10 Must-Have Gift Ideas for the Wedding Party

It is traditional for the bride to give the groom a gift on the wedding day. Although the wedding rings that the couple exchanges can be considered gifts, many brides choose to honor their groom with an additional gift that suits his personality.

The gift of the bride and groom exchanging gifts is beginning to fade as many couples who spend a great deal of money on their wedding or honeymoon may decide that there is no need to exchange gifts in addition to the wedding and honeymoon.

If you decide to honor your groom with a gift on your wedding day, it is more important to choose an item that he will enjoy than spending a great deal of money on the present.

A photo album complete with a picture of you and the bridesmaid or the entire wedding party can be another unique gift idea for the bridesmaids. You could purchase photo albums with the date of your wedding engraved on the front cover and start the photo album with a picture of you and the bridesmaid. This is a beautiful gift idea because the bridesmaid can place her photos from the wedding day in the album and will always have a precious souvenir from her wedding day.

The week before your marriage was probably incredibly hectic, with many last-minute details to attend to and errands to run. Your bridesmaids most likely spent a great deal of time and energy helping you plan your wedding. Gift certificates to a spa or a salon also make unique gift ideas for your bridesmaids.

While you will have your honeymoon to relax and renew your energy, your bridesmaids do not have this luxury. By honoring them by presenting them with a gift certificate to a spa or salon, you are giving them the gift of being pampered and the gift of relaxation.

A few more unique gift ideas for your bridesmaids' gifts include handcrafted or homemade gifts.

For example, you could put together a CD of some of your bridesmaids' favorite songs. You could make the CDs different for each bridesmaid and include a photo of the two of you on the cover, and have a heartfelt poem on the inside of the CD cover. You could also create a scrapbook for each of your bridesmaids. You could either make the scrapbook a memory of your entire friendship together and include photos and other items from your various adventures throughout the years, or if you plan and take many photos documenting your wedding preparations, you could create scrapbooks to remember the wedding planning that you shared.

Any item that relates to a specific hobby that the groom enjoys is an excellent idea for a wedding gift for the bride to give to the groom. This is a popular choice because giving a gift that relates to one of his hobbies demonstrates that you understand his likes and want him to continue engaging in activities that he enjoys.

Another unique gift idea for a bride to give to her bridesmaids is a gift certificate to a local restaurant. Assisting in your wedding preparations was probably extremely stressful and time-consuming for the bridesmaids. They deserve a night on the town and the opportunity not to have to cook for a night. This simple gift lets your bridesmaids know that you appreciate their efforts and want to thank them for all they have done to support you.

Unique gift ideas for the bridesmaids can also stem from the wedding theme. For example, if you are having a beach-themed wedding, you might want to give your bridesmaids a gift of a tote bag, a beach towel, and a novel to enjoy on the beach. This unique gift idea ensures that your bridesmaids will remember your wedding fondly the next time they are at the beach.

Although the tradition of the bride and groom exchanging gifts on their wedding day is beginning to fade, many couples still wish to honor this tradition. Many couples spend so much money on their wedding and reception that they feel they cannot afford the additional expense of buying gifts for each other. While it may be true that the couple cannot afford one more extravagant gift, it is also true that a truly thoughtful gift for the groom does not have to be overly expensive. If the couple is partaking in this tradition, they should exchange gifts that truly reflect their spouse's personality.