There’s no question that one of the most memorable days in any couple’s life is the day they exchange their ‘I dos’ and are proclaimed husband and wife. 

If you’re invited to a wedding for the first time, the challenging part is not just choosing a great outfit, but also that all-important task of choosing the perfect gift for the newlyweds.

Gift Registry

Before deciding what gift to give, try to know first if the couple has a gift registry. If they do, then it would be easier for you to choose a gift because in the registry, the soon-to-be-married couple would usually specify what gifts they want, even right down to the exact size and color and any other specifications.

What you’ll get for the couple is something that’s not yet taken in the registry, which means you have to check the registry as early as you can so you still have more choices.

No Registry

Although a gift registry is quite common, there are couples who opt not to have one for their own reasons. It could be perhaps because they want to know if their guests really know them well and therefore should know exactly what they want or need or whatever reasons they may have.

If this the case with the wedding you’re going to attend, you then have your work cut out for you. But this is not to say of course that it’s going to be a very difficult task. You just have to answer a few questions correctly and you’ll be on your way to nailing that perfect gift for the lovebirds.

• WHO - This is the most important question you should be able to answer when choosing a great gift. Who and how well you know the couple, or at least one of them (you may only personally know either the bride or the groom), will greatly help you in deciding what specific item to gift-wrap. Do they love to travel? Are they fitness buffs? Is cooking their thing? Choosing the right gift will become a much easier task if you know who the couples are and what they love to do.
• WHAT - Again, if you personally know the couple, you’d know exactly what they want. The What is simply an easy corollary to the Who. If they love to travel, give them travel accessories or perhaps a roundtrip ticket to a great destination. If they’re health buffs, great gifts would be exercise gears/equipment or maybe an annual gym membership card. Or if you want to be practical, give them something they can immediately use when they live together (e.g. Storage bags for clothes , cutlery, cookware set).
• WHERE - Before online shopping became a thing, one was hard-pressed finding the exact thing he’s looking for. Today, aside from the convenience of not having to physically travel to a brick-and-mortar store to buy what we want, we can easily and quickly compare prices. Plus, if you hate crowds, when you buy stuff online, it means you won’t be crushed by people, especially when there’s a huge sale. And you don’t have to look for a parking space, to boot.

Personalize It

A gift is more special if it’s personalized.

Give them something that was truly made for them. However, don’t just order something without looking at an example of the finished product. Don’t order embroidered or printed shirts or sweaters with the couple’s names or pictures on them that look cheap and ugly. The key is to make sure the personalized item doesn’t look like it was done hastily and the materials used are cheap.

Wrap It Well

No matter how awesome your gift is, you still have to think about first impressions. Even if your wedding gift is great, if it’s not wrapped properly or appropriately, it would appear hideous. Sure, what matters is what’s inside, but you can’t take away the fact that people generally judge the book by its cover, as a manner of speaking. If you don’t know how to wrap it, be sure to have a professional do the task for you.

If you choose the right gift, you will not only make the newlyweds happy, you will also play your own small role in getting their new life together started right.