To ask for help with wedding gift for colleague?

[Dinosauraddict]

Hi, I really need some help, so hope IANBU to ask here! My colleague is getting married, we all get on but aren't close (none of us socialise outside of work, very different characters, clearly aren't going to wedding etc). I've done a team card and collection so we can wish them congratulations and got about £85 which is great. Colleague is male, none of us have ever met his STBDW. I need to get something this weekend, and I really need ideas??? So far options I'm considering include - nice champagne flutes, maybe some chocolates or fizz, perhaps a jokey book about married life? I am married and found we got quite a lot of duplicated stuff (Mr & Mrs mugs in particular) so want to avoid that. The couple have lived together for years, own their own home so don't need starter kit, and they haven't asked for anything particular. If there was a gift registry I wouldn't know about it (and this is a surprise so I don't want to ask). Sorry for length - but help?

Get them John Lewis or Amazon vouchers to present to them. On Amazon you can even get a free wedding tin or gift bag with the voucher. They will be really grateful and can choose something lovely themselves. Please don't go with champagne or any of the gift suggestions here.

Don’t get anything that says Mr & Mrs!

I didn’t change my name and certainly am not a ‘mrs’ so anything like that went straight to be regifted!

Marinoni frame from Liberty’s OMG they are awful

Get any thing from John Lewis , pay by cash , get gift receipts and include them in the parcel and they can take it back for the cash or something to their taste.

I know - useful stuff - a fire extinguisher, smoke blanket and a smoke detector

JL vouchers

Dh's workplace kindly gave us a set of Victoriana style weighing scales with brass weights etc. We have never used them. My team.gave me a lead crystal decanter and matching whisky glasses. I waited until I changed jobs then donated them to a charity shop.

Currency for honeymoon

I got restaurant vouchers from my work when I got married which was nice and a bit different.

If you know the date of the wedding and the last name trying search for a JL gift registry. Most of the weddings I have been to have one.

The only other thing I can think of is a voucher for a restaurant but again, difficult if you don’t them very well!

It's a bit late for this weekend but Google 'wedding hampers ' - too late to order but you could do a 'create your own' - nice wicker basket with lots of edible treats, fizz, luxury bath stuff etc. I agree with money/vouchers but if you're expected to get an actual gift then this is all I can think of.

Marinoni frame from Liberty’s

Bleugh. Straight from the Liberace house of crap

I like restaurant vouchers or just get something for the home from a store with easy returns. A blender might be the right price point. If they don’t need it they can swap it.

We usually get a meal voucher most people tend to use them before they even get back to work after their honeymoon or it’s their first Friday back at work treat! It’s all females in my work so it’s usually a meal voucher then just buns for the afternoon with a box of chocs and flowers (not expensive like £15 max on them)

Just give them an £85 quid voucher for jl. If you could go mad and round it up to an even £100.

John Lewis do really good silver (not plated) picture frames, if you ask them. They do silver plated ones too, I think.

Bottle of decent fizz and a £50 John Lewis voucher

We were very kindly given lots of vouchers for our wedding. £25, £30 for here, £50 for there. We wanted to get something memorable with the vouchers but that meant then that we had to spend our own money to make up the voucher amount in order to get something useful/meaningful rather than £30 worth of tat from Next just to spend the voucher.
I hate to sound ungrateful, but unless you know if they've asked for JL vouchers from everyone in the hope of building up a decent amount I think vouchers are risky and can become a bit of an expensive burden for the couple. Sorry to be a downer and not have any helpful ideas.

Give the money and a nice photo frame. Please dont spend it all on a crappy present. My work colleagues gave me money in a card for our wedding. It was wonderful, I spent it on two pieces of art for our home which I still have eleven years on.

Coffee machine.
Picnic hamper.

Coffee machine. / Picnic hamper.

What if they are Mormons with hayfever ?

I agree with PP, a nice photo frame would be good - as the consensus seems to be John Lewis (I don’t disagree 😊), they have some lovely real silver frames within your budget. I would always choose a modest good quality item over some big piece of tat.

Please don't spend money on a gift if you are not sure. I manage a charity shop and we are inundated with unwanted wedding gifts. Only last week I was given a lovely picnic hamper from a couple who said they got it for their wedding & had never used it. We also get loads of photo frames and sets of matching 'couples' glasses . Great for our sales but such a waste of money for people who have bought gifts.

No one wants photo frames - I even had to put out a basket saying 'free - help yourself' as we get so many.

Just get a voucher.

Le cruset casserole dish, last forever and always useful! Maybe grey or cream?

A lovely salad bowl and salad servers would be lovely.