As I mentioned last week, we have two weddings coming up so I have been thinking about my favourite wedding gifts to give.
Last week I shared some of my favourite gifts to buy for a wedding, but as everyone knows some of the very best presents are those that are truly made by hand. You don’t even have to be crafty to make something as a gift – sometimes it’s as simple as popping a few bits and pieces in a box!
Here are some of my favourite gifts to make for a wedding…
1. A talking bouquet. A talking bouquet is traditionally a bouquet of flowers with symbolic meanings, but as in the case of this lovely Father’s Day version it can also be a collection of floral snippets and found objects put together in a nice little box. I was inspired by this one to create something similar for a friend’s wedding, including cuttings and seeds that represented elements essential for a happy marriage. I chose an oak leaf for strength, maple leaves for selflessness, a birch branch for truth, a cherry branch for compassion, a pine cone for peace and primrose seeds for eternal love, but you could make up your own selection based on the language of flowers.
2. A mix tape. OK, I admit real mix tapes are (sadly) a thing of the past, but this USB version from Suck UK combines all the lovely home-made thoughtfulness (and the look!) of an old school mix tape with modern technology. Fill it with the couple’s favourite tunes or with all your go-to wedding songs (a few of my favourites are Nat King Cole’s “L-O-V-E”, Sam Cooke’s “You Were Made For Me” and Phil Phillips “Sea of Love”).
3. Chalk name art. When our friends Denis and Laura got married I wrote their names in chalk on the road outside our house, took a photo from above and turned it into a card for them. I think it would also make a great piece of art if you had it printed in A2 or A1 and block mounted or framed. If you’re no good with a stick of chalk, Mia Nolting will do it for you for a mere $1 (US) and will email you a high res photo.
4. Pillowcases. I love pillowcases as a wedding present because they are useful as well as beautiful, and they come in a set of two, which is always a nice symbol for a wedding. Plus you can never have too many pillowcases, especially really nice ones! Dip-dyed pillowcases are really easy to make and I did a DIY on how to make them back here. If you wanted to try something different, tie-dyeing or screenprinting would also look fantastic.
5. A cutting board. You need a few skills and tools for this one but apparently it’s not too tricky! There is a DIY on how to make it over here on Oh Happy Day. If you had the time and the access to the right tools, I think it would be worth the extra effort put in to create something this beautiful!
{images from, from top: Oh Happy Day, Design*Sponge, Suck UK, Mr Sparrow blog, givemakewrap, Oh Happy Day)
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