Looking for Gift Ideas for Someone you Don’t Know Well?

This is my nightmare.  You’re invited to a wedding, or a baby shower, or an engagement party, as a plus one.  You don’t really know the people who are throwing the event, and your date isn’t being particularly helpful with gift selection.  How do you choose something meaningful, that isn’t too specific, at a reasonable price for acquaintances?

I get so stressed out by situations like that.  Buying gifts for work colleagues, or friends of friends, can be a real political headache.  So what’s the solution?

Lucky for you, you’re reading a blog written by professional gift givers, so we can answer that pretty easily for you! 🎁

The first thing to do is set a budget.  How much will you be able to afford, and how much would you ideally like to spend?  If there are a few people in the same boat as you, is there an option to buy a joint present and up the price?  It’s important not to overspend; if you’re not great friends with the recipient, it’s likely they feel the same and may not be expecting a super expensive gift, so don’t spend anything that makes your eyes water!

Secondly, if you’re worried about not spending enough, make sure the wrapping or presentation is top notch.  Maybe wrap a repurposed cardboard box in some nice wrapping paper and seal with wax or washi tape (FYI all of our gifts come supplied in luxury gift wrap and shipped free in the UK, just so you know…)

Thirdly, if you’re not sure what the recipients are interested in or would like, get something specific to the event.  If it’s an engagement party, baby shower or wedding, something that celebrates the date is meaningful enough.  It’s almost like doing a risk assessment, at the risk of draining all the romance out of gift giving: if you can predict what they are going to need based on what they are celebrating, you can be on to a winner.  For example:

Baby Shower = New Parents = Newborn = Screaming = No Sleep = Coffee = New Parent Coffee Mugs 💜

Make sense?

"But OohBox blog writer", I hear you cry, "what if it’s for a birthday or retirement, or a new home present?  What do I do in that case"?  "Don’t worry", I cry back, there’s a solution to that too!

I think at the end of the day, people just want a little treat.  Some may think it’s generic, but I really don’t see where you can go wrong with a nice bath bomb, or candle, or a glass of something tasty.  Or chocolate.  There’s always chocolate.  Chocolate.

Chocolate.

Sorry, I got a bit distracted.

The main thing to bear in mind is: don’t stress and don’t go mad.  They’ve invited you because they want you there to celebrate with them; a gift from you is the cherry on the ice cream, so just relax and don’t try too hard.  Make it easy and less time consuming, order from Ooh and enjoy the party!