If you’re attending multiple weddings this year, you already know how brutal these events can be on your finances.
There may be multiple dresses, tuxes, plane tickets and hotel rooms to pay for. You may have pets to kennel and children to get babysitters for.
And, of course, you’re going to have to buy engagement party and wedding gifts for newlyweds.
When it comes to the gift-giving part of the equation, it is possible to find inexpensive options — and there’s no need to feel like a cad.
“You shouldn’t worry about how much the cost is,” says Lisa Mirza Grotts, a certified etiquette professional based in San Francisco.
“The gift you choose should come from the heart, not how much you spent. When it comes from that place, it will be appreciated,” she says.
With that in mind, here are some wedding gift suggestions — all priced at less than $100. Please note that all prices are accurate as of the date of publication.
1. A Map
A map doesn’t sound like much of a gift, but this is not an ordinary map. Kendall Valerio, owner of Sadie & June in Ottawa, Ontario, has a clever idea for a gift.
“We hand-embroider vintage map prints with hearts. For where you live, where you met your love, where you can’t wait to travel to again. Just like the red heart, your story gets stitched into your unique piece,” Valerio says.
[Read: The New Wedding Registries: What Newlyweds Want Now]
Prices vary, but it’s easy to find maps on the website for less than $100 — and mostly under $50.
Waypoint Wanders sells scratch-off maps, mostly priced in the neighborhood of $30. As the couple travels to the places on the map, they get to scratch the location off, eventually revealing a beautiful map.
2. A Canvas Print
If you have a striking picture of the couple, have it enlarged and printed on canvas. CanvasPrints.com offers a lot of options for less than $100. Just upload a photo to the site to have it printed on cotton blended canvas. Soon, you’ll receive a personal wedding gift — without having to leave your house.
3. Monogrammed Passport Covers
This gift is “for the travelers,” Grotts says. If the newlyweds often go to far-flung places, getting them monogrammed passport covers would be a great gift — and they’d think about you every time they traveled the globe.
For those who didn’t know monogrammed passport covers were a thing, a lot of places sell them for a variety of prices, ranging from $12 to $70, according to online searches.
Personalization Mall is currently selling monogrammed passport covers for $24.99 apiece.
4. Monogrammed Bathrobes
Grotts says this might be a good choice for the spa set.
RobeMart has a lot of women’s and men’s bathrobes for less than $100. They are each on sale at the time of publication for $43.57, and monogramming is free.
5. A Gift Card
This idea may not sound personal, but it depends on the gift card. A generic gift card will probably be appreciated but quickly forgotten by a newly married couple. But couples might remember some gift cards fondly, even years later, if it’s a little unique.
“Couples today are very practical,” says Denise Buzy-Pucheu, owner of The Persnickety Bride in Sandy Hook, Connecticut.
[READ: Gift Card Do’s and Don’ts]
She suggests considering one of the following gift cards:
— Airbnb
— Spafinder
— Wayfair
— T.J.Maxx
— HomeGoods
6. A Cookbook
Consider giving newlyweds a book about food, like “Date Night In: More than 120 Recipes to Nourish Your Relationship,” by Ashley Rodriguez. It’s $19.96 on Amazon and full of recipes that should spice up any couple’s evening.
7. Couples’ Aprons
If the couple enjoys cooking, you could pair matching aprons with a cookbook. Walmart has a set of aprons that say Mr. Right and Mrs. Always Right on them, on sale for $15.99. Zazzle and Etsy are also websites that offer customized couples’ aprons.
[Related:How Much Money Should You Give for a Wedding Gift?]
8. An Appliance
Buzy-Pucheu suggests giving a newlywed couple “any small, sturdy appliance” from Cuisinart. “They are rugged, they last and they’re built for families,” she says. “Any Cuisinart blender, juicer or chopper for less than $100 would be awesome.”
9. Entertainment
Give the couple the gift of streaming and an affordable date night option.
“The first year after marriage should be all about the newlyweds settling into their new life together, and a subscription service will do just that,” says Martin Thornburg, a bridal designer for Mon Cheri Bridals in Ewing, New Jersey.
A one-year subscription to a streaming service like Netflix, Hulu or Disney+ will give the couple “unlimited date night movie options,” he says.
Depending on the service — and if you get an annual subscription versus paying it monthly — this gift should cost about $100. The price will also depend on the service you choose and whether it’ll come with ads or not.
10. The Wedding Invitation, Framed
Help the couple commemorate their big day.
“A sentimental and inexpensive gift is taking the wedding invitation you were sent in the mail and framing it. Framing the invitation is a meaningful gift. The couple can hang it on the wall and have a way to look back on their big day all the time,” Thornburg says.
11. Casting Kit
Give the couple a hand — or two hands. Consider gifting a hand hold casting kit.
Available on Amazon for $55, this kit allows a couple to create a mold of their hands clasping. It’s a gift that symbolizes their love and togetherness. A little sappy, maybe, but memorable.
12. Cheese Board Set
This is the sort of gift couples often ask for on a registry, so it’s a pretty safe. This cheese board platter is currently listed on Amazon for $37.95. And maybe the next time the couple has company, you’ll be among the guests.
13. Chess Board Set
A chess set can serve as a game but also as a design element in the home. While Wayfair offers some upscale chess sets for way more, there are sets for about $100.
14. Movie Marquee Photo Print
Another Uncommon Goods item that would work well as a wedding gift: a personalized movie marquee photo print. It’s a photo of a cinema marquee, and it looks as if it’s playing a movie called “When (Name of Person) Met (Name of Person),” which is a riff off the classic 1989 movie, “When Harry Met Sally.”
Or, you can go with a different movie title.
Unframed, the photo print is $85, and in a black frame it’s $125.
15. ‘Stars the Night We Met’ Map
If you’re really looking for something clever, find out the date your couple met and what city they were in, and then visit Printed Memories, a website that specializes in creating personalized gifts.
You provide the date and location where the newlyweds met, and you’ll receive an accurate drawing of the star constellations that night.
Prices vary, from less than $100 to more, depending on whether you go for a big print (24″ x 32″), small (12″ x 16″) or somewhere in between (12″ x 24″). You can pick a natural wood or black wood frame, or opt for no frame.
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Affordable Wedding Gift Ideas originally appeared on usnews.com
Update 08/08/24: This story was previously published at an earlier date and has been updated with new information.
