Meet Los Angeles-based Wedding Coordinator, Amber Gustafson of Amber Events! Amber is in love with texture, things that sparkle, vintage clothes, cheap beer, and expensive wine. With over 50 weddings planned - and executed flawlessly - if there is anything Amber knows a lot about, it is weddings. Amber is our newest Wedding Guest Survival Expert and she is here to remind you that affordable, creative and meaningful wedding presents and bridal shower gifts truly do exist. Thanks Amber!

From Amber:

Ah, wedding season! The invitations start rolling in, each more beautiful than the one before! You RSVP yes, mark your calendar, and then ask the Maid of Honor where the happy couple is registered. Nordstrom? Of course; the place where the cheapest pair of socks is like $12.99.

If the question foremost on your mind this season is how you are going to afford to give nice gifts, then this article is for you. Each gift listed below is under $30.00.

Bridal Shower Gift Ideas

Vintage Handkerchief

Every Bride should have a cloth hankie to use when she walks down the aisle. For $6-12 at an antique store you can find clean, gorgeous, white handkerchiefs with handmade tatting or lace trim. Many times they are monogrammed and you can find one with her initial or the initial of her new last name. Take it a bit further and embroider her wedding date on one corner in either white or pale blue thread. Even if you can’t sew, just Google “embroidery stitch” for step-by-step instructions.

Stationary

If your friend is a classy person, she will be writing a LOT of Thank You notes over the next few months, so either a set of beautiful letterpress Thank You cards or personally designed stationary (more on that below) will come in very handy.

Name Change Kit

If your friend plans on changing her name, then this $29.95 gift will save her an obscene amount of time. MsNowMrs.com is a name change tool that is the best thing since sliced bread. The bride-to-be enters all of her information in just once and the program spits out all the forms and letters she needs to send to every place in the world that has her maiden name.

Wedding Gifts

Framed Invitation

This might seem a bit silly, but a lot of brides don’t think to frame their wedding invitation and after the wedding it goes into a box never again to see the light of day. I recommend taking their invitation to a picture frame store and choosing a frame that matches their personal style. Modern couple? Have it floating in a glass block frame. Traditional couple? Choose a luxurious mat and a beautiful dark wood frame.

Christmas Ornament

For the couple that celebrates Christmas, a photo frame tree ornament engraved with their wedding date is something that they will love. They will be able to put their favorite wedding photo in it and enjoy it for years to come. Personalization stores such as Things Remembered carry engrave-able ornaments.

Bottle of Wine

Choose a bottle of wine that either has some significance in the name of the vineyard, or just a good bottle that you know they will love. Write a letter and include stories of when they were dating, quotes about love, or a meaningful poem. Attach the letter securely to the bottle of wine and write a specific date that they are to open and consume it. Maybe a 5, 10, or 20 year anniversary? As the years go by, the wine becomes more and more valuable to them. As does the letter that is unopened.

Napkins

In my opinion, handmade things carry 100x the value of purchased items, so if you can sew just the tiniest bit, a cloth napkin set that fits their individual style would be so meaningful (and eco-friendly)! For step-by-step instructions on how to sew cloth napkins, see my Amber Events blog.

Stationary

Anyone with basic publishing software like Microsoft Publisher and some heavy cotton card stock can create personalized stationary for the couple. Are they music lovers? Scan a sheet of music and have it be faded in the background of the card with their initials in the forefront. Make sure you purchase matching envelopes to go with the custom stationary. And make sure they know it is handmade so they know to appreciate it! Whenever I make gifts for friends, I attach these cute little “Made with Love by Amber” cards to them.

Engraved Doorknocker

Granted, this gift is a bit more than $30.00, but I love giving a brass or stainless steel engraved door knocker with their last name and the year their new home was established (i.e., “Jones” on the first line and “Est. 2010″ underneath). A marriage is the creation of a new family and what better way to celebrate than to have it as the first thing people see when they come to your home?

Happy gift giving this wedding season! Don’t break the bank!

Related topics:

1. The Gift Of Cooking - Los Angeles Edition
2. What To Expect At A Quaker Wedding
3. Best Wishes Bride. Congratulations Groom.
4. Bridal Shower Gift: The New Mrs. Is Gonna Love A Rockin’ New Wallet For Her New IDs!
5. Cordless Wine Opener - A Great Gift Idea
6. This FIAZ CO Clutch Is A Clutch Bridesmaid Gift

Have a great wedding survival tip to share with the Survive Wedding Season community? Email your tips to solutions@surviveweddingseason.com.

Your Attendance Is Appreciated! ™

Tags: Affordable Gifts, Amber Events, Amber Gustafson, Bridal Shower Gifts, How Much Should You Spend On A Wedding Gift, How To Survive Wedding Season On A Budget, unique wedding gifts, Wedding Blog, Wedding Gifts

You can follow any responses to this article through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.