7 Thoughtful Bridal Shower Gift Ideas

It’s officially bridal shower season, and if you’re a female in your mid 20s or 30s, you can almost guarantee that there will be at least one shower invitation (if not more) in your mailbox this spring. The challenge becomes finding the perfect gift for the bride-to-be based on her personality, interests, and needs. Below are seven of the top shower gifts this season to help you in your hunt!

1. Something From Her Registry
Brides spend hours/days/weeks (and occasionally months) agonizing over their wedding registries. Honor her wishes, and purchase something she really wants and asked for. If you don’t, she’ll end up purchasing those things post wedding and wonder in frustration why no one looked at her registry (I speak from experience).

2. Wine Club Membership
What could be more fun than receiving a nice bottle of wine every month for three, six, or 12 months after your wedding? It’s the perfect gift for the couple that has everything (and registered for very little), as they can toast their monthly milestones and married firsts. Wine of the Month Club and Forbes Wine Club both have excellent gift options.

Photo courtesy of Wine of the Month Club

3. Your Favorite Shower Gift
If you were completely blown away by something you received at your own bridal shower, consider buying it as a shower gift for someone else. Including a note as to why you loved the gift and how you hope the future bride loves it as well will add a personal touch to your present. For example, I gave a series of cookbooks to a close friend, as they were the books that literally taught me to cook as a newlywed. The bride knew the story and loved that I shared something that was special to my marriage and me.

Photo courtesy of BHLDN

4. A MissNowMrs Gift Card
If you know the bride-to-be will be changing her last name, give her the gift of time. A MissNowMrs gift card will auto-complete all of her forms and save her 13 hours of paperwork and hassle as she legally changes her name from Miss to Mrs. — that’s 13 hours she can spend enjoying being a newlywed instead of standing in endless government office lines!

5. Engraved or Monogrammed Items
Celebrate the bride-to-be’s new last name and initials with engraved compacts, jewelry boxes, or a cute beach tote for the honeymoon. If the bride isn’t changing her name, this necklace from Kate Spade will help her celebrate her status as a Mrs.!

6. Lingerie 
If done tastefully, lingerie can be a lovely shower gift that both the bride and groom will thank you for. Do keep in mind the family members and ages of the attendees before wrapping something too risqué. When in doubt, buy a gift card and let the bride choose something perfect for herself.

7. Travel Sets
Whether you choose a set of lotions, a bride-themed beauty kit, or hair products, travels sets make a lovely shower gift. The bride can use them to feel beautiful right away, save them for her big day, or pack them for her honeymoon.

A note on what not to give: While any gracious bride will be thankful for just your presence at her shower, there are a few gifts that are no-nos: Avoid gifting baby clothes for future grandchildren (this means you, MILs), ashtrays for non-smokers, and any re-gifts from your own shower!

—Danielle Tate

As a successful entrepreneur, Danielle is a name change expert, on-camera personality, writer, author of a top rated Google newlywed blog and a bridal magazine contributor. It was a 13-hour struggle to change her name after getting married in 2005 that prompted Danielle to leave her medical sales career to develop and launch MissNowMrs.com. Wanting to save other brides countless hours of hassle, Danielle researched name-changing laws and rules in all 50 states to streamline and implemented her unique three-step, 30-minute online service. She is also the founder of MarriedNameGame.com, the original proprietary name change algorithm to determine your ideal married name, and GetYourNameBack.com, an online service dedicated to helping women get their name back after divorce.