Coming Soon To WDW: Guest Blogger Morgan Gray

Looking for a fresh point of view? Be sure to read my guest blogger's post all about anniversary gifts for your favorite man (or guy gifts that are sure to make them smile for any occasion.)

Megan is a young writer who has a degree in English and Media Studies.

What does she know about weddings? She has recently been asked to be her sister's Maid of Honor and has subsequently fallen in love with everything wedding. (Does that sound familiar to you?)Despite a slight fetish for stationary, she has taken to the online world to share her words of wisdom.

So look for her post tomorrow. Be sure to give her some great feedback and let her know how much you love her guest post.

Gifts For Weddings

Photo courtesy of Groupalicious

 

Looking for great gag gifts for the wedding couple to present at the reception? If you are the best man or maid of honor and are looking for the a gag great gift for the wedding couple why not pick up a set of his and her mini-mes? Austin Powers thought having his own mini-me was so groovy, so why not get a set for the bride and groom made in their likenesses? Nothing like a custom bobblehead presented at the reception to get the room laughing. Try presenting it after you give the toasts--everyone will be rolling in the aisles laughing!

Get a Bobble Head that is handcrafted with faces and features models after the bride and groom. Bobbles are made from photos submitted by the purchaser.  You can choose to make your mini statue a business executive, a pro golfer, a superhero, a rock 'n' roll artist and more, but if you don't find the perfect design, you can choose to custom-build your own bobblehead with a personalized body, pose, clothing, and scenery.

Groupalicious has a great deal that makes these usually expensive Mini-Mes a more affordable option. (Warning: this is a time limited deal and may have expired by the time you read this a year from now.)

Wishing Wells For Wedding Showers

Wedding showers frequently come with a note attached to bring a kitchen item for a wishing well for the bride. Sometimes the decision about what to bring for the wishing well is harder than choosing the shower gift. Brides frequently register for larger gifts, but often forget to add wishing well priced items. So how to decide what to bring?

 

Photo courtesy of The 'Ove'Glove on 'As Seen On TV'

My favorite wishing well items are oven mitts. I know, ho hum, boring. But I've found two types that are family favorites. My daughters both swear by Ove-Gloves. I know, weird name, ugly gloves, but hey, you can't complain when they work! So Ove-Gloves are not a bad choice. Don't be put off by having to add shipping and handling, my local Rite-Aid Pharmacy carries them, so check your local stores before ordering online.

Photo courtesy of Williams Sonoma

My personal favorites are oven gloves from Williams Sonoma. Williams Sonoma has many different options for oven gloves but I like these best. (They have some similar to the Ove-Glove as well.) These come in a variety of colors and I've never been burned through them. They are easier to use than typical pot holders, and the colors make a nice accent for my kitchen.

 

OXO Ice Cream Scoop photo from JCP

Other favorites? OXO products. I love their products. Good quality and they last. Consider an ice cream scoop, egg slicer, carrot peeler.

 

Acacia Trivet from Crate and Barrel

Or head to Crate and Barrel and pick up an acacia trivet. I own some of these and love them. Inexpensive but work really well and look great!

So the next time you are stymied on what to bring for a wedding shower Wishing Well, just click on WDW, we're full of good ideas.

The Cons Of Online Shopping

Wedding Shower Gifts. Wedding Gifts. All items you want to have arrive on time. Unfortunately sometimes when you order them online the order does not get there on the promised date, leaving you embarassed and hunting for a last minute gift. Sometimes it is a result of a split shipment. Sometimes it is just plain late. And sometimes, even when you pay extra shipping costs to have a gift arrive it doesn't get there when you need it.

Have you ordered online and experienced a split shipment? If you spend much time shopping online you probably have. What I had not experienced before was having the split shipment cause a problem with a daughter's shower gift.

Online shopping offers you many conveniences. Unfortunately it also offers some pitfalls. Pitfalls you do not want to encounter when shopping for a shower or wedding gift.

I ran into this when I shopped for my daughter's shower gift. I ordered three gifts from One Stop Plus. I paid extra to have things shipped to arrive well in time for her shower. The customer service associate assured me that the items would ALL arrive in time for her shower.

I could have shopped from a reputable company who would honor their promises and not had a problem, or who would have told me upfront that one item would not be shipped on time. I could have purchased the item that was missing from somewhere else, but I didn't. I specifically asked the company rep if all items would arrive by the date needed and was assured they would even if they split shipped. I had no reason to think they would not get here when needed. They didn't arrive on time. Or at least one of them didn't.

So if you are shopping for a wedding or shower gift, and want to be sure it arrives in time for the event, and you don't have time to run around buying the same product at a brick and mortar store, don't trust them when they assure you that your items will arrive on time. Just shop brick and mortar from the start, then no worries.

Obviously the company felt as long as they shipped something to my house on the date promised it fulfilled their promises. I didn't receive a notice that one item would not arrive on time. It just wasn't there. Days later I got an email they were shipping it. Too late.

If you don't want to get stuck holding the bag and with a red face, buy from your local brick and mortar if it's a gift item. With the holidays coming it's something to consider before making your purchase.

WINNER! SAY I DO! UPS MY CHOICE!

If you have been reading my blog, you know I've been running a giveaway for an Amex Gift Card for readers who, among other things, sign up for the great new program by UPS called UPS My Choice.

The winner is... ta da! Heather Ruetschlin Schugar! Heather signed up for UPS My Choice.  Congrats Heather! Hope you have many years of enjoyment using this great service.

UPS My Choice is perfect for both brides and business people or just for shipping your holiday gifts!

In case you missed my former post about UPS My Choice, it is a program that is particularly suited to brides. The 'Say I Do to UPS My Choice' campaign was designed to help brides become aware of this great UPS service that will make their wedding easier by taking the guesswork out of knowing when gifts from your bridal registry will arrive.

Just sign up for UPS My Choice and you get a phone, email, or text alert giving you a 4-hour window of when your package is due to arrive. Simple! So if you are getting married, head over to UPS My Choice and sign up for your very own My Choice alerts!

There is also a Premium Membership for $40. It has a shorter delivery window and lets you have access to UPS' online delivery calendar so you know the status of your delivery.

Head to the link above to read all the details of each plan and choose the one that suits you best. UPS wishes all it's brides the best (and hope this program makes the lives of all their customers easier!) 


***Disclosure Statement: The UPS My Choice public relations team partnered with bloggers such as myself to help educate consumers about the UPS My Choice service. As part of this program, I received compensation for my time. They did not tell me what to say or influence opinions in my blog posts. UPS believes that consumers and bloggers are free to form their own opinions and share them in their own words. UPS's policies align with WOMMA Ethics Code, FTC guidelines and social media engagement recommendations.

Two Most Popular Wedding Gifts

You've been invited to a wedding and are wondering what to get for a gift. The bride and groom have a registry but you'd like to get the things they REALLY want the most off the registry for them.

I ran a poll of my readers asking for them to choose their favorite gifts.

• At the top 56% preferred cash.
• Directly below that housewares or something random from their registry at 50%.
• China scored 6%
• Silver also scored  6%.

It should be noted this was a relatively small sample (16 voter) and voters had the option to choose more than one option.

So I took the sampling to my local Bed, Bath and Beyond to observe brides and grooms who were registering on four Saturdays. They were offered the same options as the online poll. With their permission to report the findings, the brides and grooms reported the following:

• 49% chose cash
• 53% chose housewares or random registry items
• 8% chose china
• 3% chose silver

The sampling at BB&B consisted of a total of 25 couples. No one was interviewed unless they were registering as a couple. The interviews were done at 8 different BB&B's.

It looks like there is a trend away from formal entertaining with couples choosing instead to 'nest' and decorate their homes with items that will be used more often than expensive china or sterling silver.

Obviously this is not going to represent every bride or groom but I noted that brides and grooms who were registering for china and silver were choosing more simple patterns, avoiding ornate patterns their mothers or grandmothers might have chosen.

If you haven't registered yet, I recommend going to BB&B. Not only are their registry assistants knowledgeable, they were skilled at putting the young brides and grooms at ease. You can also start your registry at home online here. For guests who choose to shop online, BB&B makes it easy, just type in the bride or groom's name and it will take you to their registry.

Sittin' in a Tree

Art by Michael Dexter on DexMex

This print called 'Sittin' in a tree,' art by Michael Dexter, makes a perfect gift for the new couple. DexMex on Etsy is a store run by artist Michael Dexter that offers some unique artwork that makes a great wedding or shower gift,  or even a perfect 'your first house' gift. 

Art by Dex Mex on Etsy

Sometimes it is hard to find that perfect gift for the newlywed couple, whether it's a shower gift or a wedding gift and these prints solve those problems.  Michael will add the couples' names and wedding date to make each print unique.

Art by Michael Dexter on Etsy

Not only that, the artist will have them framed for you so the new couple doesn't have to worry about getting it done! A gift that truly is happily ever after!

Bad Luck Wedding Gifts?

Registering for your wedding gifts, what fun you thought right?  Little did you know the hidden shoals you might need to navigate if you are registering for flatware or kitchen knives. Actually anything with a blade even scissors or an electric can opener can bring the bridal couple bad luck! Even that cake knife and server for your wedding cake is bad luck waiting to happen.

Photo from link

The bad luck applies to any gift that can be used to cut or sever. It's believed the cutting edge may sever the friendship or in the case of a wedding gift, sever the marriage vows. So now it's 'to love, honor, cherish until knives cut?' That would be bad luck!

Some people are so superstitious that they simply choose not to give any item that could 'cut' as a wedding gift.  Still others try the sneaky way around bad luck. Some will try to purchase the knives themselves and then have the bride 'buy' them from the gift giver for a nominal amount (say a penny or two.)

Would your relatives insist on following this rule? Do you think it's antiquated and ridiculous? Would you freak out if someone gave you a set of knives for a wedding gift? Would you have pennies on hand just in case?

Well I know I always have a jar full of pennies sitting on my refrigerator, so if you need to get some change to 'buy' your knives from your guests, give me a call.  Never let it be said I'm not here to help all my readers! Personally, with the divorce rate as high as it is, maybe someone better start having those pennies on hand!

Let Them Eat Cake (With These Great Forks From Etsy!)

Etsy shop Beach House Living has these creative forks for your wedding day! Give as a shower gift or use them as a way to decorate a package, these forks are a great way to mark your special day.  Some people are just so creative!

Keepsake Tiles by Sadie Ryan -- When You Want To Display A Piece of Your Wedding Day

Photos courtesy of: http://www.sadieryantiles.com/.

Sadie Ryan Keepsake Tiles are unique gifts and the perfect way to display a copy of the invitation to your wedding. The tiles are crafted by hand using the age old practice of sand casting. This process results in an antique white finish that is a perfect foil for your wedding invitation. Each tile has a design at the edge to highlight your invitation information. At this time they offer The Fleur-de-lis & Scroll Antique Finish shown on their web site. Tiles come in two sizes: 8.75 x 7 inches or 10.75 x 6.5 inches. If there is some information you do not want on your tile, talk to them when you place your order and they will try to accomodate you. The stand is sold separately, but this makes the perfect keepsake for the newlyweds. They also do birth announcements and baby tiles.