Life
15 Cheap Wedding Gift Ideas Under $25 That Won't Break The Bank — Or Your Friendship
I got married when I was 25. We were so poor we had a house party instead of a reception and asked everybody else to bring cake. When you're in that position, you get pretty good at finding Stuff That Is Awesome And Also Very Cheap for your registry, so that friends with similar cash-flow problems can still give you an inexpensive wedding gift if they really want to.
So heads up: if you're invited to a wedding bash and can't spare more than $25 at most, have no fear. There are lots of excellent, expensive-looking gift options to express your love and still have enough to make rent. Hey, true friendship don't have no price tag, right?
Image: Woopsy
Pablo Neruda, "Love Poems" ($10.50)
BUY IT FOR: Your Bookish Friends
Love Poems, $10, Amazon
This is a lovely and inexpensive addition to a bookshelf that nobody can accuse of lacking quality. Neruda’s poetry is classic, and the edition is sleek and pretty — plus you can write a personalized dedication in the front. Pretty swish if you ask me.
Image: Amazon.
Wine Aerator Spout Pourer
BUY IT FOR: The Wine Lovers
Wine Aerator Spout Pourer, $16, Amazon
If you can’t afford a Waterford decanter, this aerator spout is a neat little gadget that also looks cool and does a good job for wine fiends. Fancy without spending big bucks.
Image: Amazon.
Dictionary Print
BUY IT FOR: The Art Collectors
Bird Illustration Print, $25, Etsy
Dictionary pages overlaid with prints from 18th century nature drawings? This is an addition to the wall of those friends who always have something they “just picked up” turning up in their art collection.
Image: Etsy.
3D Dinosaur Cookie Cutters
BUY IT FOR: The Eternal Children
3D Dinosaur Cookie Cutters, $6, Amazon
Full disclosure: a person turned up at my wedding reception with an entire set of these gingerbread 3D dinosaurs, and it was so awesome I nearly had a stroke. Share the dinosaur love with baking friends.
Image: Amazon.
Hario Chacha Kyusu Maru Glass Teapot ($15.90)
BUY IT FOR: The Tea Lovers
Hario Chacha Kyusu Maru Glass Teapot, $18, AmazonA good teapot can be hard to find if you’re a tea-lover. Glass teapots from Hario are all the rage among specialists, so you’ll get major points from tea-mad wedded couples if you nab them this fancy-looking pot.
Image: Hario.
4 Mambo Champagne Glasses
BUY IT FOR: The Traditionalists
Mambo Champagne Glasses, $21, Crate & Barrel
Everybody gets champagne flutes when they get married. It’s just A Thing. Show a bit of style, though, and get them these Crate & Barrel numbers with engraved dancing couples. They’re cute and a ridiculous $3.00 apiece.
Image: Crate & Barrel.
Horn Candlesticks
BUY IT FOR: The Outdoorsy Types
Horn Candlesticks, $5, H&M Home
Home decor can be a tricky (and expensive) option as a wedding gift, but consider these horn-shaped candlesticks from H&M Home a pretty great gift for that couple who are getting married in camo gear.
Image: H&M Home.
The Big New Yorker Book Of Dogs
BUY IT FOR: The Animal Lovers
The Big New Yorker Book Of Dogs, $18, Amazon
Don’t deny it, the New Yorker is classy. And if you have whimsical animal-loving mates who are probably making their bulldog their ring-bearer, this is the kind of wedding gift they’ll love to bits.
Image: The New Yorker.
Woopsy Lamp
BUY IT FOR: The Design Nerds
Woopsy Lamp, $23, All Modern
Lamps are a surprisingly cute and affordable option for the cash-strapped at a wedding for the design-conscious. This one’s both great and deeply personal, so every time they look at it, they’ll remember you and how charmingly nuts you are.
Image: Woopsy.
Tula Bud Vase
BUY IT FOR: The Minimalists
Tula Bud Vase, $16, All Modern
If your mates are having a stripped-back wedding and then going back to their apartment, which has exactly three pieces of furniture, this is the piece for them: decorative, functional, and just sleek enough that it looks like it came from a museum gift shop.
Image: Umbra.
Square Slate Tray
BUY IT FOR: The Pinterest Rustics
Square Slate Tray, $15, Zara Home
This is for the couple who planned their entire wedding around the aesthetic of Blake Lively’s Preserve and have hand-lettered all their invites. Slate trays for serving their artisanal bread will endear them to you forever.
Image: Zara Home.
Fuchsia Bobbles Salad Bowl
BUY IT FOR: The Quirky Partiers
Bobbles Salad Bowls, $17, Zara Home
You met them at a rave and they’re probably getting married at Burning Man. This is the salad bowl from which they’ll pick at quinoa and berries with a serious hangover; why not do it in style?
Image: Zara Home.
Vintage LP Bookends
BUY IT FOR: The Music Nerds
Vintage LP Bookends, $17, Etsy
If there is literally no LP in the history of music that these two haven’t heard, discussed and then compared unfavorably to Led Zeppelin, this is the option for them. Make sure it’s not one of their obscure favourites before buying, though.
Image: Etsy.
Presto Popcorn Popper
BUY IT FOR: The Health Freaks
Presto Popcorn Popper, $17, Amazon
Sugarless, butter-free popcorn is the hot snack of now, and health-conscious couples who’ve already stocked up on juicers and supplements will welcome a popcorn popper as an addition to their arsenal. Particularly this one. It’s adorable.
Image: Presto.
Bitters-Making Kit
BUY IT FOR: The DIY Foodies
DIY Bitters Kit, $50, William Sonoma
If you don’t mind getting a gift that won’t exactly last, this is a pretty great idea for couples who love cocktails more than they love their own family. It’s detailed and requires serious commitment, but can produce tasty results — rather like marriage itself. Image: Williams-Sonoma.
