Searching for some amazing sentimental virtual wedding gift ideas every couple will love? We’ve got you! While it’s always best to shop from the couple’s registry first, sometimes you want to include a little something extra as a personal touch
If you’re at a loss for ideas, or shopping for couples without a registry, take a look at our favorite options below. First, though, let’s talk about why you still should send a gift even for a virtual wedding.
Let’s start with a quick look at our top picks, then keep reading for all the glorious details.
Sentimental Virtual Wedding Gift Top Picks at a Glance
FYI, this post contains affiliate links. We earn a commission if you make a purchase at no extra cost to you.
- Personalized Wedding Vows Books
- Keepsake Ceremony Wine Box
- Personalized Wedding Quotes Painting
- FujiFilm Instax Mini 9 Instant Camera
- Welsh Love Spoon
Check the table below for a side-by-side comparison of our favorites!
Yes, you should send a gift for a virtual wedding, and here’s why!
I’ve attended a few virtual weddings, and I must admit they can be pretty confusing. I thought I was the only one struggling to adjust to the new setup. And then I came along this Reddit user, and I realized that other people were struggling with the same.
One thing that isn’t clear when it comes to virtual weddings is whether or not, as a guest, you need to buy a gift. I mean the bride won’t be spending on the venue, cake or wine, so you don’t have to gift them. Right? Wrong!
I realized that although the wedding was virtual, it was still the bride and groom’s big day. And to them, simply because it’s virtual doesn’t make it any less special.
We talked about this quite a bit the other day in our post about Virtual Wedding Gift Etiquette for Guests, but let me recap with a quote from another Redditor that really sums it all up perfectly.
The guest’s gift is meant to help the couple move forward in their new life together, NOT to “pay back” their plate despite the pervasiveness of this idea. The couple would have otherwise provided dinner and other festivities but has decided instead to prioritize keeping you and other guests safe, which I think is commendable. So I suggest giving what you originally intended to give if you can still afford it.
In other words, a wedding gift isn’t “payment for services rendered” during the event. So, it doesn’t matter if the brides or grooms spent $1 or $1,000 per guest (or heck, even $0). So now, I still get a gift for the bride and groom regardless of what type of event they’re having.
With that in mind, here are some sentimental virtual wedding gift ideas. FYI, this post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through these links, we earn a small commission at no extra charge to you.
9 Sentimental Virtual Wedding Gift Ideas Every Couple Will Love
From personalized wedding gifts to beautiful home décor to ideas that help couples make memories of their own, we’ve included a good range of options below. All of the gifts are perfect for same-sex couples.
1. Personalized Wedding Vows Books
There are photos, dances, food to be shared at regular weddings, and many other shared memories. But all this has significantly reduced with the shift to virtual weddings.
So, I bought the bride and grooms a personalized wedding vows book, like this one on Amazon, to write down their promises to each other. Both of them appreciated this, and I think reading the vows on their anniversary will be a very cool thing.
The books come customized with the couple’s name, the wedding’s date, and you can add their favorite quote.
- We can do any location WORLDWIDE!
- 5”x 7” when closed.
- Available in White or Black.
2. Keepsake Ceremony Wine Box
Many couples are opting to do a little cake & champagne ceremony as part of their virtual wedding, versus long Zoom receptions.
This beautiful ceremony wine box is the perfect place for them to keep mementos, like the champagne bottle and their cake cutter.
If you live close to the couple, you can even order it ahead of time and have it sent to your home. Add a bottle of wine or champagne for an extra special touch, then deliver it to them (keeping social distancing in mind, of course).
3. Personalized Wedding Quotes Painting
Isn’t this wedding quote art just beautiful? You can customize everything from the names and date (obviously) to the quote itself. You can even change the color of the tree or add a custom one. It comes in 5 different sizes to fit all budgets.
- Please Make Sure to Upload All Images to Complete the Collage/ Personalized Heart Shape Collage / Customize your Photo / Ready to Hang
- High-quality canvas wall art prints are printed and gallery wrapped (stretched) by professionals MADE TO ORDER. %100 handmade and made in the USA.
- READY TO HANG unless defined ROLLED UP in the size option. All canvas prints are UV resistant and fade resistant for gallery quality profile.
4. FujiFilm Instax Mini 9 Instant Camera
This is among the top virtual wedding gifts. I know an instant camera doesn’t seem sentimental at first, I know, but it really is! Think about it- they can use it not only to capture the moments of their special day but also to capture all those sweet and touching moments throughout their lives together.
I love this one from Fuji because it comes with everything they could possibly need to start capturing and showcasing their favorite memories.
- SNAP, PRINT, SHARE - The Polaroid Snap instant digital camera captures all the fun and spontaneity of the legacy Polaroid instant camera in an easy, compact package. Simply point and click to print vibrant, high-quality photos that you can share, no computer connections needed
- ZERO INK, ZERO TONER, INSTANT RESULTS - The integrated ZINK printing technology enables you to instantly print full-color, smudge-proof 2x3 inches prints automatically when an image is captured - without ink, ribbons or toner cartridges, this enables you to easily print and share physical photos at the push of a button, while saving all your images for easy uploading
- EMBRACE YOUR INNER PHOTOGRAPHER - Get snapping, capture details with the powerful 10 megapixel sensor, insert a microSD card (32GB max) to expand the memory, load your Zink paper and print on the spot, add an artistic touch with the different picture modes available. Simile to the camera and take a selfie with the built-in selfie mirror or get yourself and the group in the shot with the self-timer feature
Related: Sentimental Wedding Gifts
5. Welsh Love Spoon
I saw this Welsh Love Spoon the other day when we were talking about heirloom wedding gift ideas, and it’s just perfect for a sentimental virtual wedding gift, too!
It’s hand-carved and personalized, with two hearts joining together in a beautiful Celtic knot design. It also comes with a card that explains the tradition behind it.
- Hand Carved Welsh Love Spoon with Two Hearts hand carved and joined together as a token of Lasting Love.
- Free Engraving - Suitable for Engraving a name on each heart and a date on the bowl. Click 'Customize Now' to order. If you do not require engraving, simply follow the same process and insert 'NO ENGRAVING' in the 1st text box.
- Size: 25cm / 9.75"
6. Gold Roses Bouquet
Is there any flower more sentimental than the noble and beautiful rose? I think not! Of course, the downside of giving real roses as a gift is that they just don’t last very long.
Why not give a beautiful bouquet that will last throughout the rest of their lives…and well into the next generation! These gold-dipped roses symbolize the eternal love that the couple will share.
- ✔ Valentine's day is coming! show your love, get your love, love forever.
- ✔ Art of flowers: It is a perfect gift for your lover, Mom or wife to show your real long love for her; A best gift for your mom to show your gratitude and love for her.
- ✔ A precious gift for her: the golden rose is a beautiful gift, with a beautiful box can be given as a gift to lovers, family, friends. Can also be used for marriage proposal, wedding anniversary, birthday, engagement, Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, Christmas, etc.
7. Our Bucket List Journal
We all have separate dreams and wishes of what we want to see or experience. And combining or comparing notes with your spouse is one of the most exciting things to do once you get married. It could mean creating a new list that includes both of your adventures.
Our bucket list journal from Amazon allows the newlyweds to create and note down their new bucket list as a family. This is one of the best wedding virtual gifts because now that many countries are on lockdown, it’s impossible to travel. Documenting future trips helps keep the excitement alive.
- Reads, Lux (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 82 Pages - 02/16/2018 (Publication Date) - Lux Reads (Publisher)
8. Personalized Wedding Leather Album
Memories should be captured and well-kept for future generations to see. When my parents did their wedding, I was only five years old.
Unfortunately, no one kept the photos well for me to see now that I’m all grown. I only have a vague memory of the day, and I really wish someone had kept the wedding photos for me to relive the day.
This is how I know that a quality album is a fantastic gift for a virtual wedding. Make it easy for the couple to keep their wedding photos, honeymoon photos, and any other photos they’ll take as a family.
This quality album from Amazon is customized with the couple’s name as well as their wedding date.
- Album comes with 30 photo pocket sheets to hold 120 4×6 or 4×7 photos. Archival, acid-free, 3 mil, heavy gauge, crystal clear polypropylene pocket pages. Also comes with removable Photo Notes inserts for recording photo details.
- Bonded leather, ring bound album with leather reinforced hinges, black anodized ring metal, gold embossed hubbed spines and hidden rivets, padded warp-resistant binder’s board cover panels.
- Save Amazon Add-on fees! Order refills now: 4×6,4×7 photos ASIN# B00005A42X. 5×7 photos (ASIN# B008CF5HG2). 8×10 photos (ASIN# B00005A42Z). Black scrapbook pages (ASIN# B008B8QXCW). Photo Notes(ASIN# B008B8QXZY)
9. Offer Cash
If you can’t think of something to give the newlyweds, you can send them money to help with the wedding or the honeymoon.
You’ll be surprised at how many couples prefer money to gifts. While it doesn’t sound like a sentimental gift, it’s actually among the most touching things you can offer, especially for couples whose income has been affected by lockdown.
History of Gifts at Weddings
Gifting at weddings is a very important event and an age-long tradition that both couples and well-wishers look forward to. It is a special opportunity for friends and family to show how much they love and wish the best for the newlyweds.
Long ago when marrying for love wasn’t a thing, people married as a means towards an economic breakthrough. The groom and his family were to grant the bride financial security. In a case where the bride was to later become widowed, the gifts she received at her wedding were to serve as security for her to rely on.
Later on in the renaissance, brides were sent into marriage with wooden marriage chests filled with expensive gifts to show off their family’s status in society. In places like the middle-east, such chests adorned the woman’s space as part of her furniture. The chests could also consist of vital items that the bride would need in her marital life. Marriage chests later became more of a symbolic tradition. American brides were gifted key baskets that contained keys to chests in their new homes.
In India, wedding gifts stem from a tradition known as ‘Shagun’. It is a type of gift gifted to the couple as part of the rituals at the wedding ceremony. It is normally a cash gift in a figure ending with ‘one’ since ‘zero’ signifies an end while ‘one’ signifies new beginnings.
Africans on the other hand give wedding gifts as part of the bride’s family’s customary responsibility towards the building of her new home. The gifts mainly consist of furniture and kitchenware.
With the great social change of recent years and marriage being mainly for love and not economic motives, wedding gifts these days are usually sentimental and things the couple will need as they begin their new journey of love. These gifts range from cash, household objects, wine, accessories, etc.
Why Wedding Gifts Are So Important
Wedding gifts are so important because they show appreciation to the couple and it’s the best way to tell them you wish them happiness and joy in their new life together.
It is a wrong notion to think that it is a form of compensation to the couple for the costs they must have incurred in preparing for the wedding. It is simply a show of love and care for the newlyweds. You don’t have to break the bank to purchase a gift. A simple but well-thought-out gift could be the most perfect wedding gift to the couple.
Considering the couple’s interests and culture might be the best way to get them a gift they will cherish. For example, an art-loving couple will very much appreciate a beautiful painting.
Make sure the gift you select will be memorable and in line with the needs or aesthetic taste of the couple. Adding a nice card to your gift with a beautiful note to the newlyweds can also be the cherry on top.
Best Virtual Wedding Gifts (Final Word)
With virtual weddings, it’s normal to be confused about the rules. In my experience, though, the gifts aren’t so different from the gifts given during traditional weddings. But at least, it’s crucial to ensure it’s something the couple can enjoy even with the lockdown.
What are some of your favorite sentimental virtual wedding gifts? Share below!
