Everyone loves receiving flowers and chocolates, but when your mum and dad have just forked out thousands towards your wedding (or maybe you just generally want to say thank you for bringing you up so well!), you know that giving them some flowers and chocolates just won’t quite cut it. No doubt, you’ve chosen something for your spouse as a gift on your wedding day but you want to surprise your parents with a lovely thank you present too. But what can you give them? You’ve put a lot of thought into what you want for your wedding gifts and Rock n Roll Bride stresses the importance of having a wedding gift list for you – but you also want to try to put as much thought into your presents for your mums and dads, but where do you start when there’s so much choice.
What to give Mum and Dad?
For Mum, a lovely idea is to make a present of her outfit, or at least part of it! Get her to splash out and make her feel really special on your big day by choosing some luxurious or designer items; a clutch or shoes will make her feel incredible as well as extra proud of you!
What to get Dad can sometimes be a bit harder. However, if they are still together then you could always get them a joint present. Something that they can enjoy together, a trip away abroad or in the UK where they can unwind after all the wedmin-related stress!
Theatre tickets in your hometown, or nearest big city, for after your wedding will give your parents some much needed time together to relax and chat that their relationship has probably been dying for since you announced your engagement! Once the wedding has been and gone, they’ll need to refocus and get back a bit of ‘them-time’ without needing to talk about urgent wedding plans or arrangements. It might have been awhile since that last happened! A night at the theatre, ballet, opera, West-End musical – or watching a local amateur dramatics production will give them something different to talk about for a few days, with the added plus that they can get all snugly when the lights have dipped!
A mini break to London or Edinburgh might also be just the ticket to say thank you and also give them some time together to refocus back on to their relationship. Capital cities like Cardiff, Dublin, Edinburgh, or London have plenty to do for everyone and are cheap to get to with a wide variety of accommodation ensuring that there’ll be something for everyone’s budget.
A spa day with a massage or facial, somewhere ultra luxurious – like Bath’s Thermae Spa would be an unbelievable way to say thank you to mum and dad! But, there are also countless other places for you to book for both sets of parents.
If your parents are divorced, choosing thank you presents for them becomes far more complicated and expensive! Especially if you both have divorced parents! You can of course send them (and their new spouses if they have remarried) on separate spa days or mini breaks, but try to make sure that they don’t think that their ex-spouse has been given a better present than them! You’ll also need to make sure that both the groom’s parents and the bride’s parents have fairly similar presents, certainly cost wise. No negative comparison should be able to be made as you don’t want to put anyone’s nose out of joint! Having one set of parents seething with envy would certainly not be the best way to start married life together!
For little gifts and presents – think of small, finishing touches. Personalised gifts in particular are a very cute way to say thank you. Personalised handkerchiefs to mop away the happy tears as you exchange vows or walk down the aisle look stunning and are of course completely unique. Brides to be, you could even get your mother in law to surprise your groom to be on the morning of the wedding with his own personalised handkerchief custom designed by you. You’ll be winning twice over, as it’ll not only ensure that any cold feet the groom might be having will be thoroughly warmed up but it’ll also make the groom’s mother even surer about his choice of you for his wife! Smaller gifts can be more personal and, of course, will suit any wedding budget! Remember, you can be as creative as you want!