I receive many questions each week asking me about
wedding etiquette and the like, but recently, I have received the following question several times from
couples getting married, "Kelly, should we get gifts
for our parents?"

The answer is - most certainly!  You should get a gift
for the parents of the bride and groom especially if your parents have:

A) Contributed to the cost of your wedding
B) Contributed to the cost of your honeymoon
C) Contributed to the cost of your growing up in a
happy, healthy environment
D) Contributed to your life in any way

Weddings are a transition point in any parent-child
relationship.  It is a goodbye to being a "child" and a new beginning as a "grownup" (no matter how old you are when you get married!).  Unfortunately, though understandably, most parents have a tough time with this goodbye.  It is a great idea to give a gift to the parents of the bride and groom to help ease this transition.

Your gift should include a heartfelt note of thanks for all that the parents of the bride and groom have done for you over the years.  Obviously, you don't need to point each little thing out, but acknowledging how many big and small things they have done for you is a great way to let them know how much you appreciate them, their hard work, and their sacrifice and commitment to you as their child.

Gift ideas for the parents of the bride and groom are:

• An engraved picture frame (and later a wedding photo)
• A re-touched photo of your parent's wedding day
• An item that symbolizes the extension of your family as a whole (ex. a family tree, or picture of everyone in your family with the bride and groom, or even some sort of artwork showing each person in your family)
• Some sort of object that relates to an inside or family joke (ex. my dad has given me a tennis ball at some of the major milestones in my life.  Giving him a tennis ball as a gift would be a great way to express my gratitude.)
• An item that has sentimental value (ex. If your family has a tradition of collecting ornaments, then an ornament that represents your marriage might be a nice gift for them to add to their Christmas tree.)

As you can see, gifts for the parents of the bride and groom do not need to be expensive, they just need to be from the heart.  Try not to stress about adding this to your list of things-to-do.  It is meant to be something of meaning and significance and you do not want to attach feelings of stress and anxiety with it.  Have fun finding the perfect gift for the parents of the bride and groom!

Best Wishes,
Kelly Kons
http://www.bwedd.com/truecompanions/

* Please note: Brilliant Wedding Pages and Brilliance Web Design, Inc. will not be held responsible for any experiences you may have with the services or products of companies listed above, online or other.