Turn Up the Excitement for Your Guests: 10 Great Return Gifts Perfect for Engagement Party! (Updated 2020)

Two people getting engaged to be married is a cause for celebration. In India engagement parties are a big affair involving friends, family and even acquaintances. Guests are considered equal to gods in Indian culture. Therefore the newly engaged couple seeks the blessings of all the attendees at the engagement party. The gifts are a symbol of goodwill and appreciation for the guests. Giving return gifts is a way of thanking people for attending the celebrations and blessing the newly engaged couple. The gifts help commemorate the occasion and can also be used as save the date reminders for the upcoming wedding.

You need to keep in mind a couple of things to find the perfect return gifts for your party. But perhaps the most important thing to consider before you start shopping for gifts is your budget. Everyone has budget constraints. Even the richest people don’t assign unlimited funds for buying gifts. So the first and foremost thing to do before everything else is to decide on your gift budget. Once you have that figured out, choosing your gift becomes a lot easier. Deciding on a budget beforehand lets you know of your limitations, making it easier for you to narrow down your list of possible gifts.

Engagement expenses aside, there is still a wedding to plan and pay for, and if all the preparations have already been done, take into account how much you will be spending on the wedding as a whole. The numbers alone can have a sobering effect and help you stay realistic when selecting return gifts.

When you are buying return gifts for an occasion as special as your engagement, it would be a good idea to get the gifts customised. Your engagement is a once in a lifetime occasion. Unlike any other ordinary party, this special event needs to be commemorated. Customisation not only increases the aesthetic value of the gifts, but also acts as wedding memorabilia. Years after your marriage you can hold on to these pieces and reminisce about that special moment in your lives. It would also be something to show to your children and maybe even your grandchildren.

Everyone likes a bargain and of course saving money before your wedding would be a wise idea. A great way to save money is to buy your gifts online. Most websites offer free shipping for bulk orders and you get to buy products at discounted prices as well. You must have started planning your engagement months before the actual event, so take advantage of the special sales that most online stores offer from time to time. Buying your gifts during the sale period will help you save extra money without having to compromise on quality.

Your engagement party deserves to be celebrated in a unique way. It’s more than just a party; it’s more like an initiation ceremony for the next chapter of your life. Therefore choose return gifts befitting the occasion. Pick traditional gifts like Indian handicrafts, hand embroidered items and gifts with an ethnic edge which are well suited for the occasion.

Don’t stress out trying to find the perfect return gifts for your engagement party! With a little help from us, it won’t be too difficult to decide on the perfect gift for your party guests. Take a look at the list curated by our experts.

A beautiful gift for all your lady guests, these ethnic style handbags from DMS Retail are made of colourful brocade with peacock feather motifs on it. These bags have two spacious zipper compartments and strong handles for easy carrying. A set of two bags cost Rs.395 on amazon.in.

Key chains are the most common mementos and also one of the most useful. In keeping with the ethnic theme, choose the brightly coloured Hand Carved Elephant Key chains on Amazon. These small gifts have been carved by highly skilled artisans making them high on beauty and aesthetics. Priced at Rs.350 for a set of 12, it’s also one of the most economical gift options and can be paired with other gift items.

Vermillion powder or sindoor is worn by married woman in the parting of their hair as a sign of their marital status. Naturally a sindoor box is quite an appropriate gift to give to your engagements party guests. Buy this pretty German silver Sindoor or Kumkum Box from wedtree.in. The box with an attached lid weighs around 20 gm and has a height of 1.5 inch. Buy it for Rs.63 a piece.

Umbrellas may seem like an unusual return gift, but these vibrant ones from Ekam Art are sure to steal your guests' heart away. These umbrellas are made of heavily embroidered cotton fabric and will be a striking accessory to carry around, especially to keep away the sun or even as an item for home decor. The Rajasthani style embroidery is done by hand, which makes each piece a unique work of art. They are available in different colours and designs. Buy a set of 10 for Rs.1,995 from amazon.in

A table clock is a gift suitable for people of all genders and ages. The Little Indian Golden Marble Table Clock from amazon.in is hand painted with the design of a dancing peacock and has golden meenakari work on it. It is a functional as well as an artistic piece that enhances the beauty of any living space. Buy it for Rs.387 on Amazon.

Stealing a look at the mirror is everyone’s guilty pleasure. We just can’t seem to stop admiring ourselves and now there will be no need to! This beautiful handcrafted aluminium hand mirror from Handicrafts paradise will let you look at yourself whenever you please. The item is has beautiful carvings all over and measures 25.5 cm x 11.5 cm x 1.2 cm. Priced at Rs.344, this gorgeous piece of accessory looks far more expensive than it actually is. Buy it from amazon.in.

A goody bag is the ultimate return gift and this ethnic themed one from wedtree.incontains all the things that you would associate with a traditional south Indian ceremony. The brightly colored draw string bag contains a pouch of manjal kumkum, 4 glass bangles, and a pretty German Silver kumkum tulsi maadam. Each goody bag costs Rs.81.

A decorative candle stand not only is a pretty piece of home décor but also comes in useful during unexpected power cuts or when you want to create a romantic ambience. Buy this hand carved wooden candle stand from wedtree.in for Rs.158. It measures 2 x 2 inch and weighs 65 gm.

Sandal wood is considered auspicious and that’s the reason it’s used in almost all the Indian ceremonies. Therefore gifting your guests something made of sandalwood would be quite befitting. The Krishna Idol figurine from Vastu Woods is a beautiful piece of artistry hand carved by the skillful artisans of Northern India. The statue measures 8 x 4 cm. You can buy it for Rs.2100 from amazon.in

Gifting dry fruits is well and good, but a more long lasting gift would be a box to store them in. This pretty Meenakari Dry Fruit Box from wedtree.in has intricate Meenakari work on it and measures 8 x 6cm. the box weighs around 487 gm and has four compartments and a attached lid to keep your dry fruits and nuts fresh. Buy it for Rs.240.

If you are not much for traditions then we have a few gift suggestions that may interest you. The first one is the box of sample size perfumes from perfumesamples.in. This gift box containing three 5 ml perfume samples plus a stylish storage capsule. The great thing about the the box is that it's customisable, i.e. you get to choose your own perfume samples. Have fun picking out different scents for your guests.

No one can say no to a jar full of delicious cookies and what makes this gift even more special is the customisation on the jar. Pick out a flavour and have a personalised label made for the jar which commemorates this day and also thanks your guests for attending. Buy this unique gift from thedottedi.in for Rs. 1,500. If the service is not available in your city, then you can always do it on your own by collaborating with a local bakery and buying cute mason jars.

Nothing is more comforting than a hot cup of your favourite beverage. So a great gift to give to your friends and family for your engagement is a set of tea or coffee samplers in a variety of flavors. Buy the Organic Harvest Tea Sampler from theteashelf.com. You can pick from a large range of flavours, more than 20!. These delicious teas are refreshing and also have specific health benefits. Each pack costs Rs.450.

Earlier money was an acceptable gift for various occasions as shagun. But with the changing times, the practice of gifting money started being considered a bit crude. The perfect modern alternative to money is gift cards.

When there are a lot of guests belonging to various different genders and age groups, buying gifts for them can be a complicated process. To save yourself from the unnecessary hassle, settle for gift cards instead. You can get gift cards from banks, chain retail stores or from e-commerce websites like Amazon or Flipkart. Gift cards can be exchanged for gifts equal to or less than their value. It’s the perfect return gift because it lets each person pick out a gift of their choice, and leaves no room for dissatisfaction.