If we think of the one thing India is obsessed with; leaving cricket and film stars out, one would surely come up with Indian Weddings as the evergreen topic of interest. It is said to be the one recession-proof industry, which simultaneously provides jobs, brings about family reunions and gives an endless array of topics of conversations (and gossip!)
The one peculiar aspect of Indian culture is that we make Indian Weddings a multi-day (or week) event, and end up turning up on the weddings of even distant cousins, irrespective of work schedules and distances. Every aspect of the occasion, right from clothes, venues, stage-sets, and yes honeymoon destinations of the would-be couples is sliced, diced and benchmarked, to be referred to for posterity.
No wonder then, that giving a gift on the occasion of a wedding, engagement, roka or anniversary is no task for the faint of heart! If you have to do this remotely, using the services of an online gifting company, then be warned – your task ahead is tougher still. We, at Gujarat Gifts, would like to share some tips to help you make this gifting occasion a pleasant one!
- Know the personality of the Bride & Groom: Chances are, you know only one side of the family, and the bride / groom to be is a big fill-in-the-blank for you. If you want the gift to be a memorable one, and stand out from the heap, you need to invest time in understanding the other person. Without advocating stalking, you may want to check out the person’s social media profile (google plus, facebook, linkedin), whether (s)he is working or not and what the background is. This will help you decide whether you want to go sophisticated or desi, practical or dreamy, and your gift will be appreciated that much better!
- Avoid Risqué Gifts: Yes, we know bachelor / hen parties are quite the rage abroad, but are you really sure, the as-yet-unknown groom will appreciate that hilarious gag “T-Shirt”? You also have to contend with the possibility of your gift being received by another member of the family, inviting considerable embarrassment on the part of your acquaintance.
- Personalize it: Most gifting companies allow you to send a free greeting card along with your gift. Make use of that, and pen a nice memorable message for the couple-to-be. Chances are, that’s the gift that they will keep, and look at, years down the line. If you have good photos of the couple, you can even choose from a wide range of personalized gifts, which are sure to be a hit.
- Avoid Cash / Cheque: Yes, it’s a pretty practical solution to just give money to the newly-weds, but we strongly advocate against it. Unless you are related to the recipients very closely, giving money has a high chance of coming across as crass and thoughtless. If you really must, then a better option is to give commemorative gifts like gold coins, jewellery, which are near-cash, yet much more tasteful, as a gift.
- When all fails…: If you don’t have the time, energy or the closeness to the recipient that justifies a fine-tuned effort, it might be better to stick to the traditional and opt for flowers, along with classy chocolates. Be sure to research what each type of flower means, and choose accordingly. We have some fun details on that at http://www.gujaratgifts.com/meaning-of-flowers.html
So there you have it – we hope you enjoyed our tips to help you make the most of gifting on weddings, and related occasions. If you have any suggestions, do let us know!
Visit us at: http://www.gujaratgifts.com/wedding-gifts-to-india.html
