Choosing the perfect bridal shower gift isn’t always easy. You’ll likely need to find a gift that balances bridal shower etiquette, the bride-to-be’s personality, and your budget. But what makes a bridal shower gift different from a wedding gift? Do you need to bring the hostess a gift? And how do you make sure no one else will buy the bride the same gift you get her? We’ve answered these questions and more in the following sections. So if you’ve received a bridal shower invitation, it’s time to start planning your bridal shower gifts with the ideas and information listed below.
Jump to:
- Bridal Shower Gifts vs. Wedding Shower Gifts
- Bridal Shower Gifts vs. Bachelorette Party Gifts
- Bridal Shower Gift Ideas
- Bridal Shower Hostess Gifts
- Do You Also Need a Wedding Gift?
Bridal Shower Gifts vs. Wedding Shower Gifts
Most brides will have either a bridal shower or wedding shower, depending on the couple’s preference. The main difference between wedding showers and bridal showers is that bridal showers are for women only, but wedding showers are co-ed and celebrate both the bride and groom. Because of this, gifts for a wedding shower should be bought with the couple in mind, not just the bride.
If you’re attending a bridal shower and want to make sure you understand the rules and expectations for the event, make sure to visit our guide on bridal shower gift etiquette. The main points you should know are to bring a bridal shower gift for the bride, and you can also bring a wedding congratulations card as well. Typically, you’ll want to find a more personal, smaller item for the bride and save bigger items for your gift.
Bridal Shower Gifts vs. Bachelorette Party Gifts
Bridal showers are meant to prepare the bride-to-be for her future life as a married woman, whereas a bachelorette party is meant for the bride to de-stress, celebrate, and enjoy her present pre-married life. Wedding showers are hosted parties, where the host pays for the event—including the food, catering, decorations, and anything else—and invites the guests, whereas bachelorette parties are often co-hosted by the friends of the bride.
With bridal showers, it’s very common and often expected, that guests will arrive with gifts. These gifts are typically related to the home or the life between the new couple. The wedding shower is traditionally hosted by a friend or family member close to the bride and is often an afternoon or late morning affair.
The bachelorette party is usually a weekend away or a night out that is planned by the bride’s close friends, and, typically, her maid of honor. Because the gals pals pay for the bachelorette party, gifts aren’t always given. And if they are, they tend to be less elaborate and more personal. Bachelorette party gifts are a personal memento of their friendship, marital advice, or a funny inside joke.
Bridal Shower Gift Ideas
As her wedding day approaches, you want to make sure your bride-to-be feels loved and appreciated. These personalized gift ideas do just that. Find inspiration in a pair of custom luggage tags for the travel-focused bride, or with a personalized recipe book for the bride who loves to bake. Use our gift guide to find bridal gifts that make sense for her personality and style – bonus points for the gifts that can be useful! She’ll likely need more home or kitchen items, especially if she’s moving to a new home with her future spouse. If all else fails, sentimental gifts are also always a great way to go. She’ll love reliving memories of her times with friends or with her partner.
1. Monogrammed Cutting Board
Whether the soon-to-be-newlyweds love hosting, cooking, or cheese tasting, a personalized cutting board would make the perfect addition to their home. Personalize it with the household’s last name(s) for an extra special touch they’re sure to love. Cutting boards make unique wedding gifts too since they can double as cheese boards for the couple that loves to have elegant wine nights or simple picnics outside.
2. Couple’s Picture Frame
Even if you’re attending a bridal shower, that doesn’t mean you can’t give gifts the couple will appreciate together. One great gift idea is a framed print with a photo of the happy couple together. If you’ve been friends with the couple for a while, you probably have some great options even they haven’t seen before. You can also frame some great photo prints of your friend group, or if you’re part of the family they’ll love a framed picture of the gang altogether.
3. Stainless Steel Travel Mug
If the bride is always on the go consider gifting her a stainless steel travel mug. You can customize the tumbler with photos, captions, and designs of your choice making it the perfect custom gift. Consider adding tea boxes or coffee packs to the gift, depending on the bride’s particular taste, to make your gift stand out from the rest. Pairing a personalized gift with a kit of other useful items is a great way to show her she’s loved and appreciated.
4. Something from Her Wedding Registry
When in doubt, always stick to the bride’s wedding registry. After all, the couple spent a significant amount of time customizing their registry and you already know that they want those gifts. Don’t fear that your gift isn’t personalized or “from the heart” if you pick something from the registry: your bride-to-be is guaranteed to appreciate it! Some brides might also have a bridal shower registry, which makes gifting even easier since you don’t have to pick twice from the same list. Whichever gift you choose, you can still offer a personalized wedding congratulations card to make it more unique.
5. Custom Mason Jar
Are you known for your baking talents or a specific type of cookies? Or is the bride a candy lover with a weakness for chocolates? If so, consider buying a custom mason jar with the bride’s name or couple’s initials. Then fill the jar with her favorite sweet treats! If she’s an iced coffee addict, she’ll love getting to reuse the mug for lattes and cold brew in a cup that’s stylish and cute.
6. DIY Recipe Book
If the honoree loves spending time in the kitchen or trying new recipes, a personalized cookbook might be the perfect gift for her. Simply customize a special photo book with recipes from her family, friends, or coworkers for a gift she’s guaranteed to appreciate. If you’re part of her family, she’ll love seeing the family recipes all in one place so she can recreate the tried and true recipes for her own future family!
7. His & Hers Luggage Tags
Are the bride and groom true jet setters? Are they going out of the country for their honeymoon? If so, consider gifting a set of his & hers luggage tags at the bridal shower. This isn’t just a practical gift; the bride is guaranteed to love the personalization of the design and will look forward to using it in her upcoming travels.
8. New Home Supplies
If the bride and groom are planning on moving in together after the nuptials, they’re likely in need of new home supplies. It’s easy to forget about home essentials such as cutlery, pots, towels, and plates– until you don’t have enough. These make excellent bridal shower and wedding gifts that help transition the new couple into married life. One great idea includes personalized dinner plates, which they’ll love for hosting or just to have some fun with their dishware.
9. Wine + Wine Glasses
If the bride is known for her love of Pinot, why not gift a bottle at her bridal shower? Make it extra special by including a set of personalized wine glasses. Customize the glasses with her initials, wedding date, or the words “I do” for a keepsake she’ll treasure forever. Wine glasses also make for the best bridal shower gifts since you can even break them out right there! Have the girls test them out and enjoy a beverage while the rest of the presents are opened.
10. Travel Tumbler & Picnic Gift Set
These travel tumblers can hold up to 12 ounces of wine or your favorite beverage. They’re made of FDA food-safe stainless steel with a plastic lid to keep your drink from spilling, making them the perfect picnic accessory. Pair them with a picnic gift basket for a picture-perfect bridal shower gift. She’ll love the personalized touch while being able to use the unique bridal shower gifts with her spouse for a fun date idea.
11. Fleece Photo Blanket
Fleece photo blankets are warm, cozy, and packed with fond memories. Customize the bride’s blanket with photos of her and the bridal party, the couple’s engagement photos, or anything else you think she’ll love. If she’s having an off-season wedding, she’ll especially love the blanket to stay cozy leading up to the wedding and beyond.
12. Personalized Pillow Set
You can never have enough decorative pillows, especially if you’re moving into a new home. So if your bride is planning on making a move after her big day, consider gifting her a set of custom-designed pillows. Use special photos, phrases, or her and her partner’s initials to bring your gift to life. She’ll love the personalized decor, and it’ll be especially great to cross something off her list for things to buy for a new home.
13. Custom Tea Towel
Tea towels aren’t just kitchen mess essentials– they can also add to your kitchen’s overall design. Customize a set of personalized tea towels to gift at your upcoming bridal shower party by including the initials or last name(s) of the soon to be newlyweds in the design. Tea towels are a great bridal shower gift since they might be something she’s looking for on her own, but they’ll be sure to brighten up her kitchen space.
14. Engraved Jewelry
Engraved jewelry is commonly gifted from bridesmaids to their honoree. This one-of-a-kind accessory lets the bride know how appreciated and celebrated she is before her wedding day. Engrave the jewelry with her first name, initials, or wedding date. She’s sure to love the bridal jewelry and will be able to wear it for years to come.
15. Personalized Growler
For the brew-loving bride, consider gifting her a personalized growler. It doubles as a great home warming and bridal shower gift and can be customized with any text you choose. The stainless steel interior is long-lasting and can hold up to 64 ounces, making it perfect for any beer connoisseur. To customize the growlers, include a monogram with her new initials if she’s changing her name. She’ll love seeing something that commemorates her marriage and the next chapter of her life.
16. Set of The Best Kitchen Gifts
When it comes to bridal shower gifts, you can’t go wrong with kitchen accessories and utensils. Both her and her new spouse will appreciate gifts that are both personalized and useful, especially if they’re trying to fill up a new home with the essentials. Shop Shutterfly’s kitchen and tabletop gifts to pick the options that make sense for the new couple, whether they need utensils, dishes, glassware, towels, and more. Instead of choosing one or two items, build a small kit with everything they’ll need to get started with a beautiful, useful kitchen.
Bridal Shower Hostess Gifts
Part of bridal shower etiquette means that the bride doesn’t plan her own bridal shower. Instead, the host is usually a close family member or friend who’s also in the wedding party. It’s common practice for the bride-to-be to gift something to her hostess during or after the shower. It’s a great way to say thank you for her time, care, and attention. This hostess gift can be a small token of appreciation, such as a bottle of wine with a thank you note, or something more personalized.
1. Photo Candle
After the stress of planning a bridal shower, help your hostess relax with a set of custom photo candles. The luxe look and feel of these photo candles make them perfect for a hostess gift. Pair with a bath bomb or thank you note to let her know how much you appreciated her work.
2. Her Favorite Wine Bottle
Wine is a traditional bridal shower gift used to thank the hostess for her time and effort putting together the event. If you know she has a favorite wine label, stick to that. Otherwise, it’s wise to stay within a $25-$35 bottle price limit. Wrap the bottle with a decorative ribbon or in a wine gift bag for a finishing touch that’s sure to impress. Pair the wine bottle with personalized wine glasses so it’s ready to pop up and try.
3. Cheese Board Supplies
Cheeseboards and supplies are the perfect hostess gift. Gift a customized set to your hostess that she can use in all her future parties. You can use Shutterfly’s personalized cutting boards to design the perfect cheese board. Consider wrapping additional supplies like cheese knives, honey, crackers, and tea towels for a gift basket she’ll love.
4. Custom Picture Frame
Create a customized picture frame for your hostess to showcase the photos taken at the bridal shower. As an added bonus, ask everyone who attended to sign a message of gratitude on the frame. Alternatively, order a framed print of the bride and the hostess together.
5. Goodie Filled Custom Tote Bag
Fill a personalized cotton tote bag with all of the hostess’s favorite things. This can include anything from wine bottles to her favorite chocolates or macaroons to wool slippers. Whatever you choose, make sure to personalize the bag with a special design to let her know how much you appreciate her.
Do You Also Need a Wedding Gift Ideas?
Yes, you are typically expected to bring a gift to both a bridal shower and the wedding itself, unless otherwise noted on the invitations. It’s also common to bring small gifts if invited to an engagement party or bachelorette party. However, most modern couples understand that attending several wedding parties and celebrations can be expensive. Therefore, you’re not expected to bring a large or costly gift to every celebration. Instead, stick with a small, more personal or sentimental gift for the bridal shower and a bigger, more useful gift for the wedding. Like our bridal shower gifts, Shutterfly’s wedding gifts are all fully customizable so you can make sure you’re designing something they’ll love and appreciate.
Final Thoughts on the Best Personalized Gifts for Bridal Showers
Before shopping for bridal shower gifts, take a look at the bride’s bridal shower or wedding registry. To make sure you’re giving the most unique bridal shower gifts, you can always choose something off the registry and make it a personalized option through Shutterfly. If the bride doesn’t have a bridal shower registry or you want to save gifts for the couple for the wedding day, Shutterfly’s personalized gifts make great bridal shower gifts. Shop our resources below to easily find what you need to make her shower and wedding extra special.
Additional Resources
