The Wedding Present Conundrum

At my age practically every weekend is taken up with one of the following; an engagement party, a hen do, or a wedding. In fact, I am currently suffering heavily from the effects of my cousin’s wedding. You would have thought the previous 85,000 weddings I’ve been to over the past few years would have taught me some self restraint but alas that lesson is yet to sink in. You may have to forgive me for the brevity of this blog post - in my current post wedding slump I’m struggling to concentrate for more than a few minutes on any given task.

One of the dilemmas of nuptials is what to get the bride and groom as a present. The classic line on the invitation reads; “Your presence at our wedding is enough of a present, but if you did want to buy us something you can find the gift list at…” We all know what this means. You’re absolutely expected to buy them a present. Foolhardy is the guest who believes that their presence really is enough of a present.

So off you go to your laptop to check out the options on the gift list. Depending on how efficient you are you might be lucky enough to get in there before everyone has snapped up the reasonably priced presents. Those who make the mistake of delaying pay the price for it as only the eye wateringly expensive gifts that no one else wanted to buy remain. You’ve left it too late to be creative and think outside the box and the only option is to give them a rug with the equivalent value of a weekend away in New York. Suddenly being a wedding guest has become a serious investment.

What I have decided to do is avoid this whole harrowing experience and instead give them… yes, you’ve guessed it... a personalised cushion! What could be more personal than a cushion embroidered with their names, or with an amusing phrase that’s specific to the happy couple, and with the date of the wedding on it? What’s even better is that you know that your present will be one that they will constantly look at and remember as it will be perched on a sofa or chair available for all to see rather than tucked away in a kitchen cupboard.  

So the next time you’re faced with spending your holiday fund on a painfully expensive vase for your friends, open up a new tab on your internet browser, tear your eyes away from the pictures of Thai beaches, type in www.sillycushions.co.uk, and then dig out your passport because you are off on holiday!