All married couples have at least a few examples of wedding gifts that they immediately relegated to the basement—crystal animal figurines, serving dishes in old-fashioned patterns, silver filigree platters that need regular polishing. Sticking to the couple’s registry is your safest bet. But when the only things left on the list are beyond your budget, or if the couple hasn’t registered for gifts at all, there are smart strategies for giving them something that will be meaningful and welcome.
If you’re looking for a thoughtful gift that isn’t on the registry, choose something that fits the couple’s space and taste. We recommend things they can eat or drink, mementos of the occasion, or items you know will fit in with the couple’s aesthetic sense. And, yes, cash is also an option. We spoke with married members of our staff to hear about the thoughtful gifts they received unexpectedly as well as those that continued to bring them joy long after the wedding was over.
Toast to the future
Wine Access Discovery Club ($150 per shipment of six bottles)
My wedding day was such a blur that I managed only a few sips of the Bordeaux that was served at the dinner. But my father-in-law saved a case of the wine and has given us a bottle on special anniversaries (first, fifth, and recently, tenth!). Not only has the wine improved with age, but getting to savor and re-savor it reminds me of my wedding and how far life has brought us since then.
If you know the couple well, you could set aside a bottle or case of the wine (or other special beverage) that they’ll be serving at their wedding. Or you could give them a season’s or year’s worth of wine, with a subscription to Wine Access, the top pick in our guide to the best wine clubs. Wine Access’s quarterly Discovery Club subscription includes six bottles (you can choose all reds or mixed), curated by a sommelier and focused on a theme.
—Courtney Schley, senior editor
Festive tea to accompany a gift
Bellocq No. 96 White Wedding Tea ($90 for 6.5 ounces of tea at the time of publication)
As its name suggests, this loose-leaf tea blend is uniquely suited to being a matrimonial gift, especially as an add-on to a registry pick. Made of jasmine silver needles, lavender, red rose petals, and orange blossoms, it has a delicately floral aroma and sophisticated taste. Plus, its airtight canister looks elegant enough to display on a mantle. If the happy couple is especially fond of fine teas, you can also splurge for Bellocq’s Ultimate Year of Tea, giving them a new blend to try for each month of their first year of marriage.
—Sarah Witman, senior staff writer
Beautiful flowers
Urban Stems (price varies per bouquet, subscriptions start at $55 per delivery)
The bright blue hydrangeas in my wedding bouquet and table arrangements started to droop before the guests went home. (There’s probably a lesson on the ephemerality of love and life in there.) Flowers aren’t forever, but sending a flower arrangement after the wedding is a way to help the couple re-experience some of the beauty and specialness of that day. Out of nine flower delivery services we tested, the flowers from UrbanStems looked prettiest and stayed freshest, beating out services that cost significantly more. If you want to make it a regular thing, Urban Stems offers a subscription service.
—Courtney Schley, senior editor
A travel-specific gift card
AirBnB gift card (varies)
Delta Airlines gift card (varies)
Amtrak gift card (varies)
After we got married, my husband and I never took an official honeymoon. Even though we intended to use some of the cash gifts we got for a trip, we ended up using it for more functional (less fun) things. If I had a do-over, I would’ve loved to receive some travel-specific gift cards that we had no choice but to use for a fun trip. In our case, we would’ve probably gotten most use out of an AirBnB or Delta Airlines gift card (neither expire). But check with the couple and see if they have a preferred hotel or airline (or get them a gift card suited for a favorite destination or route, like Hawaiian Airlines or Amtrak). Just keep in mind, this gift may require some research or asking the couple directly if you’re not sure, so that they’re not stuck with gift cards from a hotel or airline they would never use.
—Daniela Gorny, supervising editor
A printing service for all their wedding photos
Framebridge gift card (varies)
After months (if not years) of planning for a wedding, the last thing we wanted our friends to think about was how to hang the photographs they so carefully took at the event. Framing can also be both expensive and time-consuming, so a gift card can give a newly married people some relief from the effort and cost of the process. Framebridge is Wirecutter’s top pick online framing service, and it makes it easy for the couple to frame original art or digital photos for a flat fee. Our friends loved the gesture, and they appreciate now having some of their favorite pictures on display in their home.
—Raquel Hamias, user insight & strategy director
A meal of their choice
Uber Eats gift card (varies)
Doordash gift card (varies)
Whether the wedding is a multi-day celebration or an intimate courthouse affair, it’s likely the happy couple will be exhausted once their big day is over. What better treat than an excuse not to meal plan and grocery shop? A food delivery service gift card from Doordash or Uber Eats is an excuse for a relaxed night in together during the honeymoon or even long after it’s over.
—Erica Ogg, senior editor
Sweet treats
Jacques Torres Ultimate Sweets Hat Box (about $270 at the time of publication)
Recchiuti Confections Black Box ($50 at the time of publication)
Michel Cluizel Chocolate Truffles Milk & Dark, 15 ($40 at the time of publication)
Most wedding gifts are everyday items like pots, pans, or blenders, intended to be used when the celebration is over. Not so with the seemingly bottomless Jacques Torres Ultimate Sweets Hat Box of chocolates my friend Noah sent me just before my wedding. My husband and I dove right in. I’m someone who loves sweets, so this gift felt festive and indulgent on so many levels. The best part was that it was on hand to share with loved ones over the course of that special weekend. If you want to give a smaller box of chocolates, Wirecutter has several recommendations that cost less than $50 (including favorites from Recchiuti and Michel Cluizel). Keep in mind that shipping melt-prone chocolates may be risky during hot weather, so buy them in person if you can.
—Joanne Chen
Cold, hard cash
You’ll seldom find a new couple who couldn’t use a cash infusion, whether it’s to pay for wedding-related expenses, to scrape together a down payment for a car or a house, or to repay some student loans or credit card debt. My wife and I already had good-enough pots, knives, and towels, so we put only two things on our registry: a flat-screen TV and money. The cash was supposed to be a honeymoon fund, but life happened, and a couple of years later that money helped us with the down payment on our house (a modest house, in Texas!). We still have the TV, too.
—Nathan Edwards
The gift of flavor
Penzeys Love People Regular Gift Box ($35 at the time of publication)
Not long after my now-husband and I got engaged, we discovered the joys of making dinner together at home. So I was thrilled when my friend Elena gave us a set of Penzeys spices and a nice pair of salt and pepper shakers. Back then (as well as now), our menu consisted of a modest rotation of pasta, roasted chicken, grilled salmon, and salads. Having a terrific range of spices in our pantry motivated us to put the cookware we received from our registry to good use and elevated our home-cooked meals.
—Joanne Chen
Unexpectedly great snacks
Whitley’s “Year Round” Wood Crate ($70 at the time of publication)
When we got married, my husband and I already had a well-outfitted household and didn’t want or need more stuff in our cramped one-bedroom New York City apartment. Our friends knew how much we loved good food, however, and that we appreciated regional specialties. One of our favorite gifts was a treat-filled crate from Whitley’s, a renowned peanut roaster in Virginia, where my best friend had been spending some time. We liked that the peanut assortment could be savored at our leisure and disappeared over time, leaving just a memory of its deliciousness.
—Winnie Yang
Registry-adjacent gifts
Emile Henry Mixing Bowl (small, $65; medium, $80; $100, large, at the time of publication)
For an unexpected gift the couple will really like, take a hint from the registry. My savvy friend Betsy did this when she gave my husband and me a beautiful set of Emile Henry mixing bowls in the same color as a pie plate on our registry. This was a nod to the origins of our friendship, since Betsy and I lived in France together in college and Emile Henry is a French brand. I’ve used the bowls daily for over a decade, and I often think of Betsy when I pull them out. The current Emile Henry mixing bowls are an updated version, but they still get great reviews. Taking hints from the registry is a particularly good approach if you want to find a gift that fits the couple’s style and works better for your budget than what’s left on the registry. Of course, for an extra-thoughtful touch, always include the gift receipt.
—Christine Cyr Clisset, deputy editor
A cute, custom illustration
DorindaArt custom portrait (from $40 at the time of publication)
My husband and I wanted a unique way to commemorate our special day, but we weren’t fans of the photo-booth strips or thumbprint guest books we saw on social media. To capture our new family, we ordered a custom family-portrait illustration by an artist on Etsy. I added our family name and “established” date as the caption. The final result, complete with our pets and his military dog tags, left even my picky husband impressed. In lieu of a guest book, we printed a large copy of the piece to display at our wedding so guests could sign it with their well-wishes.
—Kaitlyn Wells, staff writer
A honeymoon-themed read
Iceland’s Bell by Halldór Laxness ($17 at the time of publication)
A few days after our wedding, my husband and I jumped on a plane to Iceland for our honeymoon. I spent the flight reading a copy of Iceland’s Bell by Halldór Laxness, a gift from my mother. Turns out, an immersive piece of fiction was the perfect way to shift away from thinking about the wedding and to get ready to explore a new place. I’ll always link Iceland’s Bell to my honeymoon, and I’m grateful I can open the book whenever I’d like to relive a bit of the magic of that trip.
—Signe Brewster, editor
Book of memories
Mixbook (from $16 at the time of publication)
The week of my wedding, my maid of honor sent me a package from Mixbook (which happens to be Wirecutter’s recommended photo book service). The hardcover book inside was filled with letters and pictures from the most important women in my life—a special reminder of the support I had going into the weekend. We all flipped through its pages together the morning of the wedding, and I still take it out from time to time when I want to feel a piece of that love.