3 Engagement Gifts that Every Bride to Be Will Love

As someone whose love language is gift giving- I always stress about getting the perfect gift for my friends during their special moments in life! And even though it is the thought that counts, you don’t want to end up gifting something that will go unused or eventually tossed away. If you are buying a gift for a friend who is recently engaged, here are 3 gifts to avoid, and 3 gifts that they are sure to use!

Gifts to Avoid:

-ring holder/trinket tray: everyone always thinks of this as the perfect gift for a newly engaged friend- and that is exactly the problem! A bride to be will likely receive about 3-4 trinket trays from well meaning family and friends. A girl can only use so many ring holders!

-a paper planner: I always avoid gifting paper planners to friends for a few different reasons! First is they may not like writing down in a physical planner and having to carry it around with them. Some people prefer to track their appointments digitally, so I leave the planner buying up to the preference of the bride herself. Another reason is that sometimes (most times), weddings take more than a calendar year to plan, so it will be difficult for them to put in all important meetings and deadlines into a typical 12 month planner.

-ring cleaner pen: for the same reason you want to avoid a ring tray, ring cleaner pens are a super popular gift for the recently engaged. They are practical and fun, but it is another gift that is given way too often. And if for some reason the bride to be did not receive one, they can always go buy one for themselves, they are only around $15.

Gifts the Bride to Be will Love:

-nail salon gift card: This is a great gift for anyone recently engaged because there are so many events during an engagement where the bride to be is going to want to have her nails done! Between a wedding shower, bridal shower, bachelorette party, etc. she will want to have her nails freshly painted, in order to show off her shiny new ring!

-wedding magazines: A stack of magazines can be such a fun gift for a bride to be! They have probably already been surfing the depths of pinterest and instagram for inspiration, but there is something so fun about flipping through the pages of a glossy magazine. It is something they likely wouldn’t do otherwise, but it feels very “rom-com” wedding planning to lay on the floor with a glass of wine, flipping through pages of girls in white dresses!

-restaurant gift card: This has been my go to engagement gift for a while now! Couples who are planning a wedding are usually in ‘money saving’ mode as they prep for all the expenses of the big day- and one of the ways they spend money is by giving up restaurants and date nights. So treat them to a special night out on you, and get them a gift card to their favorite restaurant! Not only will this give them the opportunity to have a nice restaurant meal, but will also give them time to de-stress during the planning process!