Wedding gift for a friend: ideas for your best friend's marriage, alone or pooled with the gang

A friend's wedding is a different gift from a relative's

When a relative gets married, the gift is often decided by the family: shagun, jewellery, a fixed amount. When your friend gets married, you have more freedom and more pressure. Your friend will actually look at what you gave and know it came from you.

That is why friends' wedding gifts tend to be personal: something that fits their taste, a shared joke, a memory, or a gift for the life they are starting. A set of handmade candles for their new home is one honest option, and it is easy to send. From our range, hand-poured in pure soy wax in Jalandhar:

• Heart Rope Candles, set of 4 at Rs 999: heart-shaped candles with a rope-weave rim, in taupe, butter yellow, sage green and dusty pink. Playful, good from a group of friends. Ships free.
• Seashell Candles, Rs 899 for a pair: two conch-shell vessels, sky blue and sand beige, topped with pink wax shells, pearls and gold stars. For a friend who loves the beach or is off to Goa for the honeymoon.
• Floral Candle Duo, Rs 649: two peony candles, one rose pink and one ivory. Soft and romantic, one flower for each of them.

Which friend, which gift

The Teddy Gift Candle is a good bride-side gift at a bridal shower or mehendi too.

Giving it together as a group

Many friends' wedding gifts are pooled: the college group or the office gang puts in money for one bigger present. A few ways to use candles in a group gift:

• One bigger set: Heart Rope Candles at Rs 999 or Marble Seashell Candles at Rs 999, both above the free shipping line.
• Two pieces in one box: Seashell Candles plus a Heart Bubble Candle is Rs 1,148. Teddy Gift Candle plus Floral Candle Duo is Rs 1,248.
• Candles as the side gift: if the main group gift is an appliance or a trip voucher, a candle pair with a note from all of you makes the handover feel warm.

Write a real note. Ten names and one inside joke beats a printed card.

Adding names or a date

Friends' gifts are remembered for the personal bit. If you want the couple's names, wedding date or a colour from the wedding on the candle, send the idea on our custom orders page with the date you need it. We will tell you what we can make. We do not quote a custom price or time without seeing the idea.

What else friends give at weddings

Popular friends' gifts in India include a photo album or frame of your years together, a couple's experience (a dinner, a spa day, a short stay), something for the honeymoon (luggage, a travel kit), a good kitchen gadget they asked for, or plain cash in a nice envelope. If your friend has a wishlist, use it. A candle set sits well next to most of these as a small second gift, or stands alone from a friend on a moderate budget.

Sending it to the couple: Wedding gift for a friend

• Dispatch in 24 to 48 hours, delivery 2 to 7 days after dispatch, anywhere in India. Order early and check the delivery estimate for your pincode on the product page.
• Free shipping from Rs 999. Below that, shipping is Rs 79.
• Prepaid only: UPI, card, net banking or wallet through Razorpay. No cash on delivery.
• Add gift packaging and a gift note on the product page, and send it straight to the couple if you cannot attend.
• Damage reported within 24 hours of delivery is replaced or refunded. Custom pieces are not returnable unless damaged or wrong.

A line for the card: trim the wick to about 5 mm, burn on a heat-proof surface, never leave it unattended, and keep each burn to 3 to 4 hours.