With markups on everything from bachelor(ette) party goods, to bridesmaid/groomsmen gifts, to gifts for the happy couple themselves—not to mention the amount of unnecessary waste the industry creates—Alex and I think it’s about time for society to flip the script on wedding gifting. As a newly(ish) married couple, here are our best suggestions of intentional gifts for any wedding occasion. 💒

They may not all admit it, but men love housewarming gifts. And let’s face it: most men NEED housewarming gifts. In our gender stereotyped world, it can be easy to overlook these gifts for guys and skip straight to a bottle of wine, but we promise you’ll surprise and delight any man if you get him one. This is especially true for a single guy (bachelors love their pads), but it’s equally important to get some guy-centric gifts even if he’s in a relationship. We came up with 5 categories of gifts that we think any guy will appreciate in their home: Drink Well, Kitchen Essentials, Outdoor, Aromatherapy, and Non-kitsch Knickknacks.

You never forget the excitement of first getting engaged. I was nervous as heck before proposing to Abby. I thought about proposing one way, then changed my mind, and proposed a different way 24 hours later. There was a rush of joy and relief after she said yes. 12 hours after I proposed we were looking at wedding venues…