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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Wedding gifts- cheap & cheerful?

85 replies

Paie · 09/03/2018 13:40

I've been invited to a colleagues wedding in the summer, 2 weeks before my due date so I will be huge!
Money isn't great, and certainly won't be 2 weeks before DC2's arrival!
On the invitation it simply says "a donation towards our honeymoon would be greatly appreciated". Much like a thread I saw earlier the couple already live together, do not need household things ect.

I've only ever been to a few weddings- what on earth do we get them?

AIBU to try to make this gift as cheap as possible but not appear so?

OP posts:
Eemamc · 09/03/2018 13:42

A bottle of fizz is a nice gesture, I certainly didn’t mind getting a few as gifts at our wedding

borlottibeans · 09/03/2018 13:47

Cheap wedding presents I have bought in my skinter days:
A pair of 'his and hers' mugs
A nerdy board game
A gravy boat (this was actually the only thing we could afford on an outrageously expensive list and not something I'd repeat unless it was a really, really nice gravy boat and the couple were notable gravy fans)

I think the key is something they can do/consume together.

Eliza9917 · 09/03/2018 13:51

A voucher to have their favorite photo from their honeymoon printed & framed/printed on canvas.

They are always on groupon/living social etc and that's a nice thoughtful gift imo.

MinesaPinot · 09/03/2018 14:22

We had a similar situation as yours, and one of the girls I work with suggested getting a Restaurant Choice card - a gift card which you can load between £10 and £200, and use it in several of the chains (Ask/Zizzis/Byron/Café Rouge etc). We got one in Sainsburys, loaded it with £20 and then I popped it in a pretty gift box tied with ribbon so that it looked a nice gift rather than just an envelope. We heard from the bride and groom that they were really pleased, and had used it when they'd gone out to eat after they'd been to the cinema one night.

You can get them for some of the pub chains as well - my mum got one for DH for his birthday and we used it when we were out shopping one Saturday and went for a pub lunch.

Might something like that be appropriate/in your range?

Belmo · 09/03/2018 14:26

I got some of the above from evening guests at my wedding- mr&mrs mugs, glasses, restaurant voucher, fizz. I liked and appreciated all of them!
Bil & sil gave me and dh cool mugs, posh coffee and a big tin of biscuits for xmas, loved it!

BackforGood · 09/03/2018 14:34

If several of you are going from work, can you not suggest a collection ? Somehow a smaller amount as part of a collection fro colleagues seems less 'small' than a small amount in a card Grin

Sunshinegirl82 · 09/03/2018 14:44

Not on the High Street do lots of personalised prints fairly cheaply, add an IKEA frame and you're sorted!

JeSaisPas · 09/03/2018 18:10

I got a lovely photo of the couple from their FB, printed it and put it in a nice frame. The bride still says it was one of her favourite presents as they didn't have any photos at home of them together.

ethelfleda · 09/03/2018 18:15

Hampers are always good. Grab a wicker basket from eBay, some shredded craft paper and scour shops for things that look expensive but aren't. TK Maxx is great for this- their food items and smellies always look quite posh I think. You can put anything in - mugs, candles, little personalised items (How well do you know the couple?)

GrannyGrissle · 09/03/2018 18:23

A non scanning self penned poem in a lovely (charity shop bought) photo frame? I would say an Oxfam gift ie. water for a loo/some chickens a voucher for a brothel in a catastrophe zone but well, Oxfam.
I've decided that any scrounging invites or clever buttock clenchingly cringe poems will earn the senders a poem as above. Don't get me started on gift lists. Yuk.

DinoStomp · 09/03/2018 18:40

HONY (Humans of New York) books, they are unusual and lovely.

Trailedanderror · 09/03/2018 18:48

If you're going for the whole day, I don't think you should go 'cheap and cheerful'.
They might have set up home already, but that doesn't mean that having you at their wedding should cost them £100+
Fair enough if it's family, but I think it's a bit poor to go to a colleague's wedding and leave them out of pocket.

Walkingdeadfangirl · 09/03/2018 18:54

Please dont get them a hamper, they are as bad as a gravy boat. A simple cash gift or voucher is best. Anything else will probably be wasted or in the charity shop the next morning.

Chrys2017 · 09/03/2018 18:57

Why don't you just give them what they asked for, i.e., a donation towards their honeymoon? I'm sure they'd rather have £20, or whatever you can afford, than a bunch of tat.

Sassychiccy · 09/03/2018 19:11

Oh perleaaaaase Trialed Confused

Costing them to host - erm, they are the hosts!? Believe it or not some people find it a chore to go to wedding anyway.

kubex · 09/03/2018 19:27

Oh for fuck sake! It really pisses me off that people can't just do as the bride and groom would like.

They have asked for donations for their honeymoon - just pop £20 in a card and be done with it.

I can guarantee that whatever you buy won't look as expensive as you think it does.

OlennasWimple · 09/03/2018 19:30

If any other colleagues are going, a whip round is definitely the best way to go. All agree the amount to give, put it in a lovely card signed by you all, sorted

LeighaJ · 09/03/2018 19:55

Paie

A DIY hamper with foods, drinks, and treats you think they'd enjoy.

Empty Hampers
£5.99 for this brown one with a bow & clear wrap
www.tjhughes.co.uk/make-your-own-hamper-p9762
£8.00 for this white one with a lid
www.wilko.com/storage-towers-baskets/wilko-willow-storage-hamper-white/invt/0418141?nst=0&gclid=CjwKCAiA_ojVBRAlEiwAOLRxI0UdjBO6MAt7HiClIrXUvxblkyo3q_Gbie2NaK5XD59BcCZsJAVLshoCl7sQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

If you buy items with a long expiry date then you can collect things over time as you find them on deal. Smile

bridgetreilly · 09/03/2018 19:57

A couple of bars of really high quality chocolate and a chocolate recipe book is my go to for cheap wedding presents. Consumable and fun.

pieceofpurplesky · 09/03/2018 20:01

£10 (or equivalent in the currency) in a card with a message to have a drink on you.
They know you are about to give birth and will no doubt understand.
Don't buy them anything - just do what they have asked for

Trailedanderror · 09/03/2018 20:02

@Sassychiccy
If you find it a chore to go, don't Confused

OutyMcOutface · 09/03/2018 20:04

If they are the kind of people who are brazen enough to ask for cash then just give them cash even if it’s not a lot.

BackforGood · 10/03/2018 19:18

Hampers are always good. Grab a wicker basket from eBay, some shredded craft paper and scour shops for things that look expensive but aren't. TK Maxx is great for this- their food items and smellies always look quite posh I think. You can put anything in - mugs, candles, little personalised items (How well do you know the couple?)

But that is going to cost far more than a note in a card Confused

TacoFlavouredKisses · 10/03/2018 19:29

what on earth do we get them?

Is this a trick question? You say they don't need anything for their house and that donations for their honeymoon would be appreciated. Stick a what you would spend on a gift in a card and don't give an unwanted present.

NerrSnerr · 10/03/2018 19:31

Just put whatever you would spend on a gift in a card and give them what they want. £5/10/£20 in a card will make them happier than a hamper, mug, chocolate etc.