Live Radio
Home » Lifestyle News » 7 wedding gifts the…

7 wedding gifts the newlyweds will actually use

U.S. News & World Report

June 2, 2017, 10:00 AM

With the arrival of June, peak wedding season is officially underway. And that means one thing for wedding guests: It’s time to find a good gift for the newlyweds.

Hot items, such as the Roomba and the budget-busting KitchenAid mixer, are become regular fixtures on many wedding registries these days.

The truth is this: Specialty gifts like these have a tendency to wind up collecting dust in cabinets and closets for months before they’re ever put to use. Finding a gift the happy couple will actually use in their day-to-day lives can be tricky.

Wedding registry site Zola.com has compiled a list of the top 100 gifts couples include on their registries. While kitchen items are king when it comes to popularity, the most sought-after gifts on Zola’s list fall under a few basic categories.

Here’s a list of wedding gifts — and their current prices — that your favorite bride and groom will actually use.

1. A good set of flatware. Rest easy knowing that if you invest in a good set of flatware for the newlyweds, it will surely get used. Flatware hits all the right notes on the gift-giving checklist. Not only is it functional, but chances are that the newlyweds have been dying to get rid of their hodgepodge collection of post-college Ikea flatware for ages. Recommended:
Fairly priced: Dansk Bistro Cafe five-piece for one — $21.59 each on Amazon.
Mid-price: Aston 20-piece flatware place setting for four — $179.95 at Williams-sonoma.com.
High-end: Kate Spade Malmo five-piece place setting — $70 each at Katespade.com. (Thinkstock)
Thinkstock
2. Good tunes. Music can be an excellent way to herald in a new marriage. Think of buying the newlyweds a gift card at Ticketmaster, which they can redeem for any concert of their choice. For an even more utilitarian gift, go for an at-home wireless speaker system. Today’s speakers aren’t anything like the big bulky set ups of the 1990s or even the early 2000s. There are a ton of good bluetooth-powered and Wi-Fi-powered speakers out there now. The best parts are that they can fit on a bookcase without creating too much of an eyesore, and they’re portable. Recommended:
Ticketmaster gift cards: Pick one up on Ticketmaster.com.
Sonos Play:1 — $199 on Amazon.
Bose SoundTouch 10 wireless speaker — $179 on Amazon. (Thinkstock)
Thinkstock
3. A cast-iron skillet. Cast-iron skillets can be the cornerstone of any kitchen. They’re versatile enough to be used on stovetops and in the oven, and their characteristic nonstick cooking surface makes them a breeze to clean. The best part is that they can be extremely budget-friendly. But if you’ve got some extra wiggle room in your wallet this year, you can certainly find some high-end models that would be a perfect kitchen staple. Recommended:
Low-end: Lodge 12-inch cast-iron skillet — $19.99 on Target.com.
High-end: Le Creuset Signature Skillet — $120 to $200 at Lecreuset.com. (Thinkstock)
Thinkstock
4. A cabinet organization system. Nothing causes more of a headache than when two sets of kitchen items are forced into one place, which is often the case if newlyweds lived separately before tying the knot. Help bring some order to the chaos of cohabitation with a good set of cabinet organizers. There are great tools available for organizing pots and pans, unruly Tupperware collections and more. Recommended:
Low-end: Rubbermaid pan organizer — $26.20 on Amazon.
Mid-range: Rev-A-Shelf base cabinet cookware organizer — $80 to $175 on Amazon.
High-end: The Container Store pantry starter kit — $213 on Containerstore.com. (Thinkstock)
Thinkstock
5. A year of unlimited streaming. Those monthly streaming services can really add up, especially when a couple’s budget is still recovering from the cost of throwing a five-figure shindig (the average wedding cost more than $35,000 in 2016, according to wedding website TheKnot.com). Needless to say, date nights might start to look a lot more like Netflix marathons and a $2 bowl of popcorn than a dinner-and-a-movie affair. The good news is that all the best streaming services make it possible for others to prepay for someone’s service via gift cards.

Recommended:
Netflix gift cards: $30 and up at Amazon, but also sold at most major retailers.
Hulu gift cards: Pick one up at retailers such as Best Buy, Target, Kroger, Walmart or Rite Aid.
HBO Now gift cards: Pick one up at Walmart, H-E-B, GameStop or Best Buy. (Thinkstock)
Thinkstock
6. Quality bath linens. The vast majority of couples add kitchen-related items to their registry, but they often forget about the underappreciated bathroom. For a room that’s used just as much (and, in some cases, much more often) than any other room in a home, the bathroom deserves some love. Nothing is more luxurious than a good set of bath linens, even though they might come last on a long list of home good essentials for newlyweds. The key is to go for good quality and neutral colors. Recommended:
Mid-range: Wamsutta Perfect Soft Micro-Cotton bath towel collection — $14.99 and up on Bedbathandbeyond.com.
High-end: Parachute Turkish cotton classic bath towels — $39 at Parachutehome.com. (Thinkstock)
Thinkstock
7. Cash. As impersonal as it may seem, a wad of cash can be the most useful wedding gift. Newlyweds can put the funds toward their honeymoon, those leftover post-wedding credit card bills or a savings fund for a new home. There’s no need to fret over whether they’ll get good use out of your gift — cash is as versatile a gift as it comes. If you decide to give cash via a registry website, just keep in mind that some websites will charge the couple an additional fee for processing a credit card gift. In that case, it’s a nice gesture to kick in a few extra bucks to cover that fee for them. (Getty Images/iStockphoto/pecaphoto77)
Getty Images/iStockphoto/pecaphoto77
(1/7)

[See: 12 Ways to Be a More Mindful Spender.]

More from U.S. News

Check, Please: Paying the Bill in 6 Awkward Situations

10 Offbeat Ways to Earn Extra Money

7 Habits You Can Learn From Highly Successful Savers

7 Wedding Gifts the Newlyweds Will Actually Use originally appeared on usnews.com

Related News

Recommended

Related Categories:

Latest News | Life & Style | Lifestyle News
Federal News Network Logo
Log in to your WTOP account for notifications and alerts customized for you.

Sign up