Monogram Mug $4.99 | Fiancé Tank $12.99 | Wedding Planning Journal $14.99
With the beautiful fall scenery here and the holidays right around the corner, you can almost expect some of your friends who are “ready to take the next step” to get engaged soon. After all, the changing leaves or twinkling holiday lights set the perfect scene for a romantic proposal. It seems to me like fall and holiday time are some of the most popular times of year for couples to get engaged, and it’s totally understandable why since it seems like there’s something special in the air during these months. My best friend just recently got engaged a few weeks ago, so I threw together an engagement gift for her and her fiance (he’s like a brother to me) on the fly as they were visiting just a couple weeks post engagement.
I purchased everything from Target online. We all know, target is the ultimate one-stop-shop for everything, so it was a no brainer to shop there. Plus, target has a really low minimum purchase price for free shipping (only $25!) and no one ever makes it out of target only spending $25, so I basically consider it a free shipping site lol!
Everything I picked up for the couple was really affordable. Admittedly, I didn’t even think to do this when my first friend got engaged. I was brand new to the “marriage scene” and didn’t really know what normal etiquette was. You live and you learn, but you don’t have to go all out on an engagement gift since bachelor/bachelorette parties, bridal showers, and of course wedding gifts will follow soon within the next year. You can do way less (even just a card) depending on your financial situation, but being that these two are some of my best friends, I wanted do something special for the both of them. Here are just a few options of what you can do. Mix and match depending on how much you’d like to spend, and even add your own ideas!:
- Monogram Mugs: The bride will likely be getting a new last initial, so celebrate that with monogrammed mugs.
- Wedding Planner: This wedding planner was actually super amazing. It has tabs for EVERYTHING that you could think of (and things you might not) so you can keep all your information straight. The planner even has pockets in the inserts that you can keep receipts and vendor business cards in too. It’s actually really really functional and super adorable and chic at the same time!
- Graphic Tee: I thought this little tank top would be sucha cute “gag” type gift that my best friend could actually use. I don’t expect her to actually wear this out and about, but its a cute photo prop and PJ/Lounge type top. You could take it a step further and find a top for the MR. too, but her fiance has always said that we “do too much” when it comes to gifts, so I kept his gifts to a minimum since I know he doesn’t really care about the material things lol!
- High Quality Card: If you don’t have a big budget or aren’t comfortable gifting the couple something, get them a special card just to say congrats. TJ Maxx, Homegoods and Marshalls are my go-to for really nice cards at super cheap prices. I wish I would have taken a picture of their card, but it was actually made out of flexible plastic and had metallic text. As you can see, the envelope was a heavy silver paper, which took the card up a notch. The card only cost me $2, which is several dollars less than at the grocery store, not to mention this card was 100x better than a $1 cards from Dollar tree. The couple will appreciate even the flimsiest card you get, but for such a special event, I think it’s nice to spend an extra buck for something a little more luxe. I also added this sparkly 3D gold bow I found in a pack of 3 to the envelope. The bow came from dollar tree and they are SO cute. You can find them in the gift bag section and they are perfect for wedding gifts, birthday gifts and holiday presents as well!
- Bottle of Champagne with a bridal magazine: If you don’t have time to shop/order a gift, but want to do something nice for the couple, go into your local grocery store and buy a bottle of champagne, a bridal magazine and some ribbon. morph the magazine around the bottle of champs and then secure it with a ribbon. When they get home, they’ll likely pop the bottle and flip through the magazine for wedding inspo – they’ll be thankful you helped them relax while doing so! Image found from pinterest!
That’s it, no need to do anything too too crazy, but it will be super appreciated if you just do anything at all to acknowledge the couples special news. Do you have any friends who are recently engaged? Let me know if you have any other ideas in the comment below because I’m sure there will be a few more announcements in the upcoming months (hopefully one of my brothers lol!)
Eclectic Kristen 