5 Ideas for Affordable and Elegant Gifting With Wedding Invitations

Welcome to the best of Indian traditions, “Munh Meetha Keejiye”.

Saying it with sweets makes hindu wedding cards even sweeter and is the traditional way to announce an auspicious event. In our progressively sugar free world, more and more guests will appreciate the sweet thoughts behind the gift rather than its calories. There are so many more things you can gift to make your wedding invitation even more memorable.

Traditionally, it was the Indian Mithai which was the way to go. Laddoo, Barfi, Sandesh, Mysore Pak etc. from your ”best” local halwai did the trick. Then someone thought of dry fruits because they would keep longer. With everyone doing mithai and dry fruits people wanted to something unique like boutique chocolates. And the simple halwai or dry fruit box gave way to customised packing. More and more elaborate boxed invitations became vogue. All this looked fancy but ostentatious at times and it needed a designer to customise, which cost money, at times more than the gift.

• Look for suitable off-the-shelf packing

Search for trays and even shallow baskets made of paper mâché, bamboo, wood, cane, straw or something organic. They should be big enough for the gift and yet easy to carry.  Find something which can be used at home later. Plastic is out, please.

Lay out the items on a bed of wood wool or confetti, whether plain or coloured. Wrap the whole thing in a nice silver or gold mesh fabric and add a personal touch with some embellishments like flowers, bows and ribbons. This way you will design your own unique gift instead of something which looks ostentatious and impersonal.

• Look at off-the-shelf items for gifting

What are some things which you can gift without depending on a special vendor and without burning a hole in your pocket. Some things which people will use, appreciate and remember.

The moment you start looking at anything customised, it will cost you a lot more money. After all, there is a designer who is putting in the time and effort to create something unique for you, whether you are looking at customised cookies, boutique chocolates, wedding gift tags or anything out of the ordinary.

• Edibles and Nibbles

In edible items, there are many speciality and boutique companies selling flavoured teas, unique coffees, exotic nuts, dried berries, fruit preserves and jellies etc. which come in small and cute packing. Indians have eclectic tastes and stuff like khatti meethi chooran goli, aam paapad, mukhwaas  are a super duper hit. Just ensure that the original packing is good enough or you can buy small bottles and create your own labels for them. You can create a very interesting goodies tray or a basket from these.

• Go Green

Join the eco-warriors. Spread green all around without spending greenbacks. Buy lovely little planters with plants like ferns and succulents which live well indoors. People love them and they take care of them. You can never gift enough of these but one at a time is always better.

Although you will find them available online but a little effort to go to a nearby plant nursery will allow you to choose exactly what you want. Many such places also stock nice ceramic planters and will gladly replant them for you.

• Take your wedding planner’s help

Your wedding planner is your best bet for anything to do with your wedding. Wedding planners are not only very resourceful but they also have the experience to help you improvise and improve on your ideas. They can connect with clothing vendors, jewellery vendors, wedding invitation vendors where you can order wedding cards online, as well as gifting and food vendors for your requirements. You just need to be clear and firm about what you want and let them work their magic for you.