One of the most important things to remember in wedding planning is the list of gifts to be purchased for your bridal party, parents, readers, shower hosts and hostesses, etc.  Traditional gifts such as cuff-links and money clips will always be appropriate tokens of appreciation.  I, however, am a firm believer in giving people something they will love, not something generic in the name of tradition.  Here is our list of wedding gifts, some traditional, some unique, and some down-right random.

Standing up for me was my made-of-honor and my three brothers.  I also had four other ladies who walked down the aisle as bridesmaids (although they didn’t stand in front of church).  My goal was to get them something classy that they would be able to use right away as well as something sentimental.

I ended up gifting each of them with a different color leather Coach change purse.  They came in yellow, pink and gold.  Purchased here.

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The other gift I got for the ladies was an even bigger hit. I got them all copies of the 5 Year Diary. I have always loved writing in a journal and the layout of this one is beyond cool. Check it out here.

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My three brothers were a little trickier to buy for. After going round and round I decided to forgo all tradition and buy them what they wanted. My older brother has been talking for years about wanting a globe, and so, he got one. My younger brothers are 13 and 16. They loved referring to themselves as “bridesmaids” and were great sports about the whole wedding planning process. At the rehearsal dinner I gave them each a pair of Air Jordans. I’m pretty sure they both loved me a little more in that moment.

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*They of course thought it was hilarious to put them on before the wedding, as if I was going to let them wear them..

Standing up for Matt were his two brothers, his sister and his sister-in-law. The girls got Coach Wristlets and his brothers each got Louisville Slugger bats personalized with their names and the Cubs logo.

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One area I chose not to put too much importance on was the ushers. Not the ushers themselves, but the number of them. Matt has never met a stranger and that is proven in our nine ushers. Needless to say, guests got to their seats quickly. Most of them had never been to Louisville and we wanted to give them something to remember their trip. They each got a bottle of Kentucky Bourbon (Four Roses, Bakers, or Woodford) and a Louisville Slugger shot glass. They also each got either a Chuck Norris is a Bears fan or a Chuck Norris is a Cubs fan t-shirt, which was of course not my selection.

As for our parents, this one was a little tricky. We wanted to get them something meaningful to thank them for their overwhelming generosity.   We threw around hundreds of ideas before Matt had a moment of brilliance and remembered that there is a Moroccan boutique on the first floor of The Henry Clay, our reception space.  We got them each a beautiful vase from the store to always remind them of our wedding.

For hostess gifts I found some nice relaxation gift sets including robes and slippers.  We got our ceremony readers stationery sets and our ceremony singers a restaurant gift card.

With so much going on, it was nice to take time to pick out gifts for those supporting us.   We were so excited to distribute the gifts at the rehearsal dinner!