your wedding to share with him or her.


Not all gifts have to be physical objects. For many vendors, one of the best ways that you can show your appreciation is by giving them a good recommendation. This is particularly true for online retailers, who live or die by reviews and ratings. So if the online shop that made your bridal jewelry offered you a great price, a quick delivery, and courteous service, take a few minutes to post a positive review. For brick and mortar establishments, a hand-written note with a wedding picture in it is the way to do it.

So many people do all that they can to make your wedding perfect. Take a little time to let them know that you appreciate their help and care. They are bound to appreciate the gesture behind a thoughtful thank you gift.

Ask Bridget for advice in areas of jewelry or weddings. She writes numerous articles providing information for the customers of Silverland Jewelry.com. Bridal jewelry is a wonderful gift from the groom.

Wedding Thank You Gifts – Why, Who, What?

Thursday, December 10th, 2009

Click Here to visit the gift store where you will find a large hand picked selection of wedding thank you gifts.

What Are Wedding Thank You Gifts For?

The organization of a wedding takes a lot of work, time, effort and love. Wedding thank you gifts are the bride’s and the groom’s way of saying thank you to all those that helped putting it together - and keeping it together for that matter.

If you need more motivation to convince yourself that you need to come up with really thoughtful and meaningful presents for your bridal party, consider this:

Your friends and helpers have chosen to bring themselves in, give you time and possibly monetary value. They have committed to a oneway deal, where they give and you receive. They have possibly done that for the first time and had to climb up the learning curve. In any event, they have done what was in their power to let you enjoy a wonderful day.

Who should you consider?

Well, think of who helped you. These people are the obvious ones:

  • Maid of Honor
  • Bridesmaids
  • Best Man
  • Groomsmen
  • Ring Bearer
  • Ushers
    (although they are technically not part of the bridal party, they would probably enjoy a small “Wedding Thank You Gift”, too)
  • Flower girls

Then also, although technically not part of the bridal party, don’t forget to get a present for the parents. After all, it is them that put up with you all these years, and they probably also paid for the wedding…

The Wedding Thank You Gifts are your way of saying

“we care for you and we are really grateful that you are our parents, our friends, our helpers on our very important day. You have taken the time to prepare and organize. You have been thoughtful and helpful. You have contributed money and are responsible for the fact that our wedding has been a success. We are grateful to you and want to let you know by giving you a gift.”


What are Appropriate Wedding Thank you Gifts?

The short answer is: It depends! ;-)

And the long answer is: It depends, because…

… the wetting thank you gift for your parent that paid for the entire wedding is probably not the same as the thank you present to your old shool buddy who is a hair dresser and made your hair for the wedding.

First off: We have a hand-picked category for wedding thank you gifts in the store under this link. Click here to get to the store.

So let’s look at a couple of situations. Perhaps we start to get a feeling for what is appropriate in which situation as we walk through the situations.

Situation 1: The Parents Who Paid For the Wedding

Apart from owing everything to them they have also paid for your wedding. This is a good moment to think about it and come up with a memorable wedding thank you gift, a gift that will tell them that you know what they have done for you, a gift they will unpack or look at regularly. It should be something that conjures up a magic smile on their lips when they lovingly remember the big wedding and the wonderful person you have become. Good ideas for a really nice present for the parents are:

  • media in any shape and form (albums, (digital) frames, story books, video films, etc.
  • personalized memorabilia like household goods that they will use frequently and enjoy, or personal items, jewelry, etc.

Situation 2: Maid of Honor, Best Man

Probably your best friends. You are likely to either return the favor in future or to already have done so. Get a clue from what they had done at their marriage.

There is no need to pay your friends back for the time they have invested in your wedding. But them being your best friends they would certainly appreciate something to remember this day by. Make it a thank you present that they can keep and present openly in their house or office. Perhaps they have been looking for something special that they could not find? Find it!

Situation 3: A bride maid did your hair and nails. She is a hair stylist.

Her present was one that you could attach a value to (because of her gift, there was something less to be paid out in cash.) Still, do not feel compelled to pay her back with an expensive gift. It is fine to find nice words, a beautiful photo of your wedding or the honey moon and to send them in your beautiful thank you card. She gave you her gift so you would not need to spend the money. Accept it and say thank you.

Other situations

There are probably many situations not covered in this blog post, and I would welcome you to parttake in a discussion. What situations have you encountered that are similar to the ones described. What situations are completely different?

Leave a comment underneath

Visit the gift store where you will find a large hand picked selection of wedding thank you gifts.