How many times have you gone Christmas shopping and tried to look for an interesting and unique gift for your dad, uncle or granddad and the best that you’ve been able to come up
No one wants SOCKS for Christmas
with a pair of Simpsons socks?
When I was a kid my mum used to take us Christmas shopping in mid November. Her main reason for this was that she did not want to brave the Christmas rush when Decemeber came. Now I’m older and wiser I understand why. People go crazy. I’m one of these people who start mid November too, at least the planning of the presents anyway. I usually know what I want to get people, nowadays however I do the majority of my Christmas gift shopping online; just because it’s easier. With online shopping there is a lot more choice I think at Christmas because I feel you can think outside the box. For example I know some people who instead of buying the standard Christmas Gift of festive candles and scented gift packs (Boots and other places sell those perfume sets – I actually love those) they bought their boyfriend a ‘track day’ with Ferrari. That is certainly better than a pair of socks, but for a gift like that you really need to have the budget to be able to buy them.
I think before you start your Christmas present shopping you need to do a few things:
1) Decide who you are buying gifts for. For me it would be my close family (so we’re talking my mum, dad, sister, grandparents x2, my cousin with whom I spend large amounts of time, my aunt and uncle who spends every Christmas with us and boyfriend) and friends (for my it would be my two best friends – guy and girl). As you can see from my list I have 11 people to buy for. Now I know that I can move onto the next point….
2) Sharing the present burden. Me and my sister have a habit of sharing the Christmas present buying. She’ll buy for my dad and I’ll buy for my mum and both of us will go halves on the presents for our grandparents etc. At Christmas your purse strings are probably stretched to the max so having someone to help you out with the Christmas shopping is a real life saver!
3) Now you know who you are buying for, who you are sharing the gift buying with – you can decide on your budget. My BIGGEST and possibly the most vital piece of information that I can give you is this; decide on a budget and stick to it. You know how much you earn, you know how much you can afford. The amount of people I know who put all their Christmas expenses on their credit card and are then paying for it for the whole of the next year. DON’T DO THIS. A realistic budget will help you buy great gifts rather than good gifts because you’ll take the time and effort to research the kind of gift you want to get someone.
4) DON’T LEAVE IT TILL THE LAST MINUTE. Alot of shops hike the prices up on gifts just before Christmas, when you go back in the January sales and you see the new price of something you’ll be horrified at how much you paid during the festive period.
So those are the most important things to remember before you start your Christmas shopping. Once you’re ready to start and you want to start thinking outside the box so you don’t end up buying ’socks’ (or something similar)…. so here are a couple of suggestions that you might want to consider before you start:
1) Engraved Champagne Flutes – I write about these alot in my posts. I know I do. But there is good reason for this. Recent trends in our own sales show that people love them, they are a unique gift that is perfect for celebration. Alot of people by engraved champagne flutes as wedding gifts, but I think that they although they make great wedding presents they also are fantastic for Christmas. What could be better than getting a set of personalised champagne flutes on Christmas day, especially if you are in a couple. Christmas is a time for celebration, you could wake up on Christmas morning, open your presents and toast in Christmas in your brand new personalised champagne flutes! Celebrate this happy day in style! So yes, I am an advocate of personalised champagne flutes, for a number of reasons – not only are they great for celebration (everyone loves to toast with champagne) but the personalisation makes them even more appealing. Personalised messages give that thoughtful and sentimental touch to any gift.
2) Personalised Champagne – so if you are buying someone a set of champagne flutes then you should really buy them a bottle of personalised champagne to go with it. Just like champagne flutes, personalised champagne has that wow factor. It is a classy gift that is perfect for Christmas. As I mentioned earlier people love to toast Christmas in and what could be better than doing it with a bottle that was given as a Christmas present? Again it’s a simple yet thoughtful gift, and it certainly isn’t a pair of socks.
3) If you are looking for gift for your dad, granddad or uncles (socks is usually the norm), then why not think about the following as a great gift for Christmas? – the following being a pair of engraved cufflinks. Every man wheres cufflinks at some point in their life. So whether they use them at New Years Party or 10 years down the line, a set of engraved cufflinks will last a life time! Personalised lighters, engraved whisky and vodka are also great Christmas Gifts too.
The groom at a wedding is just as important as the bride. I know everyone goes on about the brides big day – but there wouldn’t be a big day if it wasn’t for the groom. He is sometimes a little forgotten at times. Now I don’t think that should be the case. So when thinking about the type of gifts you are going to get for the happy couple you should think about groom gifts too.
In Muslim weddings – the wedding is more to do with the groom. There is a whole ceremony called Nikah where the groom and the father of the bride enter into a contract to ensure that the bride will be well cared for and looked after in the groom’s family. This is usually a public event where all the family and friends witness this agreement. It is at this point that the groom also pay the dowry requested by the bride. This whole ceremony just involves the groom. I like it you know. The groom gets his show and the bride gets her’s with her big entrance and gorgeous dress.
Usually the groom gifts are left to the best man to sort out. Afterall the bridesmaids will get a gift for the bride therefore it is seems fair that the bestman and the groomsmen sort out a nice groom gift – when you think about the kind of gift to get the groom; REMEMBER he will be married, so it needs to meet the approval of his new wife! You don’t want him sleeping on the couch on his wedding night.
1) I mentioned in a previous post about engraved champagne flutes and how they are a perfect bride gift, they are the same for the groom too. The two champagne flutes can be engraved with a personalised message. Each flutes could have different messages on them – one for the groom and one for the bride. Give them as a set and you’ve got not only a great wedding gift but also a great groom gift too.
2) If you do want to get a wedding gift that is groom specific then I think you should think about an engraved wedding gift and with that I mean “engraved cuflinks“. They would make a really special gift for the groom on his wedding day. He could wear them with his tux – also if in all the panic he has forgotten his cufflinks, then by presenting him with the cufflinks on the morning of his wedding will sure help him out!!
3) If you are the best man and you fear that after marriage you are going to lose your best buddy to the domestic life, then what could be better then to get your best friend and engraved photo frame with a picture of you two at some crazy event where you pretty much laughed all night! I know to a guy that may seem like a really soppy gift. But if you think about it in terms of the bride – she is less likely to display a beer keg in her house than a beautifully engraved photo frame that is a touching gift from the best man….
Whatever you get as a groom gift, remember when you buy this that he is just as important as the bride on ‘his’ special day – afterall I’m sure he only plans to get married once!
Have you ever been invited to a party of someone that you barely know and then you realise that you need to get them a gift? Usually I decline invites like that because I feel like people who do that are just inviting me to make up numbers. But say you are someone’s girlfriend/boyfriend and you have been invited to a birthday party of one of other half’s friends then what do you do. You can’t decline the invite because that would look bad on your partner but you can’t go to the party empty handed because that too will look bad on your other half. So what do you do???
I have a couple of interesting ideas for you. The first is pretty simple – get a nice card and stick a voucher in it for somewhere nice. I’d say somewhere that sells nice clothes, you can never really go wrong with gift vouchers even though they are bit impersonal. I mean I’d be grateful if someone got me a gift voucher because it means that it will save me some money. But I would feel that they didn’t really put a lot of thought into the gift. Not that I would say that to them. You should NEVER complain about gifts. However if you don’t want to give an impersonal gift then think outside the box and I’m sure that you could find them something really cool.
So you don’t know them that well. Ok, who cares. Find out about them. You don’t to be the person who gave them a crap gift. They are your partners friend, so ask your partner about them. What do they like, what are their hobbies – do they have a favourite colour. All these details help alot. So ask the questions. With that you’ll be able to look for a great birthday gift idea.
If I was going to get a gift for someone that I didnt know very well and I knew that they liked to have a drink – i’d get them a bottle of champagne of some sort. A personalised champagne gift most likely. There are a number of reasons for this.
1) Champagne is related to celebration, so getting them a champagne gift is showing them they deserve to celebrate
2) Although you don’t know them that well… the fact that you’ve got them a personalised gift will make them feel special – to be honest isn’t that the whole point of getting someone a gift? So that they feel special? Well I think that is the reason to get someone a gift.
So yeah, I do recommend personalised champagne as a gift idea for a birthday because quite simply if you don’t know them, what else could you really get for them?
Photos capture memories. Whatever the moment – if you get it on camera then it’s there for life. And that’s what makes them so great! With the digital age it is possible for us to take photos and have them uploaded on to the computer for all to view pretty much on the same day. With facebook and other social networking sites allowing photo sharing, everyone is taking pictures and showing them off for the world to see. Not only this but now digital cameras are now much more affordable which makes everyone a photographer nowadays. I mean I love taking photos – I take photos of everything and anything. I’m also constantly taking photos of other people and I am never without my camera at any event. When people look at photos that i’ve taken I find them saying – “I forgot that happened” or “when did you take that?!” and that’s what I like to hear. People enjoying looking at the photos that I’ve taken. Photos act as reminders of our life.
I like the idea of giving a photo gift. It’s a personal gift that allows the recipient to see a memory once more and also that fact that you are giving that particular photo as a gift shows that that memory means something to you as well. There are a number of ways to give a photo gift. You could just have the photo printed and give it as a print. You could have the photo framed in an engraved photo frame – have the frame engraved with the person’s name or a message that is special and unique for the two of you. I got my mum an engraved photo frame and put a picture of me and her in it from a wedding that we went to. She really liked the photo of us and so I thought why choose a photo that I like when I know that there is on that she definately likes. We always criticise the way that photos capture us, so sometimes it’s nice to listen and make use of the ones that people tell that they like! My mum loved the engraved photo frame that I bought for her and she loved the photo.
There are other ways of giving photo gifts in the form of say a champagne gift. I like the fact that as a company we offer labelled products as well as engraved champagne, I especially like the fact that our customers can design their own label i.e. upload a special photo onto a bottle of bubbly and make a truely unique gift!
As the summer arrives everyone knows that it is wedding season… each weekend is taken up by some sort of event or another – be is hen/stag party’s, engagement parties or the weddings themselves. There is always some sort of celebration.
This weekend I went to a traditional Indian wedding. A very colourful affair I must say! But the thing with Indian weddings is that they last more than two weeks with all the different events that take place. For example if you take a standard Muslim wedding you have the following events:
- Engagement Party
- Civil Wedding (The Registry Wedding – i.e. the Official marriage by Law)
- The majalis – this is a religious ceremony where the couple are blessed and the families celebrate the marriage of the couple – there is a strong religious connotation to this.
- The hen/stag parties
- The BIG Indian Wedding
No Indian wedding could be small, no matter how much we tried for it to be. There are too many relations from all over the world to invite. But Indian weddings are great because there is always lots of great food, company, speeches and dancing. And as I mentioned before lots of colour… ! The bride nearly always wears red and the bridal party look stunning in a huge array of colours. That is just the norm of an Indian wedding. The music is bright and exciting and the cake is always a big part of the celebrations!
But as with any wedding it is very difficult to know what to get the bride and groom. Most Indian weddings that I have been too often say ‘no boxed gifts’ at the bottom of the invitation. This could mean therefore that the couple would prefer money or vouchers to a department store – for example House of Fraser. However what if the invite doesn’t say ‘no boxed gifts’ – what then? What wedding gift do you get the happy couple? You want it to be the kind of gift they are going to treasure but you also want it to be something that is appropriate for a wedding. For muslims – alcohol is not really an option. But there are plenty of other gifts that you could choose from… like engraved photo gifts. The happy couple will want to display their favourite wedding photo in their home for all to see, wouldn’t it be great if your photo frame that you had engraved for them especially for the wedding be the one that they chose to display their wedding photo in. Engraved photo frames are a simple and classic gift that never go out of style. Other Indian cultures probably wouldn’t complain if a alcohol themed gift was given. I’ve seen a lot of people start to give engraved champagne flutes as wedding gifts. The have each flute engraved with the names of the couple and the date of the wedding. I like these. I think they are not only a practical gift but also the kind of gift that can be displayed too. Engraved Champagne Flutes look nice.
Indian Wedding
I was speaking to the bride for a little while yesterday and what she did say was that she found it hard to know what to get the father of the bride and the father of the groom. She wanted to get them something that they would use and would also show them how much they were appreciated. She finally settled on engraved cufflinks and an engraved pen for each other the father’s. They both wore the cufflinks at the wedding, a very sweet touch. The engraved pens were engraved with the names of the respective “dad” with each having a special message from each child. I did like her choice of gifts as they were sentimental as well as practical.
Whatever culture you are from, you need to think about the wedding gifts that you are going to give to the bride and groom and they need to think about the wedding gifts that they are going to give the people that helped them during the wedding and their families too… who deserve gifts for putting up with them for all those years!!!
I found this on YouTube… it shows a Punjabi wedding – when I say colourful.. I mean COLOURFUL!
I realise that alot of the posts that I have written over the past few weeks have been about weddings, but alot of the reason for that is that I know alot of people who are getting married this year. So if I know alot of people who are getting married then I am almost certain that so do you as well. I just thought you might like some tips on all things wedding related. Don’t worry Christmas is coming soon and I certainly have alot to write about that particular theme. I’m excited already!!
I’ve spoken alot about the different traditions that people have when they plan a wedding, but I don’t think I’ve looked at it from the perspective of a western wedding.
North America has many cultures and many different wedding traditions influenced by countries all over the world. Mexican wedding traditions, for example, have been influenced by Spain and France, and by their own ancient cultural traditions stretching back to the Aztecs. Wedding traditions in the United States have been influenced by virtually every country at some point or other, making for a rich and varied combination of traditions. Canadian traditions are strongly influenced by both the English and the French.
Mexico
In Mexico, it is usual for a white ribbon or a rosary, called a lasso, to be draped around the necks of the bride and groom during the vows. This is to symbolize the joining together of the couple. Another tradition is for the groom to give his bride thirteen gold coins during the ceremony, symbolizing his commitment to support his new wife financially. As the bride and groom leave the church, red beads are thrown at them for good luck. And at Mexican wedding receptions, the guests form a heart-shaped circle around the bride and groom as they have their first dance as husband and wife.
United States of America
One unusual American tradition is for brides to wear white gloves. This comes from Victorian times, when American brides wore white gloves as symbols of modesty and romance. Even today, many American brides wear white gloves as a romantic gesture. In the United States today, it is very common for the bride and groom to write their own wedding vows, making promises and commitments that are individual and personal to them as a couple. Today’s wedding ceremony in the United States is often very grand and elaborate, especially among the well off, but small ‘backyard’ weddings are also common. If the climate allows, many wedding ceremonies are held outdoors.
Wedding ceremonies in North America traditionally conclude with the bride and groom exchanging wedding rings, and then, of course, with the traditional wedding kiss, which seals their union in front of their friends and family. As the newly married couple leave the wedding ceremony, rice is thrown at the couple as a symbol of fertility.
North American Wedding Gifts
Wedding gifts are traditionally given to help the new couple set up home together. They can range from the practical to the highly decorative. For more affluent weddings, personalised gifts of champagne, crystal and silver are ever popular. Those in poorer areas often make the bride and groom a personalised present symbolising their friendship.
Personalised gifts are a great way to show the happy couple what you want for their lives together. If you gave them a personalised photo gift. For example a personalised photo frame with a photo of the two of them in it and a message that you have had engraved into the frame then that is a very sentimental gift. Not only are you giving them something that they can display in their home. But the engraving shows that you want their marriage to last… that is the sentiment anyway.
If you are looking for a special birthday gift for your mum, you’ve come to the right place. Whatever your mum’s age, whatever her likes and dislikes, there are some great ideas for her right here. Follow our guide to the best birthday gift ideas around…
Champagne
For a luxury idea birthday gift for your mum, you can’t do better than personalised Champagne. Personalised Champagne is the ultimate luxury present, and comes in many forms – gift sets, with engraved flutes, engraved bottles and special birthday accessory packs. Champagne bottles say ‘Happy Birthday’ loud and clear! Why not buy engraved flutes to go with the Champagne? You could mark the engraved flutes with the date of your mum’s birthday or a special message from you. A personalised Champagne gift will make your mum feel so special – great for all ages.
Wine
If you don’t have the budget for champagne but still want to get your mum a bottle of tipple then why not consider a bottle of personalised wine? They can be engraved with a personalised message or you can design your own wine label – why not use a picture of you and your mum and design the label around that? Personalised wine will still have the same WOW factor as a bottle of personalised champagne but it wont break the bank!
Wine is more of a classic and underestimated drink in comparison to champagne which flaunts luxury and celebration in your face. Isn’t your mum a classic… one of a kind, someone who gets better with age. I’d say my mum is that’s why if I was giving her a gift then I would most certainly be considering a bottle of personalised wine for her birthday, probably an engraved wine gift, rather than labelled. Just because engraving is a little bit more permanent than a label. Just like my feelings for my mum.
Treasured memories
Personalised photo frames are another great birthday gift for mum. You could print out a favourite photo for the personalised photo frame to make the gift even more memorable. A favourite photo of her grandchildren – or of yourself, of course – will bring a smile to her face. This gift is great for all ages.
Engraved pen gifts
As a constant reminder of your love for your special mum, why not buy her an engraved pen? Engraved pens are a classic gift, and are great for all ages. Whenever your mum reaches for your engraved pen she will be thinking of you. You can add a message of your choice to your engraved pen – or keep it simple, it’s up to you.
But like I said earlier (even though it’s always good to give alternatives…) I would give my mum an engraved wine gift, I know it’s the kind of gift that she would love!
If you have the honour of being asked to be someone’s best man then you should feel really proud. But it is a duty that should be taken seriously as there are many important responsibilities that fall on you as the best man. For example making sure the groom gets to the church on time! The best man is usually someone close to the groom – a brother or very close friend, often a friend since childhood – and as such his involvement with the wedding, and his support of the marriage, is really important to the bride and groom. The groom could be nervous on the day of his wedding, wanting like the bride that everything goes perfect. The best man needs to assure him that that will happen!
During the hectic, often stressful, run up to the wedding, the best man will be helping out in all sorts of ways – running errands, acting as a confidant to the groom, smoothing over family frictions and bolstering the groom’s confidence ready for the big day.
A great best man needs to be cheerful, positive and reliable. He also needs to be pro-marriage and happy relationships – no groom wants a best man who moans about his own girlfriend or wife the whole time! Has anyone seen “Ghost’s of Girlfriends Past” ? – that explains why you shouldn’t have a best man who is anti-marriage!
Best man duties usually include:
Looking after the rings and presenting them at just the right moment during the ceremony. Loved by makers of comedy programmes, this task seems to provide lots of opportunities for mishap. A great best man must be reliable and responsible – no lost rings, please! That would probably end your friendship with the groom.
Making a speech that won’t end in a very quick divorce. The best man’s speech is traditionally a chance to make a bit of fun of the groom’s past, but no bride wants to listen to a litany of sexual exploits – and any mention of ex-girlfriends is a complete no no. How would you like it if your best man starting airing all your dirty linen in public? I’m sure you wouldn’t be best pleased!
Organising the wedding presents as they arrive, finding a room to store the wedding presents and making sure they are safe for the duration of the day. Obviously, this needs to be done by someone who hasn’t been propping up the bar all morning!
Among other things, the best man will need to keep the bridesmaid gifts and usher gift to hand for the groom to give out during the speech, make sure the bride and groom get the wedding presents before they leave the reception, and be supportive and cheerful all day.
As you can see, a great best man is an essential part of the proceedings and can help to make the wedding go smoothly in lots of ways.
Groom Gifts
As best man, one way you can be really great is to buy the groom a fantastic personalised gift. Think about your friend’s likes and dislikes before choosing, so the groom gift is truly special. Engraved groom gifts are a good choice – if he enjoys a cigarette or cigar then how about an engraved Zippo lighter? Or perhaps a personalised hip flask? The groom is bound to have chosen a special personalised gift for you, so don’t be outdone!
As the groom it is your duty to get your best man a great gift for all his help and support, make sure he knows how valuable he is to you and how you probably would not have made it down the aisle without him. A simple gift to give your best man, along with other presents (you’ll see why in a second) – is an engraved pen. Now I know what you are thinking …. why would I get my best man a personalised pen. Well it’s quite simple, everyone needs a pen. You will be giving your best man something that he will always use, therefore reminding him that you really needed him on your special day. So although an engraved pen is a simple gift…. it’s a gift that has real impact!
So when did the first wedding take place and why? It’s unlikely we’ll ever know the answers to these questions, although it’s widely believed that the first weddings were tribal weddings during prehistoric times, used to cement ties between tribes to aid survival. Other experts believe that marriage was used to guard against incest – which would often produce children with serious health problems. Life was all about survival in those days – romance probably played a very small part!
Like An Egyptian
It was the Egyptians who first legalised marriage, with wives having more legally enforceable rights than they had for a long time afterwards. The dowry was also payable in reverse in ancient marriages, with grooms paying the parents of the bride to compensate for taking her away.
The groom would also buy a personalised gift for his bride, often a piece of jewellery with a gem stone – this may later have become the engagement ring. The civilised Egyptians also invented the engagement as a way of getting to know if you were compatible with your potential spouse.
A Form Of Control
Like so many things in society, marriage was often seen as a way to control people and therefore encouraged. Men were considered to be better behaved and more productive if they were married, and women were thought to be less trouble if they had a husband to keep an eye on them. Children with two parents generally became better members of society.
Wedding and marriage were also a great way of making alliances between powerful families and clans. The bride and groom would bind together families who could otherwise have been enemies, joining land and resources in a useful way.
Across The World
Many cultures devised similar ceremonies and traditions for marriage, seemingly in isolation. In Japan the giving of gifts between families was considered of prime importance, with the bride only being allowed to live with her husband after the birth of the first child. The Vikings favoured rowdy wedding festivals, often continuing for up to a month! In Mexico the strong catholic links produced a wedding ceremony where the bride and groom were literally tied together, usually with a huge rosary.
Gifted
Gifts feature prominently across all cultures and all types of wedding ceremonies, from the earliest to the most recent. Gifts were traditionally personalised and useful, to show generosity and commitment between families, and also to show wealth and good intentions. Today, wedding gifts are all about stressing the personal commitment between the bride and groom, with personalised gifts being increasingly popular.
Nowadays gifts are common place at any wedding. Many couple register before the wedding and then the guests attending the wedding can choose from the list and get the gift they want to buy. Me, I personally find that a little insulting. Do they not think I am capable of buying a decent wedding gift. If I was going to buy a couple a wedding gift I would get them something that they could use for years to come. Something like a personalised champagne gift set. In this gift set I would give the couple a bottle of engraved champagne, with the date of their wedding and their names engraved onto the bottle. With this they have two choices, either they can drink the bottle and then save it as a display piece on their cabinet or they could not drink the bottle and save the champagne for say, their 50th Wedding Anniversary. That would be pretty awesome if they did that. Alongside that I would also give them a set of personalised champagne flutes, again with their names on. His and hers afterall! So yes, if you are buying a gift for the happy couple, sack of the register and go for something unique like a champagne gift, their remember it in the long run! If you don’t have the budget you could give them a bottle of personalised champagne with a personalised label on it. This is just as good! You just need to design the label and voila you have a personalised gift!
If you’re feeling nervous about being a bridesmaid, don’t. Wedding etiquette can be tricky, but with our guide you can navigate your way through the minefield with ease. Read on for our special bridesmaid dos and don’ts…
Bridesmaid Dos:
Do offer to buy your own bridesmaid dress, shoes, bag, and any other accessories. But do remember that even if you are paying, you don’t get the final say in the design!
Do offer to help with any errands or tasks during the run-up to the big day. Make a specific offer, not a vague ‘if I can help with anything…’
Do offer to go shopping with the bride for her wedding dress. Be honest, but tactful, and most of all, be patient.
Do plan the hen party, and get the other hens to club together to buy a great personalised bride gift, such as an engraved compact mirror, engraved photo frame or personalised toasting glass.
Do be as supportive as possible, particularly during those last few stressful weeks before the wedding.
Do be prepared to smooth over any family tiffs or problems. Often these can get out of control with everyone suffering from last-minute stress.
Do help the bride get ready on the morning of the wedding, helping her with her makeup and hair if necessary. Bolster her confidence with lots of praise and compliments.
Leave getting yourself ready until after the bride is dressed.
Hold her bouquet during the ceremony and smile widely for the photos!
Take lots of photos of the blushing bride. It’s all well and good having a photographer but some of the best photos are captured when enjoyed a glass of champagne and getting ready for the wedding!
Bridesmaid Don’ts:
Don’t ever be late – especially for the wedding!
Don’t drink too much at the reception, or worse, before the ceremony.
Don’t criticise the other bridesmaids or any of the guests. Remember they are all friends and family of the bride.
Don’t moan about your own partner – you must be as positive about weddings and relationships as possible.
Don’t complain about the bridesmaid dress – even if you hate it and it makes you look like a dog’s dinner!
Don’t forget to buy the bride a special gift to show how much you care. Bride gifts are easy to find, but make yours stand out by opting for a personalised bride gift, such as an engraved compact mirror.
Don’t expect the bride and groom to arrange for your transportation to and from the wedding ceremony and reception – or to pay for your room.
As the bridesmaid it is likely that you are going to recieve a gift for all your hard work and support, but don’t expect a gift! The gift should be the honour of being asked to be a bridesmaid. For all those brides out there who are about to get married. DO NOT forget to get your bridesmaids a gift, they made sure you got to the church on time and they were the ones arranging your hen party. Show them how much you appreciate them. The best way I think would be to give them engraved photo frames, these can be personalised with a unique message so that each engraved photo frame is different. However if you them all the same frame with a unique message, that would probably be alot fairer and they wont feel like you are picking favourites!
that’s why if I was giving her a gift then I would most certainly be considering a bottle of 
