The Gift Blogger

I'd like to look at interesting ways to treat your friend for the summer. Friends are an invaluable asset in anyone's lives and sometimes it's good to let them know just how much you care, so why not do it in style?

Even though the weather at the moment is very changeable and it doesn't seem too much like summer, we’re already nearly into July, so why not make the most of the season and share it with friends. There are some really fantastic gifts around at the moment for the kind of girl who likes to share her fun with her mates, for example why not invest in a bingo night box?
With everything she and all your friends could wish for to make the evening fly by, this box is chocca with ideas including costume suggestions so that everyone can make the most of a fun night in. Of course, half the fun of a game like this is you can give away prizes of your own choice and even adopt a bingo caller for the night instead of a stripper!

With the bingo night box there's plenty of scope for an amusing night in with a few bottles of bubbly with the girls and the best bit is you can play again and again, adjusting your setup to suit every kind of occasion. Whether it's a birthday or a racy hen game for the hen weekend this gift is a good way to get any party going, so eyes down for a huge amount of fun and hilarity.

For the free-spirited woman who likes to get out and enjoy the warmer weather there are also many brilliant experience style presents to invest in. An excellent choice for the type of woman who has everything, an experience gift offers her something to cherish that doesn't require anything more than her presence and her willingness to enjoy. With choices for the daring-do type that include flying lessons or the latest craze, body flying, where she can stand in an airstream of 120mph and see what's its like to really fly, there's an adrenaline-packed choice for every woman who likes to get the most out of life.


If however you just want to share a delightful day out with your best friend to show her how much you love having her as a friend, there are also fantastic days for two. Why not splash out and give her a grand gesture of friendship with a high tea at the Waldorf or a VIP shopping trip? Taking the time to say thank you for being there is a gesture that will never be forgotten and can bring you closer than ever.

However you choose to spoil your friend this summer make sure you take an umbrella and a camera along to the occasion!

Today’s blog post has been inspired by none other than one of Britain’s most talked about couples, Wayne Rooney and Coleen Mclaughlan. The reason? Because not so long ago they decided to follow the latest trend and request only gifts be made to charity to celebrate their marriage rather than to themselves. A selfless act you might say. Well, considering the fact that the entire wedding cost in the region of £5,000,000 which accommodated numerous stag and hen nights all over the globe, a lavish reception, a dress costing more than most people’s houses, I would say that charitable gifts were the least that they could do. I mean really, what would you give the soon to be Mr and Mrs Rooney as a wedding gift? A set of steak knives? A silver picture frame? With annual spending of Rooney et al. heading towards £10,000,000, what could Aunt Mary possibly be able to pull out of the bag with even the slightest hope of delighting the newlyweds?


I’m not saying that charitable wedding gifts aren’t a good idea, because I believe them to be wonderful, and some of the gift ideas that the charities come up with are most ingenious. Chili plants to keep errant elephants off farmland, money to set up small businesses. They are all ideas that can really help make a real difference, and in today’s modern world when couples have more often than not set up home together pre-wedding, there is becoming less and less need for traditional wedding lists used to kit out the home.

As for Wayne and Coleen, good luck with the marriage, and if you do one day find you just cannot go one day further without a set of steak knives, come and visit me at ‘The Gift Blogger’ and I’ll soon be able to sort you out!

This week I'd like to talk about wedding gifts and how to judge if your choice of gift is appropriate. There are increasing pressures in the event of an expensive wedding to give a gift that reflects the money being spent on the event, and most of us start to feel this when we receive a personalised gilded invite complete with wedding list.

The very basic rule that governs all gift etiquette tells us that we should buy a present that reflects the recipient’s place in our affections, not one that reflects property prices or status. If the invite is from a couple you hold very dear, you have complete reign over how much you choose to spend but if for example you should receive an invite from a distant family member, you are not obliged to buy a gift at all.

The correct way to choose the right gift is simply to assess your feelings for the couple and look carefully at your budget; after all when you consider outfits, travel and possible lodgings weddings are expensive for all those involved. Of course, if you have strong ties to those getting married look at the wedding list, but remember your relationship to them is probably not best represented by a set of steak knives but by a gift that reflects your friendship no matter what the list dictates.

The huge choice of wedding gifts out there is immense and once you have an idea of your budget you'll be better placed to make an informed decision. Looking at the type of couple getting married is a good way to determine what to buy: if it's a young go-getting couple that can't afford a long honeymoon as they are looking to buy a house, why not buy them a shared experience?

With choices such as a hot air balloon flight for two offering a day they'll treasure forever around it sure does beat another toaster or serving plate. If however your choice of gift leans more to the traditional memento, why not look at a lovebirds photographic package so the happy couple have souvenirs of their shared time together or give them the opportunity to create a fond memory by giving a gift like a wine and cheese impulse set?

Giving a gift that inspires them to share their happiness with friends and family in this way will set them up for a happy life together and with those they love the most.