It is traditional when attending a wedding to take wedding gifts that are for both the bride and groom. We often follow their guidelines and consult the gift list, religiously purchasing the right size and colour from one specific shop. That way, we are sure that the happy couple will receive exactly what they want or need. However, sometimes the list of wedding gifts is so dull and predictable we just cannot control that sudden urge to rip it up and think for ourselves. After all, a wedding must be the only occasion when anyone will dictate exactly what is to be given and the specifics involved.



My suggestion is to throw caution to the wind and do what you want as far as wedding gifts are concerned. In fact, why not go the whole hog and buy separate wedding gifts for the bride and groom? That way, everyone will be happy and there will be some unforeseen wedding gifts to open and enjoy.

The groom is bound to enjoy a good quality 10 year old Armagnac. As wedding gifts go, this one is extremely classy, with a beautiful presentation box lined with a vibrant red silken fabric and personalised with a plaque to the front. A 10 year old bottle of Baron de Sigognac Armagnac is accompanied by a copy of The Times from any date you wish as well as a vintage scroll. He can quietly enjoy his fine bottle of Armagnac alone, with friends or best of all with his new wife. The groom will be delighted to receive his own personalised wedding gifts, and a lovely Personalised Wedding Cup will mark the occasion perfectly. This fine double handled dainty cup displays his and her names in a hand painted golden lettering, and is a wonderful keepsake for them both to cherish. A really practical and useful little book to arm the groom (or bride) with and which makes a brilliant and original wedding gift idea is the Worst Case Scenario Wedding Handbook. This little gem contains such useful pieces of advice as how to removes stains from the wedding dress, what to do to repair a damaged wedding cake and other extremely useful nuggets of information that will keep him in the bride's good books for long after the honeymoon is over.

An experience day for two makes a great wedding gift to present to the groom. He can then in turn surprise his bride with a lovely few hours sailing on a Thames Barge and maintain that air of romance between them both. Sailing on these large and historic boats is quite a thrill and the bride and groom can both relax together and take in the sites as they float by, as well as having a go at hoisting the occasional sail or steering the vessel.

Perhaps the bride may wish to give a wedding gift to her groom to mark the occasion and celebrate their love, in which case a romantic wedding gift is definitely in order. A Truly Madly Deeply polished glass paper weight is an attractive wedding gift with a poignant message from her to him. It is a very modern, contemporary design that will still look stylish in many years. If the bride is more practically minded than romantic, she could benefit by giving him imaginative yet functional wedding gifts, guaranteed to get results for them both. The fascinating Passionator head Massage may look like an instrument of torture from the Dark Ages or something to whisk eggs with at breakfast time, but in actual fact it is a deeply soothing little implement that gives the perfect head massage and relieves tension, of which there will be plenty from time to time. With several fingers and vibrating handle this brilliant wedding gift will keep them happy and tension free. Maybe she has noticed that it seems to be mostly her that is working on the wedding plans, getting in a state and threatening to cancel the whole thing in sheer desperation.

What she needs is a wedding gift that will drop a large hint and get him motivated in one, and the Wedding Planner is a comprehensive guide that will do just that. Wedding gifts like this are not likely to come from the guests. Crammed full of useful lists and ideas, this wedding gift from the bride to the groom will ensure that they can work together to create the best wedding ever, and with plenty of prompts they are not likely to forget anything important. There are plenty of nooks and crannies in this great wedding gift for storing clippings and important reminders too. The lucky girl will soon find that she is no longer working alone, and the couple can enjoy each other's company while planning their big day.