Engagement Gifts

Engagement Gift Ideas for the Happy Couple

Celebrate your loved ones' upcoming nuptials with our best engagement gifts to express your well wishes for their future together. While engagement presents are never expected, your friends are sure to appreciate the gesture, especially if they are hosting an engagement party. Unlike larger practical gifts, which will likely be added to the couples' bridal registry for later, engagement gift ideas tend to be small and sentimental; the token should demonstrate that you're thrilled about their engagement without breaking the bank. Traditional engagement gifts for couples include champagne flutes for toasting to a happy union, a monogrammed blanket with the first letter of their shared last name or even a serving utensil set in anticipation of slicing the wedding cake. Looking for a more unique engagement gift for your friends? A deluxe board game, cookbook or picnic set provide ample date-night inspiration as they plan their wedding.

Choosing the Best Engagement Gifts

If you're still not sure what to give the newly-engaged couple, there are a few different categories of engagement gift ideas to choose from, including:

• Engagement Gifts for the Home: Look for a present the couple can use in the home for an everyday reminder of your affection. Offer them a serving board or chip and dip bowl so that they can serve appetizers in style at their next gathering. Kitchen appliances and accessories are also a must-have for their living space, especially when they'll be cooking for two. (A coffee maker is just what every couple needs for sharing early mornings before heading off to work.) If they love entertaining, make sure they have enough flatware and glassware for an enthralling dinner party. Alternatively, bring accent pieces into their home with chic decor such as centerpiece bowls, decorative pillows or plush throw blankets. Picture frames filled with their favorite photos take them through relationship milestones they'll cherish forever.
• Engagement Presents for the Wedding: Give couples items they can use both at home and at their upcoming wedding. Brides often receive an abundance of flowers, so vases are good engagement gifts for housing florals at the wedding reception as well as in her living room. For the groom, a large beverage tub is a practical piece for holding bottled brews during the reception as well as future patio parties and tailgates. Candle holders are an appealing centerpiece anywhere—at the dining table during the newlywed couples' first dinner in their new space or on the reception venue's dining tables.
• Just-Engaged Gifts or the Bride or Groom: Depending on how well you know the couple, you may opt to give a personal engagement gift to just one half of the pair. A ring dish or jewelry box for the fiancée serves as a safe place for her to store her engagement ring and wedding band when not in use. Personalized aprons featuring the newlywed title of "Mr." or "Mrs." are a playful engagement present for anyone who expresses their love through cooking, while connoisseurs of scotch and bourbon will delight in a set of whiskey glasses with a bottle of celebratory spirits. These memorable engagement presents make lifelong memories as you and the couple drink to their future.

There's no right or wrong answer when it comes to choosing a good engagement gift for someone you care about. No matter what you select for your friends, the best engagement gifts are those that express your excitement, support and affection as they head into the next phase of their lives.