Your favorite couple has decided to tie the knot and now it’s time to start celebrating! Engagement parties are an excellent time show support for the couple as they head into wedding planning. Once you receive in the invitation, you may be wondering, what is engagement party etiquette? Do I bring a gift to an engagement party? Finding something personal to warm their home and kick off the festivities is the most traditional approach to finding the right engagement party present.
If you’re truly looking to customize the gift to your favorite couple, consider the DIY approach, crafting up something they’ll keep in their homes for decades to come. We’ve gathered 39 projects and gift ideas to spruce up their apartment, toast to their engagement or even wear throughout their wedding celebrations. This list also gets your thinking about the best wedding gifts for couples, another fun decision just around the corner.
1. Instant-Photo Holder
Source:17 Apart
Life is full of sweet moments. Add a gold clip to the top of a painted coat hook so the new couple can display all their favorite photos in their home. The clips make them easy to switch out images whenever they choose.
2. Adventure Awaits Can Cooler
Source: Shutterfly
Remind the couple of their upcoming wedding every time they toast to their marriage. This can cooler fits one photo that depicts all their big journeys together with the words “Adventure Awaits” to frame the image.
3. No-Weave Pillow
Source: A Beautiful Mess
No weaving skills are required for this playful throw pillow. Bunch together a collection of pom-poms and colorful yarn and attach to a large throw pillow with hot glue. Gift to the couple as a bright living room accent.
4. Wooden Circle Frame
Source: A Beautiful Mess
Paint a handful of small wooden circles to the outside of a simple frame for a stylish, minimalist craft idea. Add your favorite picture of the couple for a personalized DIY engagement party gift idea.
5. Forever and Ever Candle
Source: Shutterfly
Select your favorite image of the couple and add it to a delicate candle design. Choose from a selection of fresh scents like Grapefruit Blossom in the summer or Fireside Spice for a fall engagement.
6. Pom-Pom Frame
Source: A Beautiful Mess
Glue different sizes and colors of pom-poms to the outside of a white wooden frame based on the color within the image. Tuck the largest poms in two of the frame’s corner for a symmetrical and chic look.
7. Lighted Cake Topper
Source: A Joyful Riot
The next few months will be packed with cakes and celebration. Build your own adjustable lightbox with interchangeable letters and LEDs lights to brightly display your message on cakes and party serving trays.
8. Sprinkled with Love Tea Towel
Source: Shutterfly
Warm up their kitchen with a set of decorative and useful tea towels. Each one includes the message “This Kitchen is Sprinkled with Love” or your choice of a personalized phrase just for the couple.
9. Decorative Book Art
Source: Amy Latta Creations
After deconstructing three old paperback books, hand-letter the words “Love lives here” on the spines of the novels. Tie them up with decorative twine and add a flower for a romantic touch. New matter their home design, this makes for an excellent engagement party gift idea.
10. Customized Wood Slice
Source: Average but Inspired
The newly engaged couple can adorn their home with this personalized wood slice craft. Add their initials with a wood-burning tool and a bit of Metallic Luster paint for a natural look.
11. Rainbow Vase
Source: Bliss Makes
Crafty with clay? Add your favorite symbol like this collection of tri-colored rainbows to the side of a plain white vase. Before the party, fill with a fresh bunch of flowers to celebrate their engagement.
12. Bride Canvas Tote
Source: Shutterfly
The bride-to-be will have plenty of things carry from place to plan as she plans. A personalized engagement party gift idea, this personalized tote includes “Bride” or monogrammed embroidery with gold or navy trim.
13. Hand-Stenciled Glasses
Source: Buy This Cook That
Whether they’re mixing up a summer cocktail or a glass of iced tea, these playful hand-painted glasses make a great addition to a new home. Apply acrylic enamel to the outside of a stencil. Stay within a simple color scheme to match the set.
14. Honeycomb Cutting Board
Source: Club Crafted
Trace interlocking hexagons with a pencil to your choice of wooden cutting board. With a pointed tip of a wood-burning tool, trace the drawing to create a simple honeycomb look, perfect for everything from cheese plates to meal prep.
15. Framed Initials Print
Source: Drawn to DIY
This easy DIY project begins by adding the initials of the married couple-to-be over top of a sheet of acetate with gold script. Trim the acetate to fit within your frame of choice and pair with a few framed photos to display in their home as a set.
16. Hand-Lettered Salad Utensils
Source: Drawn to DIY
Personalize a set of wooden salad servers by added their initials to the handles. Paint two wooden letters to match the spoon handles and simply attach with hot glue.
17. DIY Room Sprays
Source: Hello Glow
Adding a natural scent to a room is the best way to set the mood. Add a collection of essential oils and bottle in decorative spritzers to make bright, summery blends. Hand label with your own design.
18. Summer BBQ Salad Servers
Source: Lady and the Blog
Perfect for a summer engagement, color block the handles of wooden salad spoons to create the look of watermelon a pineapple. Use a sealer to make them hand-wash safe and pair with a kitchen gift box of hosting accessories.
19. Easy Crochet Coasters
Source: Little Yellow Wheelbarrow
For those new to crocheting, these woven coasters require minimal instructions but look classic and elegant. Add a handmade tag and group together with personalized mugs or drinking glasses to round out the set.
20. 3-D Rose Pillow
Source: Little Yellow Wheelbarrow
The elegant look of fabric roses on a fluffy throw pillow makes for a lovely engagement party gift. Hand sew strands of a drop cloth for a rustic, textured look and add each rolled rose to create a garden of blooms across the front of the pillow.
21. Minimalist Candelabra
Source: Love Create Celebrate
For a sleek and modern home decor, DIY a four-candle display with basic piping and black spray paint. The newly engaged couple can light up their meals for many dinners to come.
21. Diamond Clay Wall Planter
Source: Make and Fable
Combine simple shapes from air-dry clay in neutral tones or paint with the couple’s favorite color scheme. Fill with dirt and succulents for easy care and add a hook to the back of the planter to be hung anywhere in their home.
23. Wine Box Herb Garden
Source: Minted Strawberry
Combine your passion for wine and rustic design by repurposing a wooden wine box and adding hand-painted lettering with the help of a stencil. Fill the small garden with cooking herbs for easy access as the newlyweds cook their favorite meals.
24. Floral Wooden Tray
Source: Minted Strawberry
Catch-all trays are versatile decor items that are both beautiful and useful. Line the inside of a simple wooden tray with your favorite fabric design and gift to the couple to match their home design.
25. DIY World Clock
Source: Pillar Box Blue
Is the newly engaged couple passionate about travel? Print out their favorite area of the world and repurpose a basic Ikea clock to showcase in their home. For an extra nostalgic touch, set the clock to that time zone.
26. Handsewn Map Cushion
Source: Pillar Box Blue
There are so many travels ahead for the soon-to-be newlyweds. Use denim swatches against simple linen to create a map of the world. Add small heart patches to mark where they met, where they’ve traveled or where the couple is from.
27. Ceramic Photo Tile
Source: Shutterfly
This personalized piece of home decor includes a family photo and a loving saying all printed onto a delicate ceramic tile. Each tile includes a decorative wrought-iron display easel to place on their mantelpiece or in the foyer.
28. DIY Autumnal Wreath
Source: Sisters, What!
Ready to use year after year, attach a colorful collection of craft pumpkins, gourds and pops of greenery and flowers to a simple embroidery hood. Wrap your choice of crafter’s twine around the hood to complete the look.
29. Fruit and Floral Ice Bucket
Source: Sugar and Charm
Looking for a fun way to bring your champagne gift to an engagement party? Use an ice bucket as a mold to create an ice vase packed with flowers, strawberries and other brightly colored fruits. Display in a clear container during the party as it melts and reveals the decor inside.
30. All Natural Bath Bombs
Source: Sugar and Charm
Amidst all the wedding planning, the couple will want to unwind with a little self-care. These bath fizzies only use natural ingredients and can be grouped into a gift collection of various scents and colors.
31. Monogram Pilsner Glass
Source: Shutterfly
Is the couple a pair of local beer lovers? Gift them a set of tall pilsner glasses with an etched monogram. Pair in a gift set with their favorite collection of craft beer.
32. Handmade Engagement Mug
Source: The Bewitchin Kitchen
Right after your best girl gets popped the question, head to her engagement party with a DIY mug for her daily cup of coffee. Write “does this ring make me look engaged” or other fun bridesmaid phrases for her to spot every morning.
33. Kitchen Utensil Bouquet
Source: The Chic Site
Looking for a quick and easy engagement gift that will last years? Pick out a collection of helpful cooking utensils and bundle them up with a giant ribbon like a bouquet of flowers. This idea by Rachel Hollis from The Chic Site pairs perfectly in a gift basket with a baking sheet or pan.
34. Wedding Shadow Box Frame
Source: The Craft Blog
Add a touch of your personal crafting skills to a collection of photos from the couple’s relationship up until this point. Set the photos within a deeply mounted frame and add small doilies and ribbons for a classic look.
35. Round Fabric Placemats
Source: The Crafted Blog
By adding a layer of Mod Podge to a circle of patterned fabric, you can create an easy placement gift set for any couple’s style. Pair these with personalized napkin rings and candle holders for a full dining gift set.
36. Festive Cork Wreath
Source: The Latina Next Door
Hot glue a large collection of wine and champagne corks to a straw wreath for a modern addition to your favorite couple’s kitchen. For the first layer, line the corks up in even lines and then alternate the next group to give a layered effect.
37. Quote Collage Duvet Cover
Source: Shutterfly
Combine all your favorite quotes and sayings about marriage and add them to a personalized duvet cover. Every day, their own bedroom design will include family photos, the monogram and inspiring messages for their upcoming nuptials.
38. Geometric Heart Decor
Source: Tinsel and Wheat
Add a touch of gold to their home by stenciling a geometric heart shape and a welcoming message to a small wood block. Mount the whole design to a separate piece of richly colored wood to complete the piece.
39. Five-Ingredient Body Butter
Source: Twinspiration
Choose a decorative jar and fill with a collection of coconut oil, shea and cocoa butter, and your selection of essential oils. Fluff it all together with an electric mixer and package with a bundle it up with instructions for use.
The engagement party is often the kick-off event for all the wedding festivities to come. While some couples create a wish list for engagement party gift ideas, most are only beginning to explore what to register for wedding gifts. Your present is not only a beautiful addition to their home but can also get them thinking about amazing registry ideas for their upcoming big day.
