What to Give as a Wedding Present

For nearly a century it has been customary to purchase housewares to bring as a wedding gift.  While the sentiment of this has always been noble – helping the couple start a home, and their life, together – the necessity for it has worn off.  Couples are married at a much older age these days (averaging close to 30 in 2015) so their need for china and silver has dwindled; not to mention, who really owns china anymore?  The truth is, gift givers no longer have confidence that their thoughtful gift of eight plates will last in the couple’s memory beyond the unwrapping of the present.  The couple doesn’t dine off those plates for the next five years saying, “that was so nice of Janet to buy these for us.”

Counter to simple household objects is the gift of experience; and, in this case, the gift of gaining knowledge.  While the domestic lifestyle is inevitable for nearly all married couples, the skills to do it well and enjoyably are not inherent.  Try giving them cooking lessons so that they can learn something tremendously useful and of which gained knowledge that they will employ on a daily basis for the rest of their lives.  It’s right up there with the old saying “teach a man to fish and he’ll eat for a lifetime” – give a couple the gift of useful knowledge and they will be grateful for a lifetime.

While on the topic of eating, consider giving a gift to the palette.  With craft breweries and distilleries popping up all over the place these days there are plenty of opportunities to give tasting flights and tours at a reasonable price.  What’s best is that the couple will forever remember the experience every time they pass the establishment or see the fine libation at a local liquor store, making the gift virtually eternal.  Not big drinkers?  No problem!  Pick a favorite local restaurant or even hook them up with a steak-of-the-month club membership; if someone else purchased the cooking class then they will be perfect complimentary gifts.

Science shows that memories gain momentum in happiness over time.  This means that there is a positive correlation between time and delight regarding experiences, therefore, sending the happy couple on a terrifying bungee jump or skydiving excursion will make them happier as the days go by.  Some couples may have no interest in such an extreme endeavor but that doesn’t rule out the “something to do” category.  There are couple’s massages, trampoline parks, and escape rooms that help build the relationship and harness happy memories.