Engagement Gift Guide for Every Wedding Event
Is that the sound of jingle bells or wedding church bells? ‘Tis the season for wedding proposals, holiday décor, and celebrating our loved ones’ engagements. Though people pop the question all year round, the holidays hold a special significance to many couples and inspire the idea of committing to one another.
Two of our very own, Mary Parker and Logan, got engaged earlier this fall, and we’ve been excited to enjoy the festive engagement season with them. From designing every detail of the wedding ceremony to celebrating at different parties hosted by loved ones, we’re overjoyed to celebrate their love. And with anticipation of the big day building, we’ve been stocking up on gift ideas for an engagement party.
Whether you’ve just been invited to your first engagement party of the season or need gift ideas for one of the many following celebrations, we have a few go-to engagement gifts perfect for commemorating every event leading up to the big day.
Gifting at Engagement Parties
An engagement party is the first in a long lineup of wedding celebrations, and whether it’s a black-tie gathering or an intimate brunch at home, it’s the first chance to show love for your soon-to-be-married loved ones. A common question for invited guests is whether or not to bring a gift to the engagement party: it’s completely optional but always appreciated.
However, we recommend never showing up to any kind of engagement or wedding celebration empty-handed. Bring something, whether it’s big or small, to celebrate the couple. Don’t expect them to open the gift in front of you—they’ll be busy basking in excitement with all of their loved ones. What you gift is up to you, from engagement ornaments to something bigger, but we have quite a few options that are perfect for any engagement party.
What is the Difference Between Engagement Gifts and Wedding Gifts?
Engagement gifts tend to be smaller than wedding gifts and brought to the engagement parties, whereas wedding gifts are typically larger, may come from a registry, and are sometimes sent to the couple directly. Engagement gifts are a relatively new etiquette from the last 10 years or so, but we’ll take any chance to celebrate our loved ones. Why wouldn’t you want to commemorate every step of the engagement journey?
What Makes a Perfect Engagement Gift?
This gift is the first opportunity we have to show support for the newly engaged couple, and we want our engagement gift to reflect the love they have for one another. Anything that shows your love for the couple and their life together is perfect, whether that’s a sentimental engagement ornament or a thoughtful picture frame. Focus on making memories with them and gifting them presents to celebrate their special days.
3 Things that Make a Perfect Engagement Gift
When curating the perfect gift, see if your present ideas fall under any or all of these three categories:
- Personal
- Commemorative
- Reflect the couple
An engagement gift should be personal and heartfelt to reflect how much you care and support the soon-to-be-married couple. Whether it’s a handwritten card with advice on a happy marriage or a household item you know they’ll love, your unique gift should come from the heart. For a personal touch, ask them about ways you can help them in the upcoming months, whether that’s planning events or running wedding day errands.
2. Engagement Gifts Should Memorialize the Events
The ideal engagement gift will help the couple commemorate their wedding memories. Maybe that’s a reminder of the moment they got down on one knee or an engagement ornament to celebrate their first Christmas as Mr. and Mrs. A perfect thoughtful gift will help them recall their special days long after they’ve ended.
3. Engagement Gifts Should Reflect the Couple
The best part of choosing engagement gifts is selecting one that reflects the couple and their upcoming marriage. If they love sharing coffee in the morning, we love gifting a pair of matching mugs. Are they the cooks of your family? Try gifting them special dinnerware to start their marriage off right. No matter what they enjoy together, an engagement gift can reflect that!
How Much to Spend on Engagement Gifts?
Your budget for engagement gifts is yours to make. As long as an engagement gift celebrates and commemorates the happy couple, it’s perfect. Above all else, the thought is what counts the most. And don’t worry; traditional engagement gifts are typically not on a registry like wedding gifts are, so you can add a personal touch.
Our Favorite Gift Ideas for an Engagement Party
- Memory books
- Picture frames
- Personalized engagement ornaments
Gift a Memory Book for the Engagement Party
The weeks and months between the engagement party and the honeymoon can feel like a whirlwind. In order to remember every adventure, romantic moment, wedding dress shopping, and more, something like our Celebrate Us Book is the perfect engagement gift. The newly engaged couple can start writing their most memorable moments the night of the proposal and carry on long after the wedding day to record every happy moment together.
Want to make their memory book even more special? Fill out the front page with advice and wishes for the happy couple to start them off on their marriage journey.
Picture Frames as Engagement Gifts
Whether popping the question was a spontaneous surprise or planned for weeks, every newly engaged couple will want to commemorate the proposal. We love gifting picture frames for the proposal photos so they can display the special moment for all to see.
If the couple has a more neutral style, gift them our White Ruffle Frame that can match with our complete Signature White collection for perfectly coordinated dinnerware and home décor. The ruffled design gives a fun pop of texture to decorate any surface of the house with their engagement photos.
Our Pinstripe Square Frame is simple and stylish, making it the perfect choice for displaying a proposal photo on their bedside table or gallery wall. We love to pair this with an empty matching Ecru Notch Mr. and Mrs. Square Frame so that after their big day, they can have the proposal memory next to the wedding ceremony memory.
Engagement Ornament Gifts
For a festive engagement gift during this holiday season, wrap up one of our engagement ornaments for the soon-to-be-wed couple to hang on their first Christmas tree together. Every Christmas, as they pick out the perfect tree skirt and tree trimmings, they’ll get to hang up their festive engagement ornament and relive each magical wedding moment with a new ornament tradition. Include one of our ornament stands, and they’ll be able to display their ornament all year long.
Our Just Engaged Glass Ornament is a perfect way to celebrate the question being popped, with its hand-illustrated engagement ring and matching yellow ribbon. If you’re popping bubbly, gift the whimsical Champagne Pop Glass Ornament to commemorate the moment she said yes. For a timeless engagement ornament, try the green-striped She Said Yes Just Engaged Glass Ornament to celebrate their love. Personalize each engagement ornament with their names or date and the location of their wedding day to give them a special touch. 
How to Gift an Engagement Ornament
Once you’ve chosen the right engagement ornament to celebrate the lovebirds, elevate the gift with a bottle of your favorite Champagne. Make a full gift box for the newly engaged couple with these three easy steps:
- Choose your favorite engagement ornament and personalize it with their names.
- Invert the lid of the box the engagement ornament comes in, fill it with tissue paper, and add your favorite bottle of bubbly for a perfect touch.
- Wrap it all together in cellophane and a festive ribbon, tying the engagement ornament on the outside to show it off!
Pre-Wedding Events Perfect for Gift Giving
Don’t let the engagement gift-giving end after the first party. It’s a long road before they reach the altar, and we love to surprise the couple with gifts at every event. Swing by each of these upcoming pre-wedding events and pick out the perfect present for each celebration.
- Bridal showers
- Bachelorette parties
- Rehearsal dinners
Perfect Gifts for Bridal Showers
Bridal showers are one of the most important gifting celebrations in the wedding timeline, where guests help the bride-to-be (and sometimes their spouse) prepare for their upcoming married life. Traditionally, women close to the bride will gather for an intimate meal, lighthearted games, and gift-giving to show support for the bride before her big day. Some couples opt for wedding showers instead to focus on the couple together, but the same rules, advice, and festivities apply.
But what makes the perfect bridal shower engagement gift? Try something that will be helpful to life as a wife, such as the Gold Swiss Dot Scallop Ring Dish to store their rings safe and sound when taking a shower or going to bed. With the beautiful metallic gold and white pattern, your friend is sure to feel the excitement of their wedding day looming.
For the couple that seems to have everything, the perfect engagement gift may be something small and special to have around the house. What couple doesn’t love coffee in the morning or tea at night? We love gifting Mr. and Mrs. Mugs for any happy couple. Try a Ecru Mr. and Mrs. Notch Tray for serving appetizers at the next engagement celebrations or the matching trinket bowls for personalized home décor year round.
What to Gift at the Bachelorette Party
Bachelorette parties are one of the most anticipated events on the wedding calendar for friends, family, and the bride herself. Whether we’re on a ladies-only trip or at the bride’s favorite winery, a lot goes into planning the perfect bachelorette party. We love focusing on engagement gifts to make the bride-to-be feel special on her last unmarried days.
With the holidays just around the corner, an engagement ornament is the perfect way to commemorate every event, and the You and Me Glass Ornament will make the perfect gift for the bride to decorate her holiday space with during the wedding season. Besides engagement ornaments, we love gifting ring dishes, trinket trays, and other smaller home pieces to get the bride excited about this new chapter in her life.
Do You Bring a Gift to the Rehearsal Dinner?
Though it’s not the norm, with one last celebration before the wedding ceremony, slipping the soon-to-be-wed couple a surprise gift for their big day is a thoughtful way to show them your excitement.
Gift them something they can use day of and remember fondly for years to follow, like the Signature White Rimmed Salad Plate for the cake cutting at the ceremony. The plates can be used in their home long after the wedding, especially if they plan to partake in the tradition of eating the wedding cake one year later.
What to Gift at a Wedding?
After weeks, months, or even years of planning, anticipating, and attending different engagement celebrations, the big day arrives. What are you meant to gift the happy couple on this big day?
Once the season of engagement parties and celebrations has ended and the wedding is drawing closer, the happy couple could make a wedding registry with us. We believe wedding gifts should be thoughtful items that your couple will use and appreciate for years to come. The couple may have a registry for their wish list items, but if they don’t, the present for the big day is up to you!
After gifting the perfect engagement ornament, why not wrap up a wedding ornament to commemorate their big day? Help them tell the story of their love every year with the sweet and simple design of the Mr. & Mrs. Glass Ornament. Long after they say their vows, they’ll be able to remember both their engagement and wedding fondly while decorating the Christmas tree. 
There’s almost nothing we love more than celebrating the love of our friends and family - something especially abundant this holiday engagement season. From engagement gifts to planning every festive gathering, helping our newly engaged couples has been priority number one. Next time someone pops the question, we’ll know exactly how to gift for every event.