Sponsored Listings:
It’s wedding season, and if you’re anything like me, you already have 10 to attend this year. (No? Just me? Strange…) While 2016 is not shaking out the banner year 2015 was—we attended more than a dozen big days in addition to the various showers, bachelorettes and other festivities that accompany them—I’ve learned to stock up on fun wedding gift ideas as I find them so I’m not in a pinch when the big day rolls around.
Here are a few of my personal favorites to give (and receive for that matter)…
Kate Spade Double Old Fashioned Glasses
SVV got these Percival Place glasses as a thank you gift for a wedding we both helped out with and not a cocktail hour goes by that we aren’t using them to sip our bourbon (or gin)(or vodka). Who knew what my life was missing was good quality glass from which to sip my G&T? I also love the Hampton Street glasses (pictured above), the Pearl Place polka dot set and the His/Hers (or Mine/Yours). All of these designs come in different sizes, too; click through the previous links to see all the options. Better yet, if you’re attending a wedding that several friends are also going to, why not pool your resources and buy an entire bar set, including wine and/or champagne glasses and maybe a decanter, for your pal who is getting married?
A Subscription to Hole in Wall
Price: from $30 a box
Remember when I blogged about the new travel- and food-themed subscription box company, Hole in Wall box? Well, every month has been even better than the last, and I’m a huge fan. You can order a one-off box to a certain city or a six-month or year-long subscription. This is perfect for your travel-loving friends or those who like to cook a lot (many of the box contents comprise spices, syrups, rubs and the like).
A Collection of cookbooks
Price: from $15 a book
Speaking of cooking, what husband doesn’t want to impress his new wife with his skills in the kitchen? As someone married to a chef de cuisine (unofficially), I hope every gal gets as lucky as to be pampered with five-star fare on the regular. A few cookbooks I adore are: Tasting Rome (the brainchild of a pair of American expats in Italy, this decadent dream of a guide will have you saying molto bene! after every course), Breakfast for Dinner (by a husband-wife team out of Nashville who know their way around a oven), The Homesick Texan (meat, meat and more meat!), Momofuku Milk Bar (need I say more?), Apples for Jam (gifted to me by a pastry chef friend who calls this an essential kitchen item) and The Whole Hog Cookbook (self explanatory—and perfect for dudes). Even if they’re not big cooks (yet), your friends will undoubtely enjoy decorating their shelves with these colorful hardbacks.
Kate Spade Woodland Park Shakers
Price: $30
I’m a sucker for cute shakers, and Kate Spade sure makes some adorable ones like this giraffe-and-zebra set. Perfect for the bride and groom with an insatiable case of wanderlust. There also make owls, elephants and a cat-and-dog pair, as well as wine stoppers and coasters in the different animal combos.
Personalized Address Stamp
Price: from $25
For any of my friends who are planning to stay in their house long-term, I love to buy a custom return address stamp from Etsy vendors. If the couple doesn’t already have one, they’re going to need one with so many thank you cards to write! Bonus: You can pick your font and theme, and it comes with an ink pad.
Hotel Collection Towels
Price: from $18 each
I’ve been obsessed with Macy’s Hotel Collection brand since I first got married, and it’s the only brand SVV and I buy for our own house. Their towels are like cloaking yourself in a giant cloud after getting out of the shower. The couple of the day may not know they need these luxurious towels, but let me be the first to tell them they do, they really do.
Personalized Wall Art
Price: varies
If it’s a couple I know pretty well and I also know the space they’re inhabiting, I’m a big fan of buying a sentimental print whether Bird Ave. art of the cities they are both from, as well as the city they met in, or a cool map with their name and wedding details etched on it.
Kate Spade Larabee Dot Decanter
Price: $75
Can you tell by now I love me some Kate Spade? I can’t help it; I’m addicted to their bar ware. And home decor. And linens. And purses. But tell me this decanter isn’t the cutest thing you’ve ever seen? We had so much trouble finding cool decanters when we bought our house, but now there seem to be so many options out there that I can’t pick just one! Solution? I’ll take one of each, please!
Fujifilm Instax Mini 8 Camera
Price: $70
What’s a better wedding gift than something fun and frivolous that the couple would never buy for themselves? If you want to be even more creative, buy a Polaroid-style camera and create an entire honeymoon survival kit. Just don’t forget the film.
Kate Spade Two of a Kind Shaker
Price: $50
Though I don’t actually use a shaker a whole lot, I wouldn’t mind having this beauty sitting on my bar cart … just for looks. And who doesn’t love polka dots?
Gallery Picture Frames
Price: from $15 a frame
In my opinion you can’t have enough picture frames, and I love me a good gallery wall. While there are thousands of options to choose from, my personal preference is West Elm’s line in white with a nice, thick matting.
West Elm Honeycomb Vases
Price: from $16
It may sound like an obvious gift—a vase, how very 1950 of me—but West Elm makes some really cool pieces, and I want every single one to make my dream tablescape.
Kassatex Alanya Beach Towel
Price: $60
A nice beach towel is something I never seem to have when I need it, and I’m loving the oversized Turkish-style products I’m seeing everywhere, even Target. Bonus: You can get them personalized with monograms or the bride’s and groom’s first names.
Colorful Doormat
Price: from $25
As old lady as it may make me sound, my favorite housewarming gift we received when we moved into our Victorian was a cool doormat for our front porch. There are literally thousands out there, and I’ve now taken to getting monogrammed ones from a variety of Etsy shops for friends who are newlyweds (or new homeowners). I also love this Pier One’s Casabelle Medallion or the Mediocre Doormats brand (e.g. “We Accept Bribes” or “You Can’t Walk All Over Me”) for the snarkier bride and groom with a sense of humor.
Cutting board
Price: varies
As much as SVV and I cook, the one thing we use the most in the kitchen—other than our extensive collection of high-ball glasses, obviously—is the handful of cutting boards we own. The best gift we received for our wedding was. To be on the safe side, forgo the monogram (just in case the lucky couple is the recipient of a dozen other cutting boards and needs to return a couple).
Lodge Cast Iron Skillet
Price: $25
As we’ve made our house into a home, our collection of Cast Iron has expanded and there’s rarely a meal when we don’t use at least one of these awesome cooking utensils. We also use these little guys a whole lot for making egg and other breakfast dishes.
Now, that I’ve divulged my secrets I’d love to know: What’s your favorite idea for a fun or unique wedding gift?
Cover image courtesy of Joe Hendricks Photography. None of these companies are C&C sponsors, I simply put together a list of my favorite things. A few of them, however, do include affiliate links, so if you do purchase anything, I’d appreciate if you do so via this site. Helps keep the lights on and Ella’s expensive allergen-free food in her bowl. Thanks!
 While 2016 is not shaking out the banner year 2015 was—we attended more than a dozen big days in… "Pin It")
Source: camelsandchocolate.com