How to Buy a Cheap Wedding Gift

Five Ways Minimize the Toll of Wedding Gifts on Your Budget:

Set a budget for the wedding gift. Examine your finances to figure out how much you can afford to pay; avoid the urge to give a wedding gift that is really too high for your budget. I know you really like these people, (or you wouldn't be being invited to their wedding), but resist the urge you have to do this. Just because you're being invited to a $200-per-person dinner doesn't mean your gift must match the entree price, like some people believe.

Get creative with your wedding gift. Homemade and heartfelt wedding gifts can have a big impact at little cost to you. The key to pulling it off, though, is to personalize the wedding gift, match your homemade gift to the bride or groom's favorite things. For example, you could make a scrapbook of pictures taken together. If you're not crafty, consider a DVD photo album. You can also pick a wedding gift according to the couple's shared interests, such as a travel magazine subscription and a travel bag for a couple that enjoys travel, or a DVD collector set of their favorite movies or favorite CDs.

Get a group wedding gift. Go in together to get a big-impact item. Group gifts are a common practice among baby shower guests, and they work just as well for wedding presents. Ask other friends invited to the ceremony to pitch in so you can give the couple one of the more expensive items on their wedding gift registry.

Stick to the wedding gift registry. If you don't know the couple well, the registry definitely is your best bet. If you try to pick out something on your own but don't know the couple's tastes, your wedding gift will be just a waste of time and money. More important, by selecting an item from the gift registry you know you're going to get them something they really want for their new lives together.

Offering your personal services. If you can't afford a pricey item off the couple's wedding gift registry, then offer your talents. For example, if you're short on cash but really good at editing home movies, offer to edit any amateur video that's taken at the wedding. Then the couple will have a special keepsake wedding gift. If you play a musical instrument or sing well, you could offer your musical talents for the ceremony or reception - and save the couple the cost of hiring a musician, and also avoid using your charge card to pay for a wedding gift.

Interesting in learning more about cheap wedding gift ideas? Go to Classy Gals Bridal Boutique, to find some more great ideas.