My Wedding: Exchanging Gifts

This post is part of a series about our DIY Kentucky Vineyard wedding. It was such a labor of love and there is so much to tell, so I’ll be splitting it up into categories. I hope you’ll find some inspiration and entertainment from what we did for our wedding, along with some ideas for your own day! You can read about the music here, the venue here, the decorations here, the dress here,my favorite moments here or the wedding party attire here!

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I've really been missing my wedding lately. Probably because I've been to so many amazing weddings this year, and it just makes me think of all the time spent to plan such an event. It's been over a year, and I still get teary-eyed when I think of that day and all the things I felt.

Last weekend, we attended a beautiful wedding for our friends (I posted about them here), and I got to hang out with the bride during the day while everyone got ready. I was there when she received her wedding day gift from her soon-to-be husband, and I joined in the weeping as she read the little note and cried. I remember that feeling. The gift is nice, but it's more about what it means and where you are in that very moment.

So what do you get your soon-to-be spouse? Gifts are definitely dependent on the person. It could be fancy, techy, nostalgic, one-of-a-kind, or even a family heirloom. What would make this amazing day even more special for them?

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Kyle got me a pink Instax camera that I'd been dying for, and some classic pearl earrings that I will enjoy forever. I only wear them on special occasions, and they always remind me of that day. The camera has been the perfect addition to our memory-making throughout the last year, and I have tons of polaroids to show for it.

I got Kyle an axe. I know, I know, that sounds sort of weird, but he had been wanting one for years. Literally. Years. But not just any old axe. This was a handmade in America, beautiful, artfully crafted axe from Best Made Company. He may never use it to actually chop wood, but that's okay. It's still special to him.

A wedding day gift doesn't have to be expensive or huge or grand — it just has to be thoughtful. The best part of my gift (and pretty much any gift I've ever received from Kyle) was the card. Kyle has always been the most beautiful writer (we didn't go to journalism school for any old reason), and on our wedding day, that was no exception. Let's just say I was really glad I wore some waterproof mascara.

What do you think is a good wedding day gift? Do you think a gift is necessary on the wedding day?