Wedding & Graduation Gift Ideas

Happy Filppin Fantastic Friday!   I am SO glad it’s finally here.  Good lordy that week was so long and drawn out.  But today the weather is nice, I’ve got an iced coffee on my desk, and I’m ready to blast through until it’s finally the weekend.

Ter this post today is for you.   Your question about wedding and graduation gift ideas got me to thinking and brainstorming and I thought I’d share some ideas.  I just can’t believe it’s that time of year!

1.  Their First Wedding Album – My favorite wedding gift is actually one to give after the big day.  During the ceremony and reception, Alan and I go shutter bug crazy with the camera.  We make it a point to snap photos that the photographer might not typically take… think candids of guests, the table settings, the food, etc.  Like these in a layout I did about a recent friend’s wedding:

We make it our little game to catch what the photographer is missing (especially after they leave for the night).  Then, I immediately print them out and make a mini-scrapbook (a really simple one) and send it to them to be waiting when they return from their honeymoon.  It’s always been a big hit for them to have an album ready to show off since the typical wedding album takes months to finally arrive.  You could also order a quick photo book from Shutterfly or Winkflash.  (And always include a CD of the photos you took as well so they can email them to family and friends).

And of course that would work for a graduation party too.

2.  Guest Signed Photo Mat – Another great photo themed  gift requires you to do some work with the guests, but it will be such a treasure.  This is actually what Alan and I did for our wedding guest book in lieu of the typical “just sign your name here please” routine.   I’m sure it would work just as well for a graduation party if you are attending.

At your local craft store that also has a framing department (like Michael’s), have a large photo mat (20 X 14 at least) cut in the store (they can do it in minutes) so it has two holes in the very center.  One hole will be for the invitation (or graduation announcement) and one will be for a photo.  Pick the mat color with the wedding or school colors in mind.  Then , at the event, have each guest sign a special greeting all around the mat.  Afterwards, insert a photo and place in a frame before gifting.  We love ours so much, and can’t tell you enough how meaningful it is especially to read the messages from loved ones who have passed on.

You could also do this same kind of idea in a mini-album, by taking photos of the guests and having them sign a book page, with the intent to print their picture later and add it to their message.  Encourage them to say something meaningful.

3.  Personalized CD – While many wedding couples now give these kind of things as favors, I’m thinking beyond the normal “songs from our day” type and more along the lines of  “songs for life situations” that you can make an entire collection of.  For example:

Grads:

• Songs for studying if they are headed to college (think classical, instrumental)
• Songs for the gym (fun work out mix)
• Songs from the year you graduated (look up Top Songs of 2009 on Itunes)
• Songs with a message
• Songs for when you’re feeling homesick
• Party Mix

Wedding:

• Songs for cooking together (thrown in this super cute Newlywed Cookbook)
• Find out where they are headed for their honeymoon and do a collection of songs from that country or region
• Songs for house cleaning & repairs (think fun upbeat jamming tunes that keep you moving)
• Love songs from great romance movies
• Songs to dance together too

And then, personalize the CD cover if you wish to get crafty… like this one I created for a birthday card.

4.  Give the Gift of Your Time – Really it will be so appreciated.  Think of ways you can just offer to help out the grad or new couple, be it now or in the future.  This can be in addition to a traditional gift, but I promise that they will remember the gift of your time looooong after they stash away that crystal vase from Aunt… wait who gave that to us again?

Some ideas for Grads:

• Offer a lesson of how to make their favorite home cooked meal on their own.
• If you’re near them, and close to them, and ok with it… think about a “no questions asked” gift of a ride home if they ever need it.  Make sure they have your cell phone number.
• If you’re a scrapper or a photographer, offer a fun photo session with their group of friends before they go their separate ways.

And for the happy couple:

• Give the gift of a girls or guys night out whenever they come down from cloud 9 and need a little friend time.
• Offer to throw a welcome home party when they return from their honeymoon.  While that might seem like a little much to accomplish, all you need is a clean house and a few invites that say “Potluck” and “BYOB”.  So often they hardly had anytime to spend with their guests during the big day, and that’s a great way to see them relaxed and really ready to just have fun.
• Offer to address the thank you cards and get them to the post office.  (And insist they don’t need to write you one either).

You can get as crafty with these ideas as you like by making the coupons or certificates too.

5.  Of course, cash is always good - Really, who doesn’t appreciate the gift of cash.  However, there’s always the question of how much is enough?  And will it really come in handy?

I personally would much rather give a collection of gift cards that I know will come in useful rather than cash that easily gets frittered away or they spend on bills.  Yes those are necessary too – but we have to make sure they aren’t just living off Ramen Noodles!  (which I did for a long time in college…. with marinara sauce for “spaghetti”…. yes yuck).

So give one or any combination of these:

• Grocery Gift Cards
• Restaurants for eating out (even McDonald’s for the Grad)
• Gas Cards
• Movie Gift Certificates (Or Blockbuster – packaged with popcorn, a fuzzy blanket, and Milk Duds… how cute!)
• Massage Gift Certificates

And of course, get a little creative and make a cute gift card holder too.

Whoo!  Sorry this was a long post today… but I hope I helped with a few ideas.   I’ll wrap it up and just wish you all a wonderful (warm) weekend.   I plan to get some scrapbooking (gasp!) actually done!

Have a wonderful Friday, and thanks for stopping by.