In today’s modern wedding world, gender-neutral gifts and party favors are becoming more common. We’ve put together a list of items to give back to everyone in your wedding party.
Being that our wedding culture is ever-evolving in so many ways, it’s no longer strange to have a man in your “bridal party” or a woman who hangs with the guys on the groom’s (or broom’s) side. Heck, even the terms “bride,” “groom” and “broom” are labels that don’t necessarily need to be adhered to! It’s common (and accepted, especially in the same-sex wedding community) to be relaxed with “gender specific” things and just do what you want. This is why we’ve come up with a set of gender-neutral wedding party favors—and “wedding party” doesn’t even have to mean “wedding party” in the traditional sense. “Wedding party” can simply mean “those you care about who will be involved in your wedding.” Simply put, if you want to give back to the friends and family who are involved in your wedding, you shouldn’t have to worry about specific things for the girls and specific things for the guys. Why not curate a collection of gender-neutral gifts that anyone will like?
We’ve scoured Etsy, the source of all that is handmade and vintage, to come up with a list of five gender-neutral gifts that would make any member of your wedding party happy!
An air plant (yep, you heard right—an air plant)
Not everyone has a green thumb. Despite this, plants can really brighten up a space, and an air plant is perfect for anyone with a fear of houseplants! It’s easy to grow an air plant (and keep it alive), and it adds some lovely green to anyone’s home. Also, plants are a great gift because they’re thoughtful! Just think about how you feel when you receive a bouquet of flowers! This air plant on a beautiful quartz rock is the perfect little green accessory for anyone’s home … even a non-green thumb.
A glass terrarium for plants, rocks, you name it
While we’re talking about air plants, why not mention these adorable little geometric glass terrariums? Sure, they can be used to hold plants … but they could also be used to hold colorful stones or even simply used to decorate a windowsill or bookshelf.
Everyone has a fridge, unless they live on the road in an RV … and even then they have a small fridge. Usually. Well, these fun, geometric magnets would make the perfect party favor, and they’re totally geared towards boys or girls! Also, if anyone in your wedding party has kids, these magnets can also double as a fun fridge puzzle.
A leather cord and plug organizer
For the technophile in your wedding party, why not show them how much you care with a unique, handmade cord and plug organizer? We all know how annoying it can be to be carting around smartphones and tablets and to have to deal with mysteriously-knotted cords. Ugh. It’s no fun. This gender-neutral gift is useful and nice looking, and let’s be real: anyone who doesn’t get frustrated by those tricky knotted cords is lying! (Or needs to coach a relaxation class!)
Being eco-friendly is always a bonus, and it shows that you really care when you hand-select a custom-made piece of recycled glassware, such as this aqua storage glass. It’s adorable, functional and meant for anyone.
We’d like to thank Offbeat Bride for being the inspiration behind this gift guide. You should head over to their website to get inspired!
Emily Gable is the associate editor at Equally Wed, the world’s leading gay and lesbian wedding magazine. For more marriage equality news, follow Equally Wed on Twitter and Facebook.
Photos (from top to bottom): Falcon and Finch, Jechory Glass Designs, snugstudio, Cord & Satchel, Rail19
