Cheap Bridal Party Gifts for Parents

A sincere thank-you gift for your parents on your wedding day doesn't have to be expensive.mother and daughter image by Gina Smith from Fotolia.com

While planning your wedding you are probably giving plenty of thought to the gifts you plan give your attendants. One set of "attendants" who are often overlooked are your parents. Not only are they helping with your wedding, they also raised you to be an adult who can give and receive love. Fortunately for your budget, parents value sentimental gifts, which you can easily find or create yourself.

Photographs

Use photographs to create thoughtful gifts of happy memories. Make a copy of your parents' wedding or engagement photo, buy a double picture frame and put their photo on one side and yours on the other. Give your mother a locket with two pictures of you inside it, a baby picture on one side and a photo of you in your wedding-day finery on the other. Make a scrapbook for your parents containing photos of all of you through the years, from your birth through your wedding shower; paste a "Thank You" card on the last page.

Write your parents a sincere thank-you letter expressing your gratitude for everything they've done for you through the years. If you or your spouse-to-be are good with words, compose a poem that says everything in your hearts. Read it aloud to your parents during the ceremony and present them with a framed copy of the poem. If you or a friend knows how to do calligraphy, handwrite it. If that's not your style, record a heartfelt message on a stuffed animal so they can hear your voice even when you're off on your honeymoon.

Have your names and wedding date engraved on a bowl or a crystal paperweight for a token that lasts a lifetime. Simple silver "mother of the bride/groom" charms and "father of the bride/groom" tie tacks are not too expensive, and are also customizable with your names, initials or dates. Pens, key chains and champagne flutes are also customizable and affordable.

Now that you are a married couple, give your parents the gift of being the first official guests in your home. At your wedding reception, give them envelopes containing printed invitations to your first dinner party, which you can hold after you return from your honeymoon. Make it clear that they are not to bring anything but themselves, and that the party will be held in their honor, to thank them for your happy wedding day.