Wedding Gift from the Maid of Honor

[KandD]

I am a MOH for my best friend's wedding. I have never been a MOH before and I want to know what type of present is appropriate for the actual wedding. I am not paying for the shower (the bride's mother is) but the rest of the bridesmaid and I are chipping in for the favors, a dessert table, and some little extras. We will all chip in again for the bachlorette party and then I think we are all going to go in together for a nice piece of jewelry for the bride.

So all in all I am not out very many expenses (I don't know if that is considered when buying the wedding gift or not). I want to get her something really special but should I just stick to cash? Is there a customary gift from the MOH to the bride? For her shower gift I was going to get her a gift certificate to a local scrapbooking store for her album once the wedding is over. I live in a pay for your plate area if that helps!!

Thanks!

 

[mjkacmom]

My sister was mine - she gave me $500. Everyone gives cash here. I've never heard of the bridesmaids giving jewelry to the bride - here, the bride gives jewelry to the bridesmaids to wear at the wedding.

 

[RadioFanatic]

although cash is great; one of my favorite gifts was from one of my bridesmaids - a REALLY nice set of luggage. We used that luggage for ten years of our marriage, starting with the honeymoon. I still have one of the pieces which we use.

 

[KandD]

My sister was mine - she gave me $500. Everyone gives cash here. I've never heard of the bridesmaids giving jewelry to the bride - here, the bride gives jewelry to the bridesmaids to wear at the wedding.

Maybe I'll just give cash then.

The jewelry is just an informal gift from us, its not for the shower or wedding or anything it is just going to be something nice that she can wear on her wedding day.

 

[mjkacmom]

Maybe I'll just give cash then.

The jewelry is just an informal gift from us, its not for the shower or wedding or anything it is just going to be something nice that she can wear on her wedding day.

Is it a surprise? I think most brides are pretty particular about what they want to wear on their wedding day (I wore my grandmother's pearls).

 

[KandD]

Is it a surprise? I think most brides are pretty particular about what they want to wear on their wedding day (I wore my grandmother's pearls).

Yes it is a surprise. We were going to try to get a bracelet to match the necklace she is wearing. Maybe we will skip the jewelery....so many decisions!

 

[meliss8599]

Is this the wedding gift or just an additional gift for JUST the bride b/c you're the MOH? Is the MOH supposed to get an additional gift?

I'm curious too b/c I'm the MOH in my cousin's wedding in a couple of weeks. I've been BLEEEEEEDING money for this wedding so I'm like over thinking I would have to spend even more on an additional gift.

 

[KandD]

Is this the wedding gift or just an additional gift for JUST the bride b/c you're the MOH? Is the MOH supposed to get an additional gift?

I'm curious too b/c I'm the MOH in my cousin's wedding in a couple of weeks. I've been BLEEEEEEDING money for this wedding so I'm like over thinking I would have to spend even more on an additional gift.

Well the gift that I am asking about is the wedding gift. The whole jewelry thing is just a little something extra that we are doing. I guess I am just not sure if you are supposed to factor in the amount that you have spent on the wedding when you buy the wedding gift?

I am in another wedding but I am just a bridesmaid, not the maid of honor, and it is a relative of my boyfriend's so I am not too concerned about that one because he can make the decision! LOL

 

[arminnie]

Trust your instincts - you know the bride.

I've lived in the South, West Coast, and Midwest - in my experiences in those regions the brides I've known would probably be expecting a gift over cash.

The NY/NJ crowd seems to expect money. No wrong answer - but as in all gifts try to think what would appeal to your friend the most.

 

[LuvOrlando]

I think it's very nice of you to be thinking of your friend's big day like this. The last time I looked through Bridal magazine for a cousin I read an article about how helping the couple pay for a part of the Honeymoon was the 'in' thing to do. For example, many couples take cruises so an excursion would be a nice gift. For land based honeymoons they suggested special treats at the resort like a couples massage or a gift certificate to a nice restaurant in the area. If this is too expensive then maybe champagne or a gift certificate for some room service. Some couples even put their honeymoon on a registry but to me that can be a bit presumptuous, but it depends on the situation, I wouldn't blink an eye if I knew the couple very well or was related.

 

[Fire14]

My moh gave us a dvd tower that was on our registery but I honestly think it was more from her mom than her. Just her being there was enough for me.

 

[pixiewings71]

We gave my BFF (I was her MOH) and her DH a beautiful painting done by my DBF's Dad. We gave him photos of the wedding and he printed them, glued them to a canvas and then he paints over, around and on them. It turned out soooooooooo good!!!! I'm also making her a cross stitch but had to take a break doing stuff like that due to having tendonitis in my wrist. For her bachlorette party she wanted to go wine tasting so the bridesmaids and myself all pitched in to pay for her tastings and for the limo. We also all chipped that night at the club so she didn't have to pay. She assigned us each specific tasks she wanted us to take care of, I was in charge of the bach party and the bridesmaids were in charge of the bridal shower and the engagement party. It worked out great.

 

[bumbershoot]

Is it a surprise? I think most brides are pretty particular about what they want to wear on their wedding day (I wore my grandmother's pearls).

Yeah, I would skip the jewelry.

My MOH decided to make me a little purse out of some fabric that she thought would match the flowergirl/junior bridesmaid (my half sis was 9, and we couldn't decide what to call her), but I already *had* a little purse that I'd paid out the nose for. I used MOH's bag b/c I didn't want to hurt her feelings, but I didn't like it. And my stepmom didn't use the fabric I'd sent (she SAID she was going to make a dress, but they ended up buying one instead) so it didn't match anything. And it broke.



My MOH put on the shower for me, though it was minimal (b/c I"m a minimal type of person), and she helped arrange a bachelorette weekend (I do believe I paid my way, but everyone else paid their own ways as well), but she still did buy me a gift for wedding and shower (wow, never thought of it altogether like that!)...each gift was one place setting of our silverware that we'd registered for. Sadly, the pattern was discontinued too soon after our wedding and we didn't have the money to buy the other settings, so we just have the two, which means we can easily think of her whenever we use those.

 

[scrapquitler]

When I was the MOH, I gave the bride (my almost-the same age-aunt) and groom crystal champagne glasses to be used at the wedding as a shower gift. I don't think I gave them a wedding gift. I did help pay for the bridal shower, my dress, shoes, hairdo, etc. But I was a starving college student at time.

When I got married, my MOH (the bride in the previous example) gave me lingere, champagne glasses and paid for the wedding invitations in addition to all the costs of being MOH (like the dress, the shoes, the shower, etc). I didn't expect more than that.

 

[Kimberly]

although cash is great; one of my favorite gifts was from one of my bridesmaids - a REALLY nice set of luggage. We used that luggage for ten years of our marriage, starting with the honeymoon. I still have one of the pieces which we use.

I actually did the very same for one of my good g/f's. She always uses them! I remember in undergrad, she always used to complain about not having any nice luggage, or it all falling apart. Solved that problem quickly!

 

[DMRick]

I don't know what world I'm living in, but here, the MOH gets a gift from the bride (as a thank you for being in the wedding), not the other way around. I mean the MOH would give a wedding gift from her and her SO, if there was one, just like any other guest, but not just because she is the MOH. And it certainly wouldn't be in the hundreds..after all, she did buy her dress and shoes already, and in many cases share expenses for a shower.

 

[DMRick]

Your MOH paid for your wedding invites? Why?

When I got married, my MOH (the bride in the previous example) gave me lingere, champagne glasses and paid for the wedding invitations in addition to all the costs of being MOH (like the dress, the shoes, the shower, etc). I didn't expect more than that.

 

[scrapquitler]

Your MOH paid for your wedding invites? Why?

I knew someone would ask that

Well,she was my aunt, and a relative of her husband was the printer, so he agreed to do it at cost. My parents and DH and I were paying for the wedding, and we didn't have too much money at that point, so she thought it would be a good gift to give us. Besides that, I didn't want a lot of the frou-frou wedding gifts, I only wanted practical things, so I was very happy. I did choose the invitations myself, she just paid the bill.

All the pomp and circumstance of the wedding was really not even something that I was all that interested in, we only had a 'real wedding' because our parents wanted it. I just was so over the decorations, the dresses, worrying about the colors of the linens etc. For example, when it came time to choose bridesmaids dresses, I said to them: Well, YOU are the ones paying for it, you are going to be wearing it. The two of you can choose the dresses, and they did. That stuff just wasn't important to me. I was probably the furthest from being a Bridezilla. Oh? I have to choose the cake flavor? whatever.... I was more interested in BEING married than having a Wedding.

 

[arminnie]

. I guess I am just not sure if you are supposed to factor in the amount that you have spent on the wedding when you buy the wedding gift?

One time when we borrowed dresses I spent MORE on the gift since I didn't have to buy the other stuff.

I've been to two huge over the top wedding in the past 6 months. Latest trend seems to be having the bridesmaids wear a black dress of their choosing. No matching dresses or shoes. these were big, very elegant weddings so not casual at all. Worked out great as far as I was concerned.

 

[lilosurf11]

I'm going to be the MoH at my best friend's wedding, so I had the same kind of question. So I asked my mom and she said to get her something nice that she could put out when she has company. I found a dish at a store called Occassionally Yours, and it's really pretty. It's a painted serving dish for bread or chips or whatever.