Do people still buy presents for the parents to give on wedding day if they have not contributed

I'm in the same situation, parents arent paying but are contributing a bit towards the wedding. I was thinking of getting a nice photo frame and putting a picture in from our pre wedding photoshoot. I want to get something personal but something will appreciate too.

We are doing excatly the same as Pinky and giving our parents a framed picture from our Pre wedding photoshoot. The weddings I have been to people have usually gave the mums flowers, but I hate flowers cause they die at least with the picture they can always have it!

We are buying presents because they have paid and have been the most amazing support from the moment we got engaged - my dad is still up till midnight every night finishing off various bits for the favour boxes or centrepieces - we couldn't have done it without them so we definitely wanted to do something to say thank you!

i think it depends how involved they are in the whole process too (regarless of if they pay!) - if they have done a lot and you want to say thank you then you can get gifts, but it is entirely up to you. but we are giving them out before the big day so there won't be a big show of it during the speeches!

We have brought little keepsake gifts for our parents. I've brought my mum a compact mirror & dad a zippo lighter both of which have been engraved with a message and our wedding date. We are planning on getting them a wedding album after the wedding as a gift too ?

We will be buying for both Mothers and FIL2B (My dad is dead).

For FIL2B and BM and Ushers we are etting engraved Maglites as OH did not want something which was useless to go in a cupboard somewhere.

I wanted to get the Mothers something special, like a nice framed pic as others have said, but OH insists that his mam will expect flowers. Despite there being a million flowers at the wedding that will just be left to die. So crappy flowers it is (no offence to anyone planning to get flowers, I just wanted something a bit longer lasting)

I think it's a bit of an outdated thing, I don't see the point. I guess if parents are paying for the whole thing then you ought to acknowledge them, but buying presents for EVERYONE is a bit much.

I will already have made corsages for the mums and buttonholes for the men, bought jewellery for the BMs and paid for the courses my sister wanted for wedding cake skills, I'm not spending more on presents - they will already have had them by the time the wedding happens!

I will however get them a nice photo in a frame after the wedding.

We'll get my mum and step-dad something as they've been a great help since we got engaged and are contributing to the wedding. I've got no plans to get OH's parents anything or my dad as they haven't helped at all. We won't be dishing out gifts during the speeches though because I always think it feels like a prize giving!

We gave the Mum's (and my Nan) flowers, my Dad a book he was after and FIL a nice bottle of wine. Nothing too much, just an acknowledgment of their help on the day, they knew how much we appreciated their help throughout the process.

We also did gifts for people who stayed at the venue - just small packs of nice smellies so the parents had a set of those each too.

We have bought presents for the main people of the wedding.

We have bought pocket watches which have been engraved for Groom, FOTB, FOTB, usher and best man.

but then we have also treated them to a theatre show and stay over in London.

We have paid for the wedding ourselves, but we have treated them because both of our parents have said that they wanted to help with something so in laws have decided to pay for the photographer and my folks have paid for my dress, so we have said thank you not only for this but for all the support they have given.

We're buying token gifts which we'll give privately to the bridal party on the day - no big presentations and suchlike here, it's embarrassing really.

We were going to give the three sets of parents a book of wedding photos from one of these "upload 'em and we print it" companies as christmas presents, which we should have plenty of time from September to Christmas for our photos to be returned to us.

We've bought ties for the ushers and necklaces for the bridesmaids. H2b's parents will probably get a nice posh bottle of wine on the day (but not given during speeches), mine.... No idea yet! And both sets of parents will get a nicely framed pic after the wedding.

My parents have paid for a lot of the wedding and my mum has given us so much help and support (wouldn't even have a venue if it wasn't for her!) so I wanted to get them something nice - maybe a bouquet of flowers and a bottle of wine. OH's parents are helping with honeymoon costs so we thought about getting them something but i don't know what yet. We did consider giving them a gift-wrapped positive pregnancy test* since they are both so desperate for grandkids!

* This would never happen. We have no money and no house atm so definitely NO babies ?

We're definitely going to get something for our parents but I have no idea what - possibly a weekend away somewhere so they can have some nice memories. I don't really do flowers so the mums definitely won't be getting big bouquets from us.

My SIL2B bought David Austin rose bushess for her mum and her H's mum as she's originally wanted them for her bouquet but couldn't justify the expense. The plants are now flowering, look beautiful in the garden and are such a lovely reminder of the day

Love the idea of a rose bush, might pinch that

EDIT: The idea, not the bush!

Talking of flowers, something we're doing which you might like to 'nick' is flower seeds as part of the favours.

We're getting married in September, and Asters are the 'flower of the month' apparently for September. We're putting a little pack of seeds (bought small plastic bags and about 10,000 seeds on Ebay fairly cheaply) in the pack with a little note telling people when and how to plant them, then when they flower in September it'll be about the time of our first anniversary so a nice way for people to remember it with us.

I think you need to look at it as not only financial contribution, but also time and support. For example, have they helped you make invitations, stationery etc, gone shopping for stuff with you?

I'm not a fan of giving presents during the speeches and we're getting married abroad, so we're probably going to get some form of voucher for an activity or meal for both sets of parents, both of whom are contributing financially and with their time.

At my sister's wedding, my parents contributed financially and with time, whereas her husband's parents did nothing. They are taking my parents out for a nice meal instead of getting them something to keep.

Think we're just going to get flowers for our mom's and give them after the speeches. Will get gifts for all the bridal party but the b.m's will already be wearing their jewellrey so not having a massive 'giving out pressies' ceremony, will just do it discreetly.

My mum paid for our venue and everything that entailed so we wanted to get her some thing and we didnt feel that the traditional bunch of flowers showed how grateful we were. we got her a suade photo album from one of her fave swank london shops which she was over the moon with.

OH's opinion when I asked what we should get his mum was " why should we get her anything, what has she done"

helpful! I would have opted for the flowers or a plant but as she was flying back to N.Ireland the next day, they were ruled out.

in the end i left it to OH and suggested a photo frame or album and he got her an album in the end!

We were going to get them presents on the day, but we talked about it and decided the money would be better off going to get them a photo album after the day. Of course they will be thanked in the speeches but trying to arrange presents for them and keep the presents a secret (our day is arranged around 3 separate venues, so it'll be a nightmare!) just is too much stress for me at the moment! But on the day we'll let them know we're going to buy them their photo albums.

We have decided to give mums an orchid each as they both like orchid and then a photobook after the day, BM necklace and BMan a tie, not bothering with cards and such it seemed like it was turning into christmas by the time we wrote a list so have cut it dramatically!

I want to get my parents something as they're paying for it all, but I won't get anything for OH's as they've offered/done nothing towards it.. x

For us I've already earmarked some ideas for my parents as they are paying for the majority and what they don't get we are. I was thinking of buying them a weekend away, there is a website I've found that you pay for the cost of it and then they recieve the gift and go and book the hotel when they want to book it, I think you have so many months to book it.

For my PIL2B they hadn't offered anything by way of contributing then last month my OHs dad offered to pay for our honeymoon, so now I'm thinking of getting them something too.

I'll be getting my sister (MOH) either a Pandora or Lovelinks charm as she is doing our airbrush make up and my hair and my SIL2B's hair.

I think for the BM I may get cuff links, not so sure of this yet.

My parents have given us a contribution towards the wedding and also paid for our honeymoon so yeah we've got them a thank you gift. It sounds crap in comparison to how much they have helped us but we have got them a personalised Monopoly Board. It has the names of places they have lived and areas they grew up etc and it says our names and the date of the wedding across the middle of the board. I just thought it was a really nice keepsake.

I am just in the process of buying thank you gifts and so far have got my Dad an engraved bottle of wine and my Nan an engraved pictured frame. Think im opting for jewellery for my Mom and am stumped at a gift for my Sister our MOH ?. My OH is sorting her side of the family out as i wouldnt have a clue what they like.

I don't know what to do about this either...

I'm only having my cousin as a MOH (no bridesmaids) so I am in charge of her gift (some jewellery for the day and a MOH journal from Oh So Cherished)

Also, her little girl is a flower girl so I'm going to get her a little necklace to match her mum's

OH is only having a best man (no ushers) so he is in charge of that one...although it will prob fall to me as he is hopeless

As for parents, OH has lost both of his parents and I only have my mum, so don't want to make a big show of giving only her a gift. We are paying for the entire wedding, my mum isn't very well off and I would be surprised if she paid for anything as a gift as her husband had an injury at work 8months ago and the doctor at the hosp still wont allow him to go back to work so they've been on SSP for the best part of a year - I know things are tough and wouldn't expect anything regardless. I don't think I'd like to get my mum something but not my gran, then what about OHs sister, etc, etc - it just spirals out of control. I think we will stick to gifts for the MOH, Best Man, and Flower Girl - which will all be given out on the morning of the wedding anyway so no gifts during the speeches for us.

*sorry - that went on longer than intended*

My parents have been a great support & also contributed hugely financially. We are getting them a voucher for a swanky hotel so they can treat themselves. Both mums will get flowers at the meal.

And we are gettin 2 parent albums @ £200 (£100 each) so one for my parents & one for OH mum.

OH mum& dad are separated & OH mum is giving us £500 honeymoon spending money & paying the £500 for our band whereas OH dad has done nothing - he even hinted we should buy him shoes for the day!! - so he is gettin nothing in terms of a thank you gift.

We're giving thank you presents for those that have helped with the day. So that's my parents, h2b's mum (dad hasn't contributed), bridesmaids, best man and ushers. Its nice to give a present to say thank you, I'm trying to think of something that will last rather than a bouquet of flowers though!

If people haven't contributed then why give a gift? If this is the case then as others have mentioned, when you get the photos back then do a nice framed photo for your parents as a memento, rather than a thank you.