Christian Wedding and Anniversary Gift Ideas With a Verse
A woman stands in the card aisle two weeks before her niece's wedding, holding a Bible and a toaster, one in each hand. Neither one feels right.
Short answer: the best Christian wedding and anniversary gifts are plain, lasting and personal, such as a print with the couple's names and a verse, or a promise to pray, rather than another thing that needs a cupboard.
I was a pastor of about fifteen years in southwestern Ontario, and I've stood at the front of a lot of weddings. The gifts worth giving are the ones that say something true about the two of them, because those are the ones a couple can keep out on the shelf instead of in a closet.
For a Christian couple that usually means a verse and a name. It doesn't have to be loud. It has to be theirs.
The eight ideas below are in two groups. Four are ours, and I've said what each is and isn't. Four are ideas you can do with a card and an afternoon. Prices are our own, checked on 24 Oct, in Canadian dollars.
Four from our shop
Many Waters Cannot Quench Love Print, from $25 (our price on 24 Oct). Song of Solomon 8:7 on a typographic print, with the couple's names and the date of the wedding beneath. You choose from three sizes, and the frame isn't included. We print it to order with our production partner and ship it to you or straight to the couple, and you see how it will print before you pay. Best for: a wedding gift for a couple who like the poetry. Not for: anyone who wants a traditional Bible-verse-in-a-frame look.
Threefold Cord Anniversary Print, from $25 (our price on 24 Oct). Ecclesiastes 4:12, a threefold cord is not quickly broken, with the couple's names and the anniversary. Many couples read the third strand as God, and you can let the verse say that for you. Best for: an anniversary, especially a milestone one. Not for: a couple that would rather you left out the numbers.
Family Name Household Verse Print, from $25 (our price on 24 Oct). The family name, the year established, and Joshua 24:15, "as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD." It's a familiar housewarming choice, and it works for a newly married couple setting up a first household. Best for: a couple who will hang it by the front door. Not for: a couple who haven't decided whether to share a name.
Wisdom Builds a House Mug, from $25 (our price on 24 Oct). Proverbs 24:3-4 on a mug, about a house built by wisdom and made firm by understanding, with the household name at the base. A modest gift for a couple moving into their first place. Best for: a co-worker or neighbour whose wedding you're invited to. Not for: a gift that has to say more than a mug can.
Four that cost almost nothing
A Bible with the date inside the cover. Choose a plain, readable one, write the wedding date and one line of your own on the first page, and sign it. Skip this if you know the couple already own the Bible they like.
A promise to pray, with a date. Write a card that says you will pray for them on the first of every month for the first year, and then do it. It costs a stamp, and it is a gift of time.
A meal they don't have to cook. On the first anniversary, drop off a dinner with a note. It sounds small, and it saves a tired couple a night.
A letter for the anniversary. For a couple married twenty-five years or more, write what you saw in them at the wedding and what you see now. If you've known them a long time, it may be the thing they keep.
How to choose
Ask whether this couple would rather have something for the wall or something for the table. A print suits people who like their home to say something. A mug suits people who start the day with coffee and a quiet minute. If you're unsure, a card with a promise to pray never lands badly.
Check the delivery estimate at checkout for anything printed to order. Printing and shipping take time, and a wedding date doesn't move.
What the Scripture says
The writer of Ecclesiastes was not being sentimental. He was describing what two people are for.
Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up. (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10, KJV)
A good wedding gift reminds a couple that someone is standing nearby to lift them up. That's something a card can do, and so can you.
How we chose
Our four are the pieces we sell today that suit a wedding or a first home, and we've said what each does and doesn't do. The other four are ideas rather than products, because the best thing to give a couple is sometimes your time. We don't claim anything about these gifts we haven't checked, and we haven't ranked them.
Questions people ask
- What is a good Christian wedding gift? Something lasting and personal: a print with the couple's names and a verse, a Bible with a note in the front, or a promise to pray.
- What is a good Christian anniversary gift? A print with the couple's names and the number of years, a letter, or a meal. For a milestone year, the letter often matters most.
- Which verse should I choose? Ecclesiastes 4:12, Song of Solomon 8:7 and Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 are common choices. If you know the couple's favourite, use that one.
- Can I have the couple's names and date added? Yes, on both of the couple prints. Check the preview before you pay.
- How much should I spend? Our wedding and anniversary prints start at $25. Spend what you would on any other friend, and add a handwritten note.
Browse our wedding and anniversary gifts.