There’s a certain age you hit – somewhere around five years out of college – where it seems like literally everyone is getting married. Which is wonderful for them, but not so much for your bank account. Of course, a wedding is a momentous occasion and you want to celebrate the bride and groom on their big day, etc., but you also don’t want to indenture yourself to the lords Visa and Mastercard to make that happen.
Here are three tips to keep you on the bride’s good side while keeping you out of debtors’ prison:
Use Coupons
Seriously, unless your friends return your gift, they have no idea what you paid for it. And these days with a little internet savvy, you can find a coupon for literally anything. Some sites, like the Coupon Concierge even help you find the perfect gift and a coupon for it at the same time.
Make Something
Handmade gifts are actually super traditional for a wedding. Long before brides were selecting their favorite china pattern, their mothers, aunts, grandmothers (and every other female relative) were embroidering linens to help a new bride make her new home more comfortable. Heck, sometimes these handmade goods were even part of the dowry. If you aren’t good with crafts, you can still pick an easy project like a hand-made solar lantern and paint the happy couple’s name on it and you are good to go.
Offer Help
Anyone can buy crystal candlesticks off of the gift registry. And, no offense, but when was the last time you saw anyone actually use their crystal candlesticks? What most newlyweds, especially couples setting up a new home, need most is help. Print up or handwrite a few coupons for weeding a garden, planting trees, or painting a room. When your friends redeem these coupons, you’ll get to spend time together which is the best gift of all.
Unless, of course, you don’t honor the coupons. Only give this kind of gift if you really intend to show up and help.
Now that you don’t have to worry about the bill for wedding gifts, relax and celebrate the happy couple. Remember, it’s an honor to be invited.