You’ve received the wedding invitation and it is time to choose a gift that the couple will be delighted to receive on their special day. An obvious first choice for selecting a wedding gift would be to check the couple's gift registry.

Many brides and grooms register for gifts at multiple stores. The registry contains items that the couple has personally selected and these are things that the couple feels are necessities for starting their new life together. However, there is an alternative to purchasing a gift found on the gift registry.

... create something special and one-of-a-kind to present to the bride and groom on their wedding day.

It is easy to create something special and one-of-a-kind to present to the bride and groom on their wedding day. There are many creative wedding gifts that you can make yourself. A hand-made or personalized gift carries a lot more meaning than something that has simply been purchased or selected from a list.

When making a creative wedding gift yourself, though, you do want to be sure that it will be something that is useful and appreciated by the recipients. Before you decide on what creative wedding gift to make yourself, it would be helpful to print out the couple’s gift registry in order to see what sort of items they prefer. You can obtain a copy of the gift registry by going to the store in person, or sometimes these can be printed out at home using your home computer.

... modify an existing item to personalize it for the couple.

Once you have determined the types of items the couple is interested in, you can select an item and decide whether you can make it yourself or somehow modify an existing item to personalize it for the couple. The first thing to do is check the registry list for groups of related items.  For example, if there are many cooking related items on the gift registry, you know the couple is interested in kitchen items and you can base your creative hand-made gift on this area.

Then, you could put together a gourmet foods gift basket and include some kitchen utensils with the food items. Try to determine what type of kitchen decor they prefer, such as modern, country or Southwestern. Then you could purchase plain white kitchen towels and embellish them with stenciled designs featuring roosters or apples for country decor, chili peppers for Southwestern decor, or something appropriate for modern or European decor.

If the couple has registered for a wine rack or wine glasses, you would know that they are wine drinkers and can base your creative make-it-yourself gift on a wine theme. If you are artistic, you could purchase plain celebration wine goblets and paint on them using glass paints available at craft stores. Choose a design that relates to wine such as grapes, Italian vineyard, or simply paint lettering for part of a brief love poem.

Another creative gift you can make yourself is to have a special photograph printed on canvas. Well in advance of the wedding, take photographs of the wedding couple, then select one that represents their personality and have it printed onto canvas which can be displayed as wall art. Alternatively, take photographs at the wedding and prepare your gift after the wedding. You can give a greeting card at the wedding and note that your gift will be presented at a later date.

... give an artsy and creative gift ...

If you are not artistic but would like to give an artsy and creative gift that you make yourself, a great way to do this is to take an existing item and make it into a wall hanging or wall art. For example, purchase a wine rack which is made to sit on the countertop and simply alter it by adding wall mounting hardware so that it now becomes a wall hanging.

Purchase record album picture frames and then insert a vintage record album cover from a particular band or music era that is important to the couple. They can display this gift and add personality to their home. Other unusual items that can be framed are board game boards, magazines, and the front page of the newspaper from their wedding date.

... use glass paints to decorate a special vase.

If the couple is interested in gardening and plants, you could create a hand-painted set of flower pots for their indoor plants, or use glass paints to decorate a special vase. Determine the design you will paint on the vase based on the couple's decorating style. Some popular designs for vases are tribal, abstract or modern, and Asian. If you do not wish to paint a free-hand design, you may want to try using metallic paints and paint some simple stripes or use stencils to paint scrollwork.

When you make a creative wedding gift yourself, it shows that you have taken a personal interest in the couple and it will likely be treasured far more than a gift chosen from the gift registry.

Tags: creative, DIY, hand-made, make-it-yourself, wedding