Gift Ideas for Attendants
Jennifer Shorter has a motto: If you’re going
to a wedding, and you’re from Northern Michigan, you must take a
Petoskey stone with you as a gift.
“It’s a Petoskey tradition,” said Shorter, owner of Grandpa Shorter’s gift store in downtown Petoskey.
Gift ideas for the bridesmaids and the groomsmen can bear that same personal, Northern touch. Shorter’s carries attendants’ gifts that follow the Petoskey stone motif, from desk and wall clocks made from the stones to jewelry, book-ends and heart-shaped Petoskey stones and larger pieces that can be used as paperweights.
Each would make a special gift for saying “thank you” to the men and women who are standing beside the bride and groom on their most special day.
“People are looking for Petoskey stone items when they come in to the shop, and they also want to give something practical,” Shorter said. “Anything Petoskey stone seems to be popular. It’s a lasting memento.”
To that end, ideas for the bridesmaids and groomsmen include Petoskey stone wine stoppers and ornaments, which also make for nice gifts for the bride and groom as wedding presents, Shorter added.
Jewelry, specifically handmade pieces by Hanni Yothers of Pellston, are another favorite attendant gift; often, the bracelets and necklaces include smooth Lake Michigan beach glass as accents to the stones.
The local flavor in party favors and attendants’ gifts is also found at Murdick’s Fudge, on Howard Street downtown Petoskey. There, owner Paul Vigneau said couples will often select varieties of fudge, ice cream coupons and caramel corn for presentation to guests and those who have a key role in the wedding events.
Personalized gift baskets awaiting special guests in their hotel rooms, filled with the local favorites, are another unique way to say thank you as well. “Typically people come to Northern Michigan for a destination wedding, and (the bride and groom) will have individual fudge boxes at the table for a wedding favor,” said Vigneau. “When people come up, they want it to have a Northern Michigan feel.”
Murdick’s, established 130 years ago, is known for its handmade fudge in particular, and brides and grooms have more than 20 varieties from which to choose, from chocolate cherry and peanut butter to a variety of nuts like pecan and walnuts. “Our best seller and probably nine of out 10 orders are just plain chocolate fudge,” Vigneau said.
The shop can accommodate any size order, and in a short amount of time as well, Vigneau added. “We’ve had people come in on a Thursday for a Saturday wedding, and we can pull it together,” he said. “And I deliver it locally, so they don’t have to worry about; it will just be there.”
Brides and grooms can save some money by purchasing the gift boxes themselves and also tying the bows and stuffing the packages; if they’d prefer Murdick’s to handle the tasks, Vigneau said in-stock boxes can hold two small flavors of fudge, or a larger box holds enough for the guests to bring some back home. Prices start around $2 per person.
To order or for more info, e-mail petoskeymurdicks@gmail.com. A company Web site is under construction.
Custom jewelry is another localized gift idea for wedding attendants, and Beyond Borders downtown Petoskey has a selection available from co-owner Kate Daman, an artisan jeweler building a national reputation.
Co-owner Jon Bautel said brides can choose from a variety of styles for their attendants, all created by Daman in as short as a week’s notice.
“Depending on the gift set — bracelets, necklaces and earrings — prices start around $35,” said Bautel.
He said Daman specializes in using Swarovski crystals with other precious and semi-precious stones and gems to create jewelry sets that complement both the wedding-day color theme and the time of year.
“They can sit down with Kate and do a mock-up of the custom designs,” Bautel said. “There are no limitations.”
Also for the bridal attendants, Bautel recommends silk lipstick holders and clutch wallets and purses.
For the groomsmen, he said his store has an equal collection of thank-you ideas, from monogrammed key chains to stainless steel business card holders and stainless and sterling cufflinks. “I try to do gifts that are utilitarian more than just a novelty gift,” he said.
The shop also offers wedding bands in durable stainless steel and tungsten, for both men and women. The bands can be infused with 14-carat gold as well, for design purposes.
“They do not tarnish and they’re a quarter of the cost” of more traditional wedding band metals like gold, he added.
For both men and women, bridal attendants and groomsmen, parents and special guests, Beyond Borders also offers gift ideas that tie in to a couple’s heritage. Ceramic wall crosses for those with Irish, Scottish, English and French backgrounds reflect the style of the different isles, and come in sizes from 5 to 15 inches tall. Traditional Bavarian wedding drinking cups, along with written literature about the tradition, are another unique gift idea.
“We also carry the ‘claddagh,’ the traditional Irish wedding and friendship band,” Bautel said. “Couples use them as wedding bands, and they are very traditional and popular.”
‘Thank you’ ideas for the guys
A Personalized Rawlings baseball bat. With enough room for his name, the wedding date and “Most Valuable Groomsman” on it, you can’t strike out.
Flask and engraved Zippo lighter.
For The Guy Who Loves Gadgets, personalized sterling silver plated 512M USB Flash Key Chain. It keeps files and pictures handy.
For the gentleman, brushed silver cufflinks, with or without monogram, will help him look sharp.
If your guys like to golf, personalized golf academy signs can be found online, complete with names and funny golf quotes.
For the frat brother, reinforce your fraternal bond by giving him a Greek gift bearing your organization’s Greek letters.
An engraved humidor complete with cigars will surely please all the groomsmen.
From engravedgiftcreations.com, weddings.com
Party favors
Ideas for all the wedding guests to remember your day:
Traditional Jordan almonds
iPod Nano, pre-loaded with the couple’s favorite songs
Snacks for the road trip back home the next day
Lotto tickets
Flower and garden seeds
Beach sand and seashells
Kitchen magnets, especially retro-themed.
From www.myweddingreceptionideas.com
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