Weddings, Registries and Unique Personal Gifts

August 17, 2021

Wedding weekends!

I just got back from a wonderful wedding weekend in Houston. The groom's mother is a childhood friend of mine and I couldn't wait for out mini-reunion. I went to an all-girls school in New Orleans - McGehee - and our class, although we are spread out across the US, is very tight-knit. The wedding was lovely and my friend Molly was radiant. This wedding was special - not just in the love that the two young marrieds have for one another but also in their unique celebration of their love. Instead of joining their family and wedding party or their friends, they sat alone at a table for two so they could enjoy the celebration together. Their spin on a classic sit-down dinner got me thinking about weddings and wedding gifts. Of course it is typical to gift the bride something from their wedding registry and most bride and grooms are expecting gifts they have carefully chosen from a personalized, edited selection into which they couple has put time and effort. However, some people never order off of the registry, preferring instead to give something unique such as bed or table linen, an heirloom or an antique that they have carefully considered. Most registered gifts end up just being tallied up for cash or credit so that the bride and groom can get what they really want but are afraid to put on their registry because of the expense. For example, the couple chooses a china pattern at a reasonable price and they end up getting 20 place settings which they exchange for 8 settings they truly wanted that were actually higher priced. You get the picture.....

While at the wedding, my friend and fellow McGehee alum, Lisa, mentioned that she loved my Walker Valentine Andrea jewelry case and commented on how it would make a lovely gift for a bride. We often sell these personalized and customized travel bags as bridal gifts but wouldn't it be a great his and her gift to order our plastic-lined travel bags for bride and groom with their joint initials? I wouldn't have minded that gift when I got married!

Another thing to do is to order linen from the couple's registry and have it sent to you for monogramming. We offer custom monogramming options with every purchase of a set of sheets for a bride and groom. A nice monogrammed set of cases or sheets or even hand or bath towels would be buying something that the couple has asked for while still making it more personal.

A set of sleeping pillows from the Pillow Bar is also a fabulous gift. We have worked with several brides to create special messages for their grooms and vice-versa. The best things about Pillow Bar pillows is that they are customized to a person's sleep specification - back, front or side - and every down pillow comes with a free monogram.

I also adore the Sasha Nicholas line we carry at Sotre. It is so easy to create the perfect gift for any bride and groom. Our best-selling gifts are the champagne bucket and the hostess platter. Both can be customized with anything you want to say in the standard stock writing and even your handwriting. I cannot think of a better way to commemorate this most special and happy day in a couple's life together.