What do you give a friend who is embarking on the most exciting journey of their lives - getting married? Here are some gift ideas for brides and grooms that they will love, enjoy and cherish.


For the Bride
There is so much a bride-to-be needs to do before the wedding. The planning, the shopping, the organizing-don't you wish you could get her something to ease her mind or help her relax for a while? Well, you can.

Consider how many places she will visit and the number of choices she will have to make. A mini digital camera would be most useful in cataloging her options. An album with spaces for notes could be helpful to immortalize the wedding prep memories (and could come handy for the next gal in the gang to get married). Get her a spa certificate so she can spend some time being relaxed and refreshed before the nuptials. Plan a nice weekend away from the city or a trip to a place where she can take her mind off the work and focus on the friends who care so much for her.

She has a lot of shopping to do, so a gift certificate to her favorite restaurant (or a new place you have discovered locally), where the soon-to-be-married couple could take a breather, might make a big difference and turn a trial into a fun date.

Reduce some of her workload and help her plan her honeymoon. Together you can figure out a great place where the new couple can spend some blissful time together. Just the fact that you thought of her and helped her out during this time could be a bigger gift than anything you could pick out of her wedding registry.

For the Groom
If you think the groom has it made because the bride does most of the running around for the wedding, you are gravely mistaken. Not only is the soon-to-be-married man stressed out about the big commitment he is about to make, he too has a lot of planning and preparation to do. Your gift could work wonders by helping him sort out important details.

Help him relax with a gift certificate for a massage and day at the spa. Get him some new clubs, book tee time and take him for a round of the greens to get his mind off the big day, or take off on a hike or a drive to a nearby getaway.

If your buddy's bride-to-be comes from a different place, help him introduce her to the neighborhood. Make a list of some of the most exciting places around - restaurants, bars, museums, theaters, and day trips. Get him a few gift certificates to a couple of the best places on your list and then let them explore the city to see it through new eyes.

Think of other ways to help him with wedding-related chores. What about a sleek pen for all the thank you notes he will have to write or a digital camera for the honeymoon photos? A silk robe to replace the tattered pajamas he is always lounging around in (his new wife will definitely appreciate that). Besides being a great help and a source of great fun, your gift will stand out and be remembered fondly for years to come.