Well, even if art is out, how about a nice picture frame? My wife recently gave a personalized frame to a couple as a shower gift, and it was apparently the hit of the shower, since everything else was just “off the registry” sameness. I believe it was from Personalization Mall.
How about a donation in their name?
The greatest wedding invitation I got was for my buddy, who put something in the invitation like “We consider ourselves plenty blessed and not in need of any gifts, but if you’ve got money you’re just dying to spend, here’s a list of charities that could use it more than we can.”
It was a very touching addition, and has since made the idea of a registry or expecting presents look extremely shallow to me.
His-and-hers hookers?
Or, if they have scruples about infidelity, adultery, “'til death do us part,” blah blah blah, what DMark said.
Gift card to the local adult toy-store?
If there is no registry, I would vote for a donation to a worthwhile charity in their name. ( And, then they will get junk mail from this charity FUREVER!)
That’s disgusting. Pervert.
:eek:
Wow that’s interesting. Maybe we’re behind the times in Oz, but I know people (mainly the older generation) who view a gift registery as rude!
That being said for our forthcoming wedding we have a gift registery 
What about giving them a star thorough the International Star Registry?
It’s not really naming a star that the astronomy dudes care about, but I think it’s cool nonetheless.
money
It’s been harder and harder for me to buy gifts for anyone in my family, since many of them have come to the conclusion that they don’t need any more “stuff”, but I have found a few creative solutions that seem to please people on most occasions:
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I enjoy nature and landscape photography, so I have made some personalized photo calendars for holiday gifts the past couple of years. Each year I did a different theme (scenery, animals, etc.). The people I give them to always compliment me not only on the photos, but on the fact that I saved them the small chore of buying something they need to buy every year anyway. Plus, they’re unique enough not to come into conflict with anything else they might receive.
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I have also made gift baskets or bags of foods that the recipient particularly enjoys. I do this for my sister a lot, who is generally tough to please food-wide because she opts for low-carb consumables. One year I gave her a gift bag of various sauces and spices that I know she likes (and can eat), and one year I gave her an assortment of extra-fine dark chocolates. Of course, knowing the recipient’s food preferences and making a personalized basket will go a lot further than sending them a generic mail-order food assortment.
These ideas might not be on par for a wedding gift, but if you’re concerned about getting the couple something that they already have, the idea is to try to give them something that only YOU can give them. Your gift can reflect shared hobbies, interests, or tastes, and be a lot more memorable in the long run than a plain ol’ blender or a bedding set from Crate & Barrel.
Well, that settles it. You’re definitely invited to my wedding.
Early bird gets the worm!
The gifts that I’ve done (generally with a group of people) include plane tickets for a honeymoon; hotel stays; restaurant gift certificates; season tickets for baseball; and a spa gift certificate. It seems to go over well, and it has the added bonus of not being more “stuff.” Which, as you get older, it seems you just accumulate for no good reason.
Are you sure that they even want gifts? I’m getting married for the second time in about three weeks, and my fiance has been living on his own for a long time. We both have everything we need, and if we don’t have it, we’ll buy it ourselves. People at work are asking “when is your shower? Aren’t you having a shower?” and I’m telling them “Heck no I’m not having a shower. I don’t need anything. Don’t waste your money, really!”
While my suggestion won’t rate high on the romantic scale, it is practical: A few smoke detectors and a carbon monoxide detector.
More than 10 people die from fire every day in the United States. What better way to say, hope to see you tomorrow?
Max Torque already posted mine… When my brother got married, I got he & his wife a set of 8 by 10 silver (classic-looking) picture frames. I figured they’re going to have to put some framed wedding pictures in the house – or a wedding/spouse pic on their desk at work.