Wrapping a wedding present is one of the most pleasurable gift-packaging experiences.
Wedding
is usually tasteful-but-uninspired white or white-and-silver paper. This is one reason to shop the specialty paper stores, as they have many varieties of white, ivory and cream-colored papers with jolts of metallic that can be used for
wedding packaging
. Don't feel that you have to restrain yourself to a pale color palette. Brides are adding color to their wedding invitations, and you can add it to your
. Is there an accent color on the one you received? If so, use that. If not, it's better to play it safe and stick with something traditional.
Weddings now command several aisles in the craft stores, and the items that can be found there make great additions to
wedding wrap -- small picture frames, glitter doves, wedding bells, even roses made of cake icing that are stiff enough to use as package adornments. The aisles will afford many possibilities.
If you are completely challenged by
, as some people are, look for pre-decorated boxes at craft and hobby stores. These boxes won't require paper or ribbon. Simply put your gift inside and latch, tie or press the magnetic seal. You have wrapped with and gifted a use-again box.
Mail your gift, or deliver it to the bride's or her mother's home. This is the most considerate way to get your gift to the wedding couple. If you take it to the reception, someone has to take it home. Not the newly married couple; they are too busy. Often the job of schlepping presents falls to the younger brother or a cousin, and the gifts get pitched into the back of an SUV. Bows get crushed, cards fall off, and the gifts arrive looking as bedraggled as the drunken bridesmaid who fell in the pool.
This is why you should always put the card in the
gift box
, whether you are mailing or hand-delivering it. Paper stores stock lovely little cards with matching envelopes. Buy one of these and write a brief sentiment of well wishes and your name.
If you mail the gift, put it in a sturdy cardboard box and surround it with packing peanuts or bubble wrap. A handful of silk flower petals in the peanuts can pretty up the presentation. Tie a soft ribbon around the package. A soft bow travels better than wired ribbon, which tends to flatten in shipping.
Presentations: A Passion for Gift Wrapping by Carolyne Roehm is all about the art of pretty
. She relies heavily on topping her gifts with fresh flowers, and her packages are tied with exquisite ribbons, which are a challenge to find but do break the white-and-silver mold in a dozen ways. She has clever ideas for cards and computer-printed gift wrap as well.
Paper Boxes
