A housewarming, anniversary, or wedding: you're giving a gift to two people at once, and usually you only know one of them well. This is how you choose based on habits instead of taste.
A housewarming for your colleague and her partner. An aunt and uncle celebrating their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary. Two friends who just bought a house together. In all three cases, you're giving a gift to two people, even though you usually only know one of them well. And it shows: you're in the store looking for something one person likes and the other just politely nods at.
The solution isn't to buy something more expensive. It's to choose differently: not based on taste, but on what the couple does together. Below you'll find out how to do that, with examples for every budget.
Why a gift for two often goes wrong
There are three classic missteps. The first is buying something personal for one of them, leaving the other watching the unwrapping. The second is buying something that fits the house as you see it, while interior taste is almost never shared. The third is a double gift: two separate items in one box, making it feel like two half gifts instead of one complete gift.
What does work: something they use together at a time they already spend together. Eating at the table, an evening on the couch, entertaining guests. This eliminates almost all bad purchases, because you only need to know what they do, not what they like.
Something for the kitchen or hallway, like a storage jar (€9.95) or bulletin board (€7.95)
Anniversary or wedding day
€20 to €50
Something for the table, like the candle tray (€20.00) or tealight holder (€19.95)
Thank you after a sleepover
Up to €10
Tealights (€7.95) or a card game (€6.99)
Giving together with friends
€40 and up
A larger item, like the doormat (€40.00) or bath bombs in a jar (€59.95)
Three things you'd better not do
Two separate small gifts in a bag. Instead, choose one item they can share. If you do have two components, present them as a set: a game plus candles, or a bottle plus glasses.
Something one of them has to learn how to use. Appliances with manuals often stay in the box.
If you can't be there, send it as a package instead of a loose gift: put the gift packaging in a sturdier shipping box, with padding in between, so the box itself arrives intact. A luxurious box that arrives dented on the mat detracts more from the gift than you'd think.
In short
Choose something they use together, keep it to one item instead of two, and spend a few euros on the packaging. You can browse the collections Games, Candles, Home Accessories and Gift Packaging & Gift Boxes. If you're unsure about the box size or want to send something directly to the couple's address? Email info@verpakkingdeals.nl and we'll help you out.
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