1. Ask her
2. Buy something. Play it safe!

When and Where to Exchange Gifts

There are no set rules. 95% of the time, the gift is given before the end of the wedding day. You don't have to plan anything special. You can open your gifts when the 2 of you are alone or in front of others. Here are a few suggestions:

• Any time during the week before your wedding, at home or at dinner
• The day of the rehearsal when you give your wedding party their gifts
• If your rehearsal is a couple of days before the wedding, exchange gifts on the day before the wedding
• Have one of your groomsmen deliver it to the bride, on the morning of your wedding day
• After the ceremony in the limo. Your first gift to your wife.
• At the end of the evening in your honeymoon suite...FYI, sex isn't a gift!

FB TIP: We can't stress enough the importance of the written word to a woman. So whether you are giving her a gift or you're not, please take the time to write down your feelings. Write the things that you wish you could say. You'll see when you read the answers below that cards, notes or letters are the gifts that they most cherish.

BABBLING BRIDE POLL

FYI - FI = fiancé and HB = husband

FB QUESTION:

Guys always have a hard time buying something for their lady...double the anxiety for a wedding gift. What would you like as a wedding gift from your FI or what did you get?

BRIDE'S ANSWERS:

WHAT I GOT

On the morning of our wedding, my sweet husband sent me a 'To My Bride' card and 12 beautiful white roses. Reading his words of love and the thought itself was the best present I had ever received!

Thoughts from the heart in the form of a card or a poem would be perfect for me.

A single rose and a card from my FI, the morning of the wedding. Soooooooo romantic *sigh*. On the big day, we had cards given to one another... Best card ever!!!

We exchanged gifts before the rehearsal on the day before the wedding. My husband gave me diamond earrings. On the day of, he sent a dozen roses with a card that had a special message for me.

A series of love letters, written one a week for 7 weeks before the wedding. You know, talking about our fears and our excitement of getting married. We exchanged letters on the Wednesday of our honeymoon...sigh! They were so romantic!

My wedding gift from my husband was a pair of drop earrings in white gold with .25ct princess cut stones (to match my rings).

HB bought me a new figurine, from the "Pooh and Friends" collection, a Tigger dressed as Pooh for Halloween (our wedding was 2 days after Halloween). I loved it and every time I look at my growing collection I remember it. He left it on the seat in the limo so I found it when they came to pick me up

My mother told me early on that my jewellery on the wedding day was taken care of. I didn't know that it was actually my husband that took care of it. I received a set of pearls (necklace, bracelet and earrings). He even had the necklace customized to a length that I like.

The night before the wedding he had come over to pick up a few things before going to his BM's place. He gave me a solitaire necklace. It was the perfect length, the perfect size and made me cry.

My husband gave me a white gold necklace with bevelled cubic zirconia's

FI sent over a gift basket of my favourite perfume

HB bought me a set of golf clubs. It's actually is a great idea, I don't golf often, but my hubby loves it. This allows us to spend more time together!

On the wedding day, he had one of his groomsmen drop off the gift. The 1st thing I received was a silk rose sprayed with my hubby's cologne. This made me anxious and very excited. Then I received a wrapped present. Inside the first box was a pewter jewellery box, engraved with our personal saying and our wedding date. Inside the box was a beautiful pair of sapphire/diamond earrings! They were gorgeous. And of course a card, with some wonderful words written by him!

My dear sweet husband surprised me with a framed print on our wedding night. The piece is called "The Singing Butler". I had mentioned I loved this picture months ago and wanted to purchase one for our house when we moved into it next year. The fact that he remembered a small off-hand comment, I made months ago was what really did me over.

My brother showed up with a wedding gift about 20 minutes before the ceremony. Inside the box was a card with a cruise ship on it with the details of a cruise we'll be taking 3 months after our honeymoon.

The night before our wedding we were at our fave restaurant after sharing a wonderful day all alone and he surprised me with diamond earrings! He saved the card for when we got home and it was definitely a tearjerker.

My husband got me a gliding bench for our new front porch. I saw the gliding bench in a store and I fell in love with it!

We exchanged gifts before the ceremony. We went down in the basement of my mom's house, and we had a few minutes alone. It was really nice. He gave me a beautiful pearl necklace, which I wore for the wedding and wrote a very personal note in the box. It was a very intimate moment. It is one of my favourite moments of our wedding.

My husband surprised me with a gift just 10 minutes before the ceremony. He had his best man present me with a card, a dozen roses and a sterling silver bracelet with one heart dangling from the end. He had the words "My Mrs." and our wedding date engraved on the heart.

My husband gave me a beautiful jewellery box with the top engraved, "To My Bella" and our wedding date. He said he wanted to give me jewellery to fill it up... yay!

HB gave me 4 dozen roses, which were beautiful.

HB spoiled me and gave me diamond earrings and a diamond bracelet that I had been eyeing in the jewellery store. I am hoping to get the matching necklace for xmas. hehe

We shared a gift -- a puppy! We decided he would be our gift to each other. Not the gift for everyone and as a rescuer I say --never surprise anyone with a pet! But for us it is wholly appropriate and very special.

HB sent a dozen roses to the B&B on the morning of our wedding - the card simply said "I can't wait". I bawled. He also gave me a gift certificate for the Flight Centre so I could go and visit one of my BM's (in Banff) and my aunt (in Calgary). It was a particularly nice thought because I'm forever saving and never have enough to go visit.

At our rehearsal party my DH gave me a pair of channel set diamond earrings that perfectly match my wedding band. On our wedding day, he sent an amazing bouquet of wild flowers and a mushy card. Quite a lot from a guy who claims not to be a romantic!

WHAT I WANT

A card with a hand-written note inside telling me how he feels "on this day" would out-weigh any gift Old book of poetry, something that I could read and re-read, and think of my wedding day I think the most romantic thing would be for him to buy me a star and name it after the two of us. Diamond earrings

• Jewellery is great, something sentimental to wear the day of the wedding.
• Flowers
• Teddy bear
• Tennis bracelet
• I heard about these necklaces or bracelets that you add one bead/pearl on each anniversary, and when you reach 10/25 or whatever, the necklace is complete.
  
• a memory box
• a photo album that starts with the beginning of our life together and we could add anniversary pictures every year.
• I would love to get flowers on the morning of the wedding
• I am SO hoping that FI will give me a piece of jewellery by the same woman who made our rings.....but this may involve some heavy hinting
• I want an ID bracelet with the heart shaped tag with something engraved on it.
• I would just like a note saying that he can't wait to be my husband.
• I want a white gold necklace with a small single pearl pendant!

WE DIDN'T EXCHANGE GIFTS

• I didn't get a darn thing . We agreed that the wedding was our gift too each other, but secretly I was hoping he'd surprise me, but he didn't. Oh well, not a big deal really.
• We did not exchange gifts because we paid for everything in our wedding. Not a big deal really. We ended up getting our wedding bands engraved.
• We didn't exchange 'gifts' either but the best thing that we gave each other the week before our wedding was our 'last dates as single people' ... we went out for dinner together, drank copious amounts of wine, and really enjoyed it.