Getting the news that a close friend or family member has gotten engaged can be exhilarating — and cue a flood of happy tears. So it is only natural to want to express your excitement for the newly engaged couple by giving them a gift to mark the special occasion!
In this guide, we’ve broken down everything you need to know about giving an engagement gift. Read on for etiquette tips like when to give the gift and if you’re required to bring a gift for an engagement party (hint, you’re not), as well as 37 beautiful engagement gift ideas.
DO I HAVE TO BRING A GIFT TO AN ENGAGEMENT PARTY? & OTHER ETIQUETTE CONSIDERATIONS
Traditionally, only very close family members and friends gave the couple engagement gifts; however, these days, there is no hard-and-fast rule — it varies between communities of friends and families. Unsure of what to do? Follow these engagement gift guidelines to decide:
- Consider the formality of the engagement party invitation. If you received an engagement party invitation in the mail from the couple’s parents, bring a gift to the celebration and avoid showing up empty-handed. However, if you got a text message about an informal gathering with friends, pick up a bottle of wine or champagne to toast the couple.
- If you decide to buy an engagement gift, spend around 20% of your total gift budget. Remember that an engagement party is just the first of many occasions to celebrate the happy couple! Plan to spend another 20% on a bridal shower present and the remaining 60% on a wedding gift.
- There’s typically some time between a couple announcing their engagement and the actual engagement party happening, so if you bought the couple a treat when they first shared the exciting news with you, don’t feel like you need to get them another gift for their official engagement party.
- You may get the couple something from their registry if they have one already. However, chances are that they have not quite gotten around to that whole gift registry thing yet. If that’s the case, then check out our favorite engagement gift ideas below.
Unique Engagement Gift Ideas
1. Candles
You can never really go wrong giving a candle as a gift. If you’re close enough to the couple to know what scents they prefer, opt for a nice scented candle. If you’re unsure of their tastes, go for a pair or tapered candles in a fun color or shape for them to use as decor.
2. Monogrammed Hand-Painted Candle
If you’re going the unscented candle route, make your gift feel a little more personal by picking up a pillar candle featuring the couple's initials hand-painted into the wax alongside other beautiful decorative elements.
3. Candle Holders and Candelabras
To make the gift of tapered candles feel more elevated, pair them with candle holders or a candelabra that matches the couple’s style. Simple brass or brushed-metal candlesticks are a failsafe, or you could look for something more funky and sculptural for couples who don’t shy away from bold decor.
4. Matches and Matchboxes
Matchboxes and matchbooks are often overlooked as gifts, but they check all of our gift giving boxes — they’re beautiful, useful, and are likely something the couple won’t buy for themselves. A unique matchbox or matchbook, especially one that can be customized with the couple’s names, engagement date, and even engagement location, can easily become a cherished (and budget-friendly!) keepsake.
5. Custom Wine Box
If you know the couple loves to open up a bottle of wine over dinners at home, give them a lovely way to store and display their collection. Many artisans make boxes that can be customized with names, initials, and dates — and that come with surprising features like wine glass storage.
6. Custom Cutting Boards
Make this classic gift feel a little more special by giving the couple a cutting board customized with their names or engagement date. You’ll earn bonus points if you also go for a cutting board designed with their favorite meal in mind. For example, if you know they love to barbeque, opt for a cutting board with a moat to catch the juices that run off from perfectly-cooked meat.
7. Charcuterie Boards and Cheese Knives
The hosting has just begun for the happy couple, so get them set up with something that should be in every home entertainer’s arsenal: a good charcuterie board and set of cheese knives. Again, you could opt to go for a board customized with their names, or get them one that is simply beautiful.
8. Serving Trays and Platters
Similarly, serving trays and platters of various shapes and sizes are a nice gift to give a newly engaged couple to help make their house feel like a home (and to get them prepped for when it is their turn to host the holidays). Look for trays and platters that feature unique designs and handmade touches to make the gift feel a bit more personal.
9. Custom Monogram Glasses
A set of heavy crystal glasses with a custom monogram will definitely become an heirloom for the happy couple as they move into this new chapter. Just be sure that you know if the couple will be taking the same last name (and whose last name they’ll be taking) before committing to a monogram with a single initial. If in doubt, opt for a design that combines the initials of their first names.
10. Throw Blankets
A handmade or artisanal throw blanket is always a sweet gift idea. Look for a style that is big enough for the couple to cuddle up underneath together and for one in a color that matches their home — neutrals are always a good option!
11. Throw Pillows
Anything that helps the couple feel like they’re building a home together is a good engagement gift idea, and throw pillows definitely fall into this category. Look for designs that are unique, handmade, or that have details that remind you of things the couple loves.
12. Gift Boxes
Gift boxes are a great budget-friendly gift idea. Minted’s marketplace has gift boxes that are perfect for every type of couple, so look for one designed to make doing some of their favorite things a little bit more special. Think a box full of sweet treats for a home movie night, one stocked with candles and lotion to turn their home into a spa, or one packed with different types of tea for them to try together.
13. Mugs and Teacups
You really can’t go wrong by giving a handmade mug or set of teacups as an engagement gift. Go for one that can be customized with the couple’s initials (or that say something like Mr. and Mrs.) to make the gift feel more personal.
14. Ring Dishes
A ring dish is a must-have for every newly engaged couple! Give them a handmade dish featuring a beautiful pattern or their initials to keep their ring safe on their bedside tables or in their bathroom.
15. Jewelry Stands or Jewelry Boxes
While getting engaged means that the couple’s jewelry collection has grown by at least one ring, you can bet that there will be a lot more jewelry shopping involved in the wedding planning process. Something to keep all of those precious pieces of jewelry safe and organized — like a one-of-a-kind jewelry stand or box — makes for an excellent engagement gift.
16. Personalized Coasters
A couple can never have too many coasters at home, which is why they always make for such good gifts. To celebrate an engagement, go for a set that features a beautiful monogram of their initials, that celebrates their upcoming wedding date, or is something festive they can pull out for future wedding-related celebrations.
17. Personalized Ornaments
If the newly engaged couple celebrates Christmas, giving them an ornament as a memento to mark the occasion is a wonderful gift idea. Look for one that can be customized with the date of their engagement and their names — it will bring back happy memories when they pull it out to hang on their tree year after year. (Pro tip: If you already know the wedding date at the time of the engagement party — and if that date is within the same calendar year — you could opt to give the couple an ornament with their wedding anniversary instead of their engagement date.)
18. Vases
A vase is a classic engagement and wedding gift — and for good reason! To make it feel a little bit more special, give the couple a vase handmade by an artisan in a style that you know will spark a little bit of joy every time they pull it out.
19. Glassware
Upgrading the couple’s glassware is always a good idea. A set of champagne flutes is a nice way to expand their collection — but if you know that the couple loves a particular type of cocktail, pick up a set of glasses in a corresponding shape (such as coupe, highball, or lowball glasses) to help them recreate it at home.
20. Barware & Bar Tools
Alternatively, you could arm their inner mixologist with everything they need to create the perfect cocktail for their next at home date night. Look for a set of barware that includes the standard shaker, gigger, and strainer, and then upgrade it with any extra tools they need to recreate their favorite drinks such as a muddler or whiskey rocks.
21. Decorative Bowls
Decorative bowls are a surprisingly useful gift, as they can be used for everything from storing loose change to serving up a delicious homemade dip or batch of salsa. Go for a handmade bowl that features colors or patterns that remind you of the couple to ensure they love it.
22. Serving Bowls and Fruit Bowls
In a similar line of thinking, giving the happy couple a special handmade bowl to use to store fruit or serve up pastas and salads family style is a nice idea. Again, look for a design that you know the couple will appreciate or one that can be customized with a special date or with their initials.
23. Robes
Wedding planning can be hard work! Give the newly engaged couple a set of plush robes to help them make the most of their downtime.
24. Yard Games
If the couple has a backyard or lives near a park, giving them a yard game is a great engagement gift idea. You can’t go wrong with a cornhole set (especially one customized with their names), but if you know they already have one in their collection, go for something unexpected like croquette, ladder toss, or lawn bowling.
25. Placemats
Help the happy couple up their hosting game with a set of placemats designed and crafted by an independent artisan. A set in a neutral color is always a good idea, but don’t be afraid to go bold with a pattern or color scheme you know the couple will appreciate.
26. Napkins
A beautiful set of high-quality cloth napkins is something the couple is sure to appreciate receiving as an engagement gift. If you aren’t 100 percent sure of their taste, you could opt for a set of fun cocktail napkins instead — look for quirky designs or something that can be customized with their names to mark the special occasion.
27. Tablecloths and Runners
In a similar vein, an engagement party is a nice time to give the couple a tablecloth or runner that they’ll have in their collection for years to come. To ensure the one you pick out will be an heirloom for the newly formed family, look for one that is handmade by an artisan and that features beautiful natural fabric.
28. Tea Towels
Help even the most mundane moments at home feel a little bit more celebratory by giving the couple a set of fun tea towels to mark their engagement. Go for something customized with their names or with a design that features a ring, champagne flutes, or a bow tie. If you know where the couple will be tying the knot, you could also go with a tea towel in a print that reminds you of their venue for something more subtly festive.
29. Initial Monogram Embosser
The newly engaged couple’s future is sure to be filled with stationery as they dive into the wedding planning process, which is why this is such a great engagement gift idea. Giving them an embosser that elevates their initials into a beautiful logo is something they can use on their invitations, to add a DIY upgrade to cocktail napkins, and much, much more.
30. Custom Keepsake Box
The time a couple spends engaged is such a unique chapter in their relationship — and one that should be commemorated! Help them collect all those special mementos with a keepsake box customized with their names, initials, and engagement or wedding date.
31. Kitchen Tools
While big-ticket kitchen items like stand mixers and espresso machines are standard fare for wedding registries, you can still gift the couple kitchen tools to mark their engagement. More budget friendly tools — like a nice garlic press or beautiful pie dish — make for great engagement gift ideas.
32. Planters
For a couple that has green thumbs, a houseplant in a handmade or unique planter is a great engagement gift. Be sure to include a card with the gift that encourages the couple to keep track of how much the plant grows over the course of their engagement as a sweet way to mark this special time.
33. Trinket Trays
Whether they get used to catch keys or organize a small collection of something the couple loves, trinket trays make for a failsafe engagement gift.
34. Baskets
Help the couple stay organized during what can be an incredibly busy season of life by giving them a few beautiful baskets to use around the house. When picking them out, keep what you know about the couple top of mind — a big basket can be great to store throw blankets for a pair that loves an at-home movie night, while a smaller one may work better as a place to catch toys for pet parents.
35. Art Prints
Whether they’re planning to do an official engagement shoot or not, you can be sure that the lovebirds will have plenty of photos from this chapter of their life that they’ll want to display. Picking out a beautiful art print or two is a great way to help them show off their love at home. If you have access to a great photo of the couple, you could opt to give them a photo art print alongside a frame.
36. Custom Address Stamps
A custom stamp featuring the couple’s return address is a sweet engagement gift that is sure to come in handy during the wedding planning process. Be sure to double-check how the couple plans to handle their last names before ordering, and when in doubt order a stamp that features both of their full names!
37. Vow Books
Help the couple preserve their vows forever with a pair of vow books. Look for ones that can be customized with their initials or that say something like “bride” and “groom” so they can easily spot which one is theirs.
We hope you’ve found something that is perfect for the happy couple in your life in this list of engagement gifts! If you’re still stumped, remember that going with something from the heart and that reminds you of the pair is always a good idea. For even more engagement gift inspiration, you can browse Minted’s entire selection of gifts designed and crafted by independent artists and artisans from around the world.