The struggle is real. The question of what to get mom, dad, or any other parent in your life can be difficult for many reasons. For one, there is always the issue of cost. You may not be able to spring for a super-decked-out gift. There is also the issue of what is personal enough to give for such a momentous occasion. Here are some of our suggestions for a wedding gift for your parents:
Photos and photo albums are great. Having a scrapbook done professionally might be a costly wedding gift, but it takes the work out of your hands (as you might be busy, you know, planning a wedding). If you’re a craftier sort of person, a DIY photo album is much more affordable and could add a personal touch that makes it special to mom and dad. It can include all the moments that are special to you both, and even some special intimate messaging. This gift is best given after the wedding to include absolutely every moment your parents will fall in love with.
- Start with whatever scrapbook you want. Whatever you think best suits this purpose, choose a color and cover that both suits you and your budget.
- Gather 4×6, 3X5, and even wallet-sized photos you want to include. Small prints are less expensive, and fit more easily into the scrapbook. Gather pictures of yourself, your parents, and the whole family over the course of pictures of trips taken together, special days, etc. Fill your scrapbook with as many pictures as possible.
- If the pictures you want are digital, start by decorating the scrapbook and determining where each picture should go. When you have the pictures printed, you’ll already have a blueprint of what you want. You’ll be able to add the pictures into the scrapbook in a snap. You can use small pieces of copy paper to mark the place where the photo will go, glue it down, and glue over it with the photo later.
- Get Creative. This scrapbook should reflect your personality, as well as the nuances of the relationship you have with your parents (or step-parents). Let your heart guide you. Make it chronological, themed, or totally random. Add in a few pages dedicated to a family trip you really valued or pick a couple trips, and spread them out or put them in a section together. You get to choose! Make the book a journey into the past and a window into what your future holds for you and your spouse.
- Make room for the wedding pictures that come last. You can leave makers for where the wedding photos will go so that they can be added in as soon as the joyous day is over. Include the photos of you and your parents at the wedding at the end of your picture collection.
- Use categories such as “Us together, Me Growing Up, Family Trips.” This can really help you to organize a really nice gift for your parent. You get to choose, but be sure to make and organize choices.
- Add a touch of something. Once you get all photos and place markers secured, add in some really personal touches. Notes to mom or dad about how much a certain trip meant to you or how much you love them and valued a certain moment in your life with them. Little quotes or anecdotes and inside jokes from within the family. Make it light and heavy. The book is full of your whole life, and while you maybe wouldn’t want to put funeral pictures in it, it’s okay to have the reality of life in the book. After you written some messages, add in some cool colorful confetti or glitter, stick-ons. Anything you like, really. In the end, this book should say you.
Your wedding photos are in, and your wedding gift is ready! Your parents will love it, and it doesn’t cost a lot to be extremely meaningful.
Here at FanC, we are here to help you through your whole bridal experience, not limited to finding the perfect dress, although we certainly hope to do that too!