Chances are at least two of your mates got engaged over the Christmas period. There’s something about the festive season and NYE that just brings the ~love~, and has everyone getting down on one knee.
Now that everyone’s flaunted their whatever-carat rings all over social media in subtle-not-subtle ways, it’s time for all the engagement parties. The thing with engagement parties is, what do you even buy your loved-up friends? Weddings are easy – they’re usually accompanied by a curated registry so you literally just click and pay. But engagements? It’s all on you and your brain to work out what your friends need and – more importantly – actually want.
We’ve come up with some pressies that most people would genuinely love – and are super appropriate (and relatively wallet-friendly) for an engagement party.
EXPENSIVE CANDLES
There are candles, and then there are candles. And you get your engaged friends candles, OK? Pricey ones that have unique, chic scents to them. Candles are one of those things you just never buy for yourself, but are always a welcome addition to your lounge room or bedroom. So you really can’t go wrong. This is the kind of gift you give a couple you don’t know too well, because it’s pretty much fail-safe.
AUSTRALIAN ART
Art can be very personal, but if you know quite a bit about the couple you’re celebrating and what style of art they like, this is a fantastic gift. No home can have too much art (well, maybe – but doubtful) and as long as the style of artwork is within our personal aesthetic
LINEN SHEET SETS
Even a couple who have lived together for years will appreciate some soft, fresh sheets. Linen is having a huge moment, so gifting your loved up mates a good quality linen sheet set and watch their eyes light up.
STREAMING SERVICE GIFT CARDS
Okay, bear with us here. When compiling this list, we asked a bunch of people in the office about the best engagement gifts they’d ever heard of – and one person had gifted a collection of Netflix cards with the message “the couple that binges together, stays together”, and dammit if that isn’t the greatest gift idea in the world. Everyone uses one (or more!) streaming services, so buy your mates a juicy gift card and give them the gift of binge-watching.
MONOGRAMMED LUGGAGE
Is there anything cuter than putting the future couples new initials together on a weekender bag? No, there isn’t. It might be so cutesy it’s almost vomit-worthy, but there’s something heartwarming about couples luggage, okay? You might have to go in with some other mates to afford the weekender bag, but there’s always passport wallets, luggage tags… you can personalise anything these days.
A LUXURY THROW
Luxury blankets are the kind of thing you don’t buy for yourself, you know? They’re one of those too-fancy purchases that always seem to be avoided, but then suddenly it’s winter and you wish you had something warm and snuggly to burrow into on the couch. Aussie company Phile make monogrammed throws, which (as we’ve already covered) is a cute way to incorporate the couples future initials (or both their initials, if they choose to keep their last names separate).
A CRYSTAL
Crystals are great even if your mates aren’t into the whole ‘healing powers’ business. If they are, even better. But regardless – a big crystal is a beautiful gift for the home, and really feels special. Depending on the type of crystal you can even be looking at spending under $100. For example, clear quartz and rose quartz are both on the inexpensive side, and look fantastic in their natural shape.
And if you’re looking for Christmas gifts for your nerdy mates, we’ve got a list just for you.
