A wedding is a ceremony to celebrate the union of two hearts in an eternal bond of love. The words marriage and wedding are synonymous, and signify the fusion of two souls. The word wedding, however, radiates a different feeling. A marriage becomes a wedding when, along with the emotional and sacred overtones, the occasion is commemorated by merrymaking and the environment is charged with revelry. Weddings are therefore occasions where the invited parties (mainly the near and dear ones) come together to express their love and joy for the bride and the groom.

Wedding gifts are given as a token of that love and support. The purpose of wedding gifts is to communicate happiness at the union in a perceptible physical form to newlyweds, and delight in their exhilaration. Traditionally, gift giving was a way to help the newlyweds set up their new household.

The value of a gift should never be judged in monetary terms. A wedding gift should reflect the thought behind it. The belief that the value of a wedding gift should at least be equivalent to the money expended per person at a party is a gross misnomer. In a monetary sense, the kind of relation a guest shares with the couple is a determinant of the gift value. All the same, a handmade gift like a scrapbook ranks high in personal value, although it has little monetary value.

There are various rules of wedding gift-giving etiquette which should be followed. All invited guests who attend the wedding should bring gifts. While giving gifts, one should ideally keep the couples individual taste in mind. Giving away a golf set to one interested only in active sports is a thoughtless gift and erodes the very purpose of the tradition.

A gift should always be packed carefully and tastefully, and labeled with a handwritten note bearing the givers name. A gift can be also sent to the couples new house or to the parents who are hosting the wedding beforehand. This is convenient for the couple, as they dont have to keep track of the gifts during the function, or worry about the transportation of gifts after the function. In some cultures, a guest is supposed to carry the gift to the wedding reception. More recently, invitees have the option of getting gifts from the bridal registries that a lot of couples register for.

There are different categories of gift giving. Gift exchanges among the newlyweds, gifts given by parents to the bride and bridegroom, and thank-you gifts for guests are the other categories of gift giving. Personalized gifts, handmade and creative gifts, classic gifts, gift certificates and wedding mementos are all suitable gifts, and the gift market, both online and offline, is full of ideas.