Tips on How To Give Meaningful Gifts

When you find yourself not knowing how and what to give, just remember these simple pieces of advice.

Wedding welcome gifts

1. Gift what you love.
Get something you would love to receive yourself. In almost all cases, whatever you value yourself is what others would find worthy, too.

Groomsmen wedding gift

2. Make it personal.
There are so many ways to personalize – by engraving gifts with names or monograms & customizing labels and prints.

Groomsmen socks with personalized labelsJack Daniel whiskey custom labels

3. Hand write messages. 
Nothing beats good old handwritten letters that come from the heart.

Personalized gift tags calligraphy

Gifting Ideas for the Bride and Groom

Giving gifts to a couple getting married can be quite challenging. This time, you don’t just think about two gifts for two persons but you need to think of a gift/s both persons would enjoy.

Bride and groom kissing under veil

Photo from BridalMusings

Here are some tips we picked up from experience.

Make it His & Hers
Matching, personalized gifts never go old. They are cute, fun and will always bring smiles to newlyweds. Pick some practical items that the couple can use at home or while traveling. Some of our favorites are hubby and wifey matching shirts, his and hers luggage tags, engraved wooden board, bed pillows and his and hers coffee mugs with funny anecdotes.

his and hers personalized wedding gifts

His & Hers Gift Ideas

Wedding Gift Mr & Mrs Ring Dish

Mr & Mrs ceramic ring dish to hold the couple’s wedding bands

Contribute to their Honeymoon
Why not get the tab for the couple’s flight to their honeymoon destination? This would require letting the couple know in advance that you plan to give them the tickets as a gift so they would not double-book themselves. If this is too much for your budget, you can instead go for a gift basket that includes items they can use in their honeymoon.

Elegant gift for newlyweds

Gift Basket for Newly Married

Honeymoon Gift Basket with a few essentials: Fragrance Bag, Love Soap, Aromatic Candle, Bath Salts

Encourage Making Memories
Help the newlyweds prepare for their new life together through gifts that would encourage them to make lasting memories- non-expensive items that would require more interaction between husband and wife. They can be a devotional book on love and marriage, redeemable love coupons to spice up the relationship, or even board games to play on date nights.

couple gifts making memories

Gary Chapman’s 5 Love Languages book, Redeemable Love Coupons, Date Night Board Games

wedding cookies bride and groom

Jules & Joy includes bride and groom customized cookies in its wedding gift basket

These gifts not only would solidify the newlyweds’ official role as Mr & Mrs but hopefully would also keep the romance alive long after the wedding day.

Need some custom gifts for your friends about to tie the knot? Consult with us!

Artfully Wed Feature

When I heard from Shawna of Sweetheart Events that the styled shoot we worked on last February will soon be featured by an online wedding style blog, I was beyond ecstatic! I know that the shoot was tastefully done, and it was an honor for me to be included alongside a list of seasoned and awesome vendors in Vancouver.

Customized Bridesmaid Gift Basket

I was asked to create a gift basket following the industrial-inspired theme so I used galvanized tin and chose gift items in hues of white, gold and blush pink.

This post is lifted from Artfully Wed’s website

This beautifully airy art studio wedding styled shoot from Summer Rayne Photo and Sweetheart Events showcases a stunning Truvelle gown, vintage decor and personalized wedding vows in an industrial warehouse space softened by the romantic color palette of dove gray, white, gold and Rose Quartz! The venue, a former winery, is a current working art studio where guests can look through the reclaimed window walls to see into the artists’ work spaces. The estate head table was accented with dove gray linens, rose tapered candles, green garland, gold dipped cutlery and a gorgeous centerpiece to bring out the subtle hints of the color palette. The unique wedding vows were written in calligraphy on a backdrop behind the cake table, as well!
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Artists
Photographer: Summer Rayne Photo
Event Designer: Shawna Spooner, Sweetheart Events
Venue: 100 Braid St Studios & Gallery
Floral Designer: Our Little Flower Company
Cake Designer: The Cake & The Giraffe
Dress Designer: Truvelle
Stationery Designer: Cornwall Stationery
Hair Stylist: Clarke Fryer
Makeup Artist: Savannah St. Jean
Vintage Rentals: Bespoke Decor
Lace Backdrop: Past Pieces
Chair, Linen & Napkin Rentals: Lonsdale Event Rentals
Calligraphy: Elizabeth Barr, Sweetheart Events
Rings: Carats
Bridesmaid Gift: Jules & Joy Gifts
Models: Jaclyn & Patrick

Refreshment & Reinforcement: Thoughtful Gifts for Your Bridesmaids on Your Wedding Day

Your bridesmaids will help you shine your brightest and be your most relaxed and beautiful on your wedding day. They will be running around the venue and be your gofers throughout the day. They will be always on the lookout for any wrinkle on your dress or a tear ready to roll down your face. They will be your cheerleaders, ready to crack jokes and make light of what could be a very emotion-charged event.

Bride and bridesmaids 1

Photo from weddingsonline

Show them how much you appreciate their friendship and their presence on your big day. Thank your ladies with R&R gifts that will come in handy and make the day such a breeze.
Here is a collection of some gift items that your bridesmaids will be thrilled to receive.

bridesmaids tote with flowers

A customized tote (or a shirt) will make their “duty” as bridesmaids more official. 🙂

For out of town weddings, give out beauty products and some snacks the night before the big day so your ladies wake up looking refreshed and energized.

Bridesmaid's wedding kit

It’s always a good idea to throw in a necessity kit in case of emergencies and those ooops moments.

Bridesmaid emergency kit

Wedding day emergency kit with bobby pins, Band-aids, headache pills, mints, wet wipes and hair tie

bridesmaids custom gifts tote bag

If totes are not your thing, a simple nice box will also do. Collect a few of your favorite things like this temp tattoo…
And don’t forget to include the bubbly too!

bridesmaids gift box

If you want to go for something more personal and fancy, some options are customized robes, monogrammed bracelets, and Instax cameras, sleeping eye mask and a floral corsage.

bridesmaids custom gifts 2

Suitable for the fun-loving and feminine bridesmaids, these gifts are not only useful and refreshing but also instagram-worthy! 😉

How To Effectively Use Monogram in Gifts

Let’s be honest – We often dismiss many of the favors and giveaways we receive because of their shouting logos and monograms that make the gifts appear tacky and thoughtless. A guest in an event I went to mentioned that she’d rather have more tapas than the cheap souvenir they gave as we left (I know how ungrateful!). I think one of the common mistakes is when we overuse or misuse our opportunity to personalize.

koozies

Photo from WedPics Blog

We suggest a few ways on how to effectively personalize your gifts and favors using monograms.

Know your monogram etiquette.
The traditional three-letter Victorian monograms are the most popular variety people use today. For single men and women, the initials of their names are used to create a monogram; the surname is usually the largest and placed in the middle. If you are giving gifts to a married couple, their initials are combined- the man’s initial goes first followed by the woman’s. But if you are giving gifts to married couples individually, tradition dictates to use the woman’s first name initial, married name initial and then her maiden name initial.

monogram rule for singlesmonogram rules for married couples

Choose the appropriate gift.
Almost everything can be monogrammed – clothing, leather goods, jewelry, even your tiny M&M’s can be personalized! The challenge is to pick the most suitable item in line with your event and based on what the receiver will surely want and would actually use. Always ask yourself – is this item something I would want myself? (Read: Avoid anything glossy).

Bridesmaids boyfriend shirt monogram

Beach wedding

Photo by Ellen Leroy Photography

bridesmaid's monogram bracelets

Be subtle.
Be careful not to overdo the prints, especially if you are using your own initials or names and logos on your giveaways. Use the appropriate font sizes in relation to the size of the favor. Whatever you do, always make sure that they read well.

monogram wedding favorsmonogrammed gift labels

You can never go wrong by making your monogrammed gift simple, useful and fun. Hope this list helps you!

Custom Favors for Summer-Themed Weddings

Summer means bright colors, aquamarine waters, seashells, sand in between toes, nautical decors and refreshing drinks. A beautiful season that gives us endless of inspirations on using season-related elements for possible wedding themes and motifs.

Photo from lecahier.com

Photo from lecahier.com

We collected a few of our favorite unique wedding favors that are perfect for your by-the-beach, under the sun knot-tying celebration. Feel free to tweak and re-design your own.

Pop and Bubbly
Give your guests a break from the summer heat with these refreshing thirst-quenching favors.

wedding favor drinks

Pop cola wedding favors

Photo by idoweddingsmalta.com

Beach-Themed Sweets
Bring summer details onto your dessert table with some seashell-shaped cookies or beach wedding candies. A simple combination of sunset and sea colors will already create an awesome summer-y vibe in your wedding reception.

summer wedding sweet favors

Right photo by Melanie Dorothy

beach wedding cookies

Left photo from glorioustreats.com

Summer Essentials
Flip flops and sunglasses are not only trendy but very useful giveaways for beach weddings. Another practical idea is to write your wedding program onto makeshift fans for an outdoor wedding.

flip flops and umbrella wedding favors

custom fans wedding favors

Photo from indybride2be.com

These favors are pretty classy but not expensive at all, yet they will be well received and much appreciated by the people who will celebrate with you.

Need your own personalized gifts and favors like these? Consult with us now.

Prepping Up for A Bridal Fair

The wedding season is here and we are more than delighted to celebrate with and serve our new brides to be and engaged couples. Of course this also means the coming of a myriad of wedding shows and bridal fairs and expos happening around the city. As much as we want to join every bridal show there is, we only intend to choose the ones that we can identify with.

Last February, we showcased our custom wedding gifts for the first time at the Swank Wedding Show. This month we will be at the Croatian Cultural Centre along with other wedding vendors for the Bridal Swap event.

“The Original Bridal Swap is a unique concept bringing together Past Brides, Décorators, Craft Artisans and other Sellers who have wedding related goods, with Brides to Be in a fun environment who are on the hunt for their perfect wedding treasures and dresses.”

As a (recent) past bride myself, I think the event concept is perfect! It creates a community of people who willingly share unique items and ideas to help the next bride celebrate her most important day.

Here is a sneak peak of some of the items Jules & Joy will bring in to this fair.bridal fair

These Kraft boxes with a white rose and tulle on the lid are perfect to house mini favors and treats.

kraft favor boxes

First dibs into a limited number of gift boxes, pretty packaging, ribbons, and sweet little things (all budget-friendly) will be available for the early birds. Get your Bridal Swap Van tickets here.
jules and joy gifts

A Gifting Station will also be set up so people can pick and choose items and customize their own gifts.

customize gift station

Hope to see you all there! =)
mini wedding favors

Rose-Themed Wedding Gifts


Spring is finally upon us – that moment when the cold wind is not too biting anymore, when darkness is not in a hurry to set in, when we finally wake up to the smell of fresh fragrance in the air, when gorgeous blooms abound.
Oh happiness!

spring flowers in Vancouver city

Speaking of flowers, I am beyond excited to share with you our one-of-a-kind, rose-themed wedding welcome and thank you gifts. With the rose-loving ladies in mind, we put together a collection of rose-based items that are fragrant, gentle and all-natural.

rose-themed gift items
Rose oil and rose water are most commonly harvested in Bulgaria, a beautiful country in Eastern Europe. They are widely used in cosmetics, for fragrances and skin care.

The Rose Gift Set (From top to bottom, clockwise):

mother of the groom custom gift

Rose water ensures optimal skin hydration, facilitates skin regeneration and prevents wrinkles formation. Due to its antibacterial properties, rose water also aids in healing scars, cuts and wounds. Rose oil is an anti-inflammatory agent and tissue re-generator loaded with therapeutic benefits for the skin.

rose lip balm

If you are looking for something that’s elegant, feminine and pretty in pink, the rose-themed collection is a perfect gift for any special occasion. Our sisters, moms and besties would definitely love them!

rose gift set for mother of the groom

Right or Left, Together or Separate?: How To Wear Your Wedding and Engagement Rings

When my then fiancé (now my husband) proposed to me, I gave him my left hand by default. When we were buying our wedding bands, I was not yet sure which ring finger to put mine on. Fortunately the ring that we decided to get goes really well with my engagement ring, so I thought of wearing them on top of each other. Like any other new bride, I was clueless about ring placements and traditions.

Vein of love
There is really no hard and fast rule on how to wear engagement and wedding rings, but each country and culture have their own set of guidelines and traditions.

Here are some of them:

  • In Catholic and Protestant countries like Russia, Germany, Greece, Spain, Norway and Poland, brides often wear their engagement and wedding rings on the ring finger of the right hand.
  • Those from England, France, Canada, US, Mexico, Ireland, Sweden and other Commonwealth countries generally wear theirs on the ring finger of the left hand.
  • Muslim weddings don’t normally include the practice of exchanging rings but they have already adopted this Western tradition.
  • Jewish couples wear the wedding ring on the left hand, even though it is placed on the right hand during the marriage ceremony. Jewish grooms place the rings on the index fingers of their brides, since that is the finger with which they point to the Torah as they read.
  • Women in Scandinavia wear three rings, one each for engagement, marriage and motherhood.
  • In China, brides wear their wedding bands on the right hand and the grooms on the left. This is based on the custom of ‘nan zhuo, nu you‘ (male left, female right). They believe that since the the woman is in charge of the household, she should wear her ring on the right hand because it has more force and influence.
  • Although rings are usually exchanged in Japanese wedding ceremonies, many Japanese couples choose not to wear their wedding bands after the ceremony.
  • In some parts of India, Hindu women may wear a toe ring or ‘bichiya’ instead of a ring on their finger.
  • Some women from Asia and the West wear the engagement ring on the left hand but move it on the right hand before the wedding ceremony to make room for the wedding ring; while some prefer to store away the engagement ring and wear the wedding ring solo.
Indian wedding

Photo from Pinterest

  • Some women from Eastern Europe wear their engagement rings on the right ring finger and the wedding band on the left ring finger.
  • Some people believe that the ‘correct’ way to wear the engagement and wedding rings together is the wedding band first and then the engagement ring on top of it.  Some believe that wearing the engagement ring on top of the wedding band also ‘protects’ it and keeps it stable and grounded together with their marriage.

Being right-handed, I prefer to free my right hand from any rings just for convenience and comfort. Whether we decide to follow our culture’s tradition or our own personal preference, the most important thing is we treasure and value the symbol that our rings represent – infinite love and fidelity.

Jules & Joy at the Swank Wedding Show


Last Saturday, we joined our first-ever bridal show and we had so much fun! The all-white façade and columns of the Vancouver Art Gallery on Hornby Street made the event glamorous and intimate.

Vancouver art gallery rotuda

Photo by Paul Behm

Kudos to Kim of Soirée Lounge for such a wonderful and well-organized event, which provided a venue for unique wedding vendors and respected industry professionals to gather and serve our city’s newly-engaged couples.

Swank Wedding Show rotunda

guests watching the fashion show below

As a first-timer, I didn’t know what to expect but I was very excited to personally introduce our small business’ service offerings to new brides. Our booth was located at the rotunda level of the gallery where some guests gathered to watch a fashion show. I kept the design of our cocktail table simple and displayed just a few samples of our custom gifts.

bridal favors and bridesmaid gifts

cocktail table booth

I met a lot of friendly and super pleasant brides and couples from all over who are very open to suggestions and new ideas. Their energy and the excitement they shared gave me more confirmation that serving them is what I love doing. =)

entertaining-guestspotential clientswedding gifts and favors booth

See you on our next wedding show!