engagement present please??

murphyev

hey my friends have gotten engaged and they are having a party soon i would like to get them something nice and unusual but am lacking ideads??

please help? boyfriend is best man so i need somethin good!

magneticimpulse

Is it only necessary to get a present if the couple have an engagement party? My friends live the other side of the world, and ive not even seen them since they got engaged. next time i see them will be there wedding day. should i try and send something over? ive never heard many people talking about engagement gifts

happyeverafter

Not a picture frame cos they'll probably get lots of them.
Voucher for a meal - assuming that they'll be saving for a wedding and won't get many nights out....Or a wedding magazine subscription....Some photographers do engagement photo sessions. I know that my DH loves to get a hot towel shave so maybe that for the groom and a make up session for the bride...

ThePiedPiper

I wouldn't be normally in favour of buying engagement presents for people and certainly wouldn't feel obliged. Weddings are expensive enough without expecting your friends to buy presents for the engagement. Engagement parties shouldn't be an excuse to get more presents from people in my opinion. Ok, rant over.

When we got engaged, we did get a couple bottles of wine bought for us as presents. We didn't have a party so it was unexpected. A friend bought us a lovely present of two champagne glasses, one saying Bride on it and the other Groom. We had them on our wedding day and every so often on a special occasion now, we still take them out even though they hilariously now say ride and room as the letters fell off!!!

D3PO

I dont think anybody should be obliged to give an engagement present, that said we always have done and also recieved presents from all of our close friends and families although totally unexpected.

Some of the things we got OP might help your choose :0

Champagne
Champagne Flutes
Wine glasses
Contemporary statue
Cash
Dinner voucher
Picture frame (loads)
Wedding planner (loads)

spadesaspade

just give a voucher, something that they can get themselves?

If not, then maybe a nice set of steak knives or something

kandr10

RunForestRun wrote: »

Weddings are expensive enough without expecting your friends to buy presents for the engagement. Engagement parties shouldn't be an excuse to get more presents from people in my opinion.

I doubt very much that anyone would expect an engagement present, no less than you did. As for having a party, it's probably to celebrate a happy event (or am I naive?!) I don't think people organise them to collect gifts.
OP was merely looking for suggestions!
Incidentally, I think most ideas mentioned already are good ones, including picture frame

ThePiedPiper

kandr10 wrote: »

(or am I naive?!) I don't think people organise them to collect gifts.
OP was merely looking for suggestions!

Sorry kandr, but you are being naive. A few drinks in the pub, fair enough, these type of parties are not about the couple looking for presents. However, I've been at a couple of ones where there's absolutely been an expectation of getting gifts and it just leaves a bit of a sour taste. That's just my experience and judging from the OP's tone, he or she feels like he/she must get a very good present for the couple.

Anyhow, sorry for going a bit off topic and yes, there are some very good suggestions here for gifts so I'll leave it at that.

tinkerbell

I don't think there is any need to get them an engagement present. You'll be buying something for them for their wedding presumably, so you shouldn't have to buy both.

chupi

Hi op, do you think they want presents? Just we're having an engagement party (today!) and definitely don't want presents! Everyone is broke enough as it is, we're not getting engaged so we can add to their financial woes

Some of our friends have been amazing completely organising the party, buying wine, one has arranged for 50 cupcakes to be delivered. But I consider these huge gifts and totally unexpected or required, we're throwing a party as we want to celebrate with everyone we love not so we can get free stuff. We even said on the facebook invite just bring yourselves no pressies needed! Just a thought

bills

Not wine glasses or champagne flutes etc!!!!

we have about 5 or 6 sets of wine glassses which we got as engagement presents.

Seems to be the obvious choice so I would avoid.

How about a voucher for a nice dinner somewhere- I would love this!!

tobsey

Hi,

We had an engagement party almost two weeks ago. We got engaged Christmas Eve and with the bad weather didn't get to meet up with a lot of our friends for a drink so thats why we had the party. So many people turned up that we hadn't seen in ages which was great. Like others have said we didn't expect presents due to everyone's financial issues. However people were way too generous and we told them so as we didn't expect anything. We got:

Cash, numerous photo frames, champagne, wine, candles, vase, wine glasses, champagne glasses, meal vouchers and an offer of free babysitting (which I was most excited about)!!!

If you think you have/want to give something, it can just be a token of some sort. I really don't think people expect it as I didn't. Also, these people will be going to the wedding and thats an expensive day for everyone involved!!