It’s wedding week here on Dear Wendy and to celebrate, I have some handy-dandy wedding-related gift guides to help you find the perfect gift for the brides, grooms, bachelorettes and bridesmaids in your life. When it comes to bridal shower/bachelorette gifts, you can play it safe by shopping a couple’s registry, but if they don’t have a registry or if you’d prefer giving something a bit more personal, unique, and specifically for the bride, keep reading for some of my bridal shower/ bachelorette gift ideas of 2013.
Pre-Wedding
Philosophy Here Comes The Bride Gift Set
The Philosophy line of skincare is one of my favorite and this bridal set includes some of the line’s bestsellers, like the purity facial cleanser, hope in a jar moisturizer, amazing grace perfumed shampoo, bath & shower gel, amazing grace perfume, firming body emulsion, plus a single-use sample of the microdelivery peel. A perfect gift to pamper and prepare for wedding day.
Lush Bath Bomb
These are, hands-down, my favorite bath product, and at over 6 bucks a pop, they’re a luxury, too. But, man, a lush bath bomb bath is worth it — relaxing as all get out, and it leave skin super soft. Plus, this sex bath bomb supposedly has aphrodisiac special powers.
Clarisonic
I know, I know, I can’t shut up about the Clarisonic, but that’s because it really works! And while it’s a bit of a splurge for a shower or bachelorette gift, if you’ve got the money it would be a truly thoughtful gift for a sister or best friend or mom or daughter as she prepares for her big day.
For the wedding:
Vintage handkerchief
Something old and something blue. The bride can carry this in her purse and dab at her eyes when she gets teary, like something out of a Victorian storybook.
Vintage Compact Mirror
This unique compact mirror is perfect for the bride to slip in her purse and use to touch-up her makeup throughout her wedding day (and beyond).
Personalized Champagne Glasses
Lovely, keepsake champagne glasses for all the wedding toasts at the reception, these glasses can be personalized with the couples initials “carved” into the tree trunk. So cute!
For the honeymoon:
Cosabella black stretch mesh lace trimmed ‘lucky’ babydoll chemise
Sexy, sophisticated… and heavily discounted. What’s not to love?
Sand My Regards Beach Towel in 1937
She’ll have the best towel on the beach during her island honeymoon…
Kama Sutra Just Married Weekender Kit
Maybe save this gift for the bachelorette party and not the bridal shower where the bride is opening gifts in front of Grandma and Aunt Edith.
For married life:
The Boozy Baker
Look, I know not every woman or wife has interest in baking. I, for one, can usually think of 50 other things I’d rather do. BUT, if I’m going to bake, I like the idea of it being boozy, and I bet the bride in your life does too.
Picnic Time Circo Cheese Set
I love this sweet set for the couple who love spending time outdoors. And if you want to go with a theme, you could give the Gourmet a Day of It Picnic Throw.
The Newlywed’s Instruction Manual
Because all of life’s big transitions should come with a manual.
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TECH May 16, 2013, 12:09 pm
Is it expected that you should give the bride a gift a bachelorette party?
bethany May 16, 2013, 12:23 pm
But I would say is is NOT expected.
kerrycontrary May 16, 2013, 12:24 pm
I don’t think it’s expected at all, but I could see some girlfriends getting together to give the bride lingerie or something sex-related at the bachelorette (rather than the bridal shower). Not to offend anyone, but I really hate when people give lingerie at bridal showers. It’s so embarassing to receive that stuff in front of your family (and we usually have children at our bridal showers as well).
theattack May 16, 2013, 12:28 pm
It’s expected in my social circle but not all. I received lingerie, lotions, socks (for cold feet), and a bondage kit. I usually give gift cards to VS and something else small. It helps out a lot though! I wouldn’t have been able to afford very much special lingerie for the honeymoon on top of everything else which isn’t a huge deal, but it definitely made things more special. 😉
csp May 16, 2013, 1:00 pm
not “expected” but normally we do something small and a little trashy. Like a thong with a veil on the back or some small sex toy. I don’t spend more than $15-$20
bethany May 16, 2013, 12:22 pm
I usually give a little something for my close friends.
Victoria’s Secret has a cute Bridal collection. I normally give someting like this:
Or a gag gift, like crotchless panties!
lemongrass May 16, 2013, 12:51 pm
Those are a gag gift? 😉
GatorGirl May 16, 2013, 1:49 pm
I got gifted crotchless panties. It was weird.
GatorGirl May 16, 2013, 1:54 pm
It’s not expected…but VERY common in my experience. Part of my bachelorette party was a “lingerie shower” (same for the two other’s i’ve been able to attend. Usually a nighty or gift card to VS. I gave my soon to be SIL a silk robe and she did the same for me.
I personally find it very weird and kinda creepy when people gift lingerie at a bridal shower though.
lets_be_honest May 16, 2013, 1:56 pm
I really would not like it if my family and friends were buying me lingerie and sex toys. No thanks!
GatorGirl May 16, 2013, 2:07 pm
I had roommates in college randomly buy me a vibrator one day. It was awkward.
rachel May 16, 2013, 2:05 pm
Dammit. I didn’t know! How are people supposed to know these things?
GatorGirl May 16, 2013, 2:13 pm
rachel, I have no idea. I guess ask around? The first time I went through the bridesmaid stuff the grooms sisters (who had both been married in the preceeding two years) where the ring leaders and spelled everything out for us.
bethany May 16, 2013, 2:27 pm
I didn’t know any of this for the first few weddings/wedding parties I went to. Now that I’m well versed, almost all of my friends are already married!
Taylor May 16, 2013, 12:27 pm
As with so many things on this site, wish I’d read this years ago =)
kerrycontrary May 16, 2013, 12:30 pm
I want the champagne glasses for myself! But I think they would make a lovely engagement or anniversary present as well.
bethany May 16, 2013, 12:34 pm
My mom got us toasting flutes as part of a shower gift, and I love them. We used them at the wedding, and I bust them out on NYE, and any other time we have champagne. It always reminds me of the wedding and makes me smile.
theattack May 16, 2013, 12:37 pm
Aww, that’s sweet! I was kind of wondering what we could do with the ones my dad etched for us. Perfect!
lets_be_honest May 16, 2013, 12:56 pm
Have a mimosa every morning! DUH.
theattack May 16, 2013, 1:02 pm
hahaha! Excellent. We might look a little odd when our mimosas have etched wedding rings and our wedding date, but who cares!
lets_be_honest May 16, 2013, 1:57 pm
Not at all! A champagne glass is a champagne glass. A little etching doesn’t make it strange.
Now I want one that’s etched with “Mom’s Juice” or “Sunday Mimosa”
Taylor May 16, 2013, 12:37 pm
The Christmas before our wedding, we got champagne glasses for the toast from both my husband’s parents (who are divorced). Awkward. We ended up using one set for the rehearsal and the other for the wedding.
rachel May 16, 2013, 12:59 pm
I’ve only gone to one wedding where I also went to a bridal shower and bachelorette party, and I had no idea how it all worked. I got her a cute VS chemise at the bridal shower, and was surprised to find out that all the other gifts were from the registry (at least it was tasteful). Then I was again surprised when people gave the bride gifts at the bachelorette party. How in the world was I supposed to know any of this stuff pre-DW?
csp May 16, 2013, 4:52 pm
Honestly, you just go to alot of showers and weddings. I have been a bridesmaid soooo many times. I am giving 27 dresses a run for her money. So, My sister is getting married and I am the MOH, all of her friends have all these silly questions because they are young and this is thier first time. So they will know how I did it going forward.