The Wedding Party Gift Guide: What to Actually Give Your Bridesmaids, Best Man & Parents
There's a very specific kind of panic that hits about six weeks before a wedding. The venue's booked, the seating plan is (mostly) sorted, and then it hits you: what on earth do I get my bridesmaids?
Matching dressing gowns. Engraved hip flasks. A candle that says "thank you for being my bridesmaid" in cursive. Lovely enough — but if you've ever actually received one of these, you know exactly where it ends up six months later. In a drawer. Or the bin.
The wedding party gave you their time, their money, their dress fittings, their stag-do hangovers, and — let's be honest — a fair bit of emotional labour getting you down the aisle in one piece. That deserves something they'll genuinely keep, not something that ticks a box marked "bridesmaid gift."
How Much Should You Spend on Wedding Party Gifts in the UK?
If you're trying to budget this alongside everything else, here's a realistic 2026 guide:
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Bridesmaids: £20–£50 each is typical
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Groomsmen: £25–£60 each
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Maid of honour / best man: £40–£80, reflecting the extra time and effort they've put in
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Flower girls / page boys: Usually a smaller, simpler token
There's no rule carved in stone here — what matters far more than the price tag is whether the gift actually means something. A thoughtful £30 personalised gift will be remembered long after a generic £60 gift set has been forgotten.
When Should You Give Wedding Party Gifts?
Most UK couples give gifts at one of two moments:
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The proposal stage — a small token when you first ask someone to be your bridesmaid or groomsman (think a card, a trinket, a "will you be my bridesmaid" moment)
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The wedding morning — the main thank-you gift, given while everyone's getting ready together. This is when it lands hardest, emotionally — it photographs beautifully and gives everyone something to enjoy before the day even properly starts
If you're only giving one gift, make it count on the morning of the wedding.
Why a Personalised Pencil Portrait Works So Well as a Thank-You Gift
This is where most wedding party gifts go wrong: they're generic enough to suit anyone, which means they don't really suit anyone. A personalised pencil portrait flips that completely — it's drawn from an actual photo of the two of you, which makes it impossible to mix up with someone else's gift.
Think about the photo you'd choose: you and your maid of honour on a girls' trip years before either of you had even met your other halves. You and your dad at your graduation. You and your best man, mid-laugh, at the engagement party. That's the gift — not a candle, not a keyring, but the actual relationship, hand-drawn and framed.
What makes it work as a wedding party gift specifically:
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Hand-drawn from your own photo, not a template — every portrait is genuinely one of one
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Framed and ready to hang, so there's nothing left for them to sort out
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Free preview before it's finalised, so you know exactly what they'll receive
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Free UK shipping (with free 24-hour express over £60), useful when you're working against a wedding-week deadline
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100-day returns, so there's no risk in gifting something this personal
Create a pencil portrait gift →
Gift Ideas by Role
Bridesmaids A pencil portrait of the two of you, from a photo that means something — not a styled studio shot, but a real one. Pair it with a simple, useful extra (a robe for the morning of, if you want a "getting ready" element too).
Best man & groomsmen The same idea works just as well for the groom's side. A portrait of the two of you from years before the wedding was even on the cards tends to land harder than anything bought off a "groomsmen gifts" list.
Maid of honour Given the extra effort she's put in, consider going slightly further — a portrait and a personalised song lyrics print of a song that's "yours" as friends, not just the couple's first dance song.
Don't Forget the Parents
Wedding party gift guides almost always skip the people who arguably deserve it most: the parents. A mother-of-the-bride or father-of-the-groom thank-you gift gets overlooked constantly, yet it's often the gift that gets the strongest reaction on the day.
A pencil portrait of you and your mum, or you and your dad, from years before the wedding, tends to be the gift that actually gets someone crying in the best way. If your dad chose a specific song for the father-daughter dance, a matching lyrics print of that track makes an equally meaningful pairing.
Building Out Your Full Wedding Gifting List
If you're working through gifts for the whole day — not just the wedding party — our guide to UK wedding season gifting and first dance lyrics prints covers ideas for the couple themselves, plus engagement and anniversary gifting too.
FAQs: Wedding Party & Parent Gifts
How much should I spend on a bridesmaid gift in the UK? Most UK couples spend between £20 and £50 per bridesmaid, with maid of honour gifts often slightly higher at £40–£80, reflecting their added involvement.
Should I give wedding party gifts before or on the wedding day? Either works, but the wedding morning is the most popular choice in the UK — it's emotional, makes for great photos, and gives everyone something to enjoy before the ceremony.
What's a meaningful alternative to generic bridesmaid gifts like candles or robes? A personalised pencil portrait drawn from a real photo of the two of you is one of the few gifts that can't be mixed up with anyone else's — it's specific to your actual relationship, not just the role someone played on the day.
Is a personalised portrait a good gift for parents at a wedding? Yes — it's one of our most requested wedding gifts. A pencil portrait of a parent and child, particularly from years before the wedding, tends to be one of the most emotional gifts of the whole day.
How quickly can I get a personalised gift before the wedding? Standard UK delivery is 1–2 days, with free 24-hour express on orders over £60 — so even a last-minute decision can usually still arrive in time.
Looking for the couple's own gift, not just the wedding party's? Our first dance song lyrics print is the one most newlyweds end up framing for their own wall.
