Thank you gifts for parents

[StrongInside]

Hi,
Any keepsake ideas for gifts that we can give our parents at/after the wedding? Our coordinator has pointed out that usually it’s a case of flowers being given to our mums and that’s it, but not much about our wedding is traditional and I know our parents (Dads included!) will appreciate a keepsake.

Anything other than a photo frame which they have got each already over the years of us being together? What did you/will you give your parents?

Potted plants can die, which would be really sad, edible gifts aren’t keepsakes, each set of parents have their favourite drinks they get for themselves. Help!

We've got my dad a crystal tumbler engraved with our names and wedding date, and for my mum a mirror compact again engraved.

Nice keepsakes and practical too, thanks!

Lovely idea! Some nice pottery might be a nice idea.
Watch/ earrings or similar.

I think jewellery is hard to get right. Neither Mum is into jewellery and they have plenty of watches (well, MIL just wears her Fitbit).

A rose with an appropriate name? There are loads like Wedding Bells and White Wedding etc and they're a nice living present. I got my mum a painting of the flowers in my bouquet which is pretty and personal.

@QuintusEstInHorto Those are lovely ideas! What if the plant doesn’t make it past a few years? In our Scottish weather I wouldn’t count on anything surviving unless it’s an evergreen, which aren’t as nice as roses.

Hmmm, maybe I could find something on Etsy to engrave or turn into a painting from a wedding photo with our Mums?

I think I can think of sentimental gifts for my parents but struggling with the future in-laws gifts. They don’t have anywhere to plant anything, have all the jewellery/watches that they like, they wouldn’t feel too sentimental about a picture of my bouquet, but thinking along those lines, a painting of us as a couple from the day or maybe some other photo gift (I don’t quite mean a mug!).

I commissioned a little pen and ink sketch of the church we got married in as a present for my husband. Maybe something like that? Are there any special and personal elements of your big day you could capture?

This isn't a keepsake but we got my parents a night away with dinner at a hotel and my in laws a voucher for a very posh meal. Both gifts went down well

I think I’ll need to have a think about special elements. Like, maybe my Mum could take a photo of me on the day and then I could make that into something and it’ll b a special photo to us. Hmmm... Thanks @Cric, I think I want that for myself haha!

Have a look on 'not on the high street . com ' for lots of personalised gift ideas, I went with a personalised gift for my parents, and although it was a bit cheesy they loved it.

Trying to think how to give them a photo gift like a painting of something from the big say or photo locket etc. without having those photos until after the wedding. Can’t exactly give them an IOU.
And any more ideas would be lovely. Everything seems so pointless and overdone like engraved glasses that will sit in the cupboard.

Try thinking of it from the other direction - what sort of gifts would they like in general, and can those be made wedding-y.

My daughter and son in law gave me a resin dome paperweight containing preserved flowers from her bouquet. It sits on my desk and I look at it everyday. Lots on Etsy.

We had a Christmas wedding so did personalised baubles, so a reasonably useful keepsake that you don't have to look at all year, which makes it a bit more special when it does come out. What month is your wedding?

One of my hobbies is cross stitch so I gave the mums trinket boxes with cross stitch lid in the colours of our wedding. I gave my parents an additional cross stitch picture but it took me slightly longer than I thought it would so they got it as a Christmas present a year later!

It hadn't even crossed my mind to buy our parents presents. Is this a thing? We are getting pressies for the bridesmaids and best man who will be actively helping out.

Now I'm wondering if we should!?

I gave my mum a necklace and earrings to wear. My dad got a personalised money clip ‘for all the money my daughter let me keep’ and our wedding date. He won’t use it but it was cute.
Both sets of parents got a voucher for a VERY naice restaurant in London which they loved. Brother copied the idea and gave parents a voucher for the hand in flowers when he got married. They loved the experiences more than the gifts.

I think our parents would prefer a keepsake gift rather than an experience. Our Mums don’t wear jewellery so maybe some personalised photo gift, but struggling to find one that is semi-useful. Struggling for Dads- pointless to give cufflinks or tumblers, they will just collect dust.

Frazzlerock I think you normally get flowers or something similar for parents as a thank you.

We got gifts for all parents/steps as they had all been involved in our wedding and I don't mean in a monetary way eg making different tiers of the cake, designing and making the invitations, photos.

Cuff links for Dads or tie pin
Photo album afterwards
Even if there's no grand "here's your flowers" gesture on the day you could write a thank you card and say their gift will be a mini photo album from your photographer?

I got an artist to paint a watercolour picture of the churches where our parents got married. It went down really well! I found her on notonthehighstreet too . I gave it to them the morning after the wedding as it was far too hectic on the day.

@needadvicethankyouplease That’s a good point. Can give the photo gift afterwards. I’m starting to realise that I’m not as invested in getting a really cool gift for the in-laws, I’m mainly interested in a special keepsake for my Mum😊