Traditional Indian Gifts You Will Receive At A Traditional Indian Wedding

Gifts are a part of any wedding in India without an exception. It does not matter who is giving the gift or who is receiving them. The exchange of gifts is essential at any Indian wedding. Nowadays seeing how much we tend to follow the western culture, why not keep this one aspect of custom still the same, and in the same way. Give away gifts, the traditional Indian gifts, which can range from monetary gifts to more personal, with a whole range of them in between. Some gifts you can also find which hold a meaning culture to culture. Look on and find something on this list that you could maybe gift at a wedding.

1. Monetary Gift

Let us start with the simplest gift of all that is given and received. Money. It is easy to give and you have to not think at long if it is going to be liked or used or not. The only thing that has to be thought about is the amount, which varies at how well you know the person. Though all in all, it is a good traditional Indian gift to give which has been given away for generations. Just make sure when giving money you don’t end it in a zero (add a rupee for Shagun) as it is considered unlucky.

2. Mithai / Sweets 

It is rare when someone does not like sweets or mithai in general. For this reason, it makes for an excellent gift. In India, it is an extremely common form of gift for the reason that we love sweets, and there are so many to choose from, and usually, with large families, there is always someone who loves them. Sweets are a good traditional Indian gift as people say you should always start something new with a sweet mouth. Also, if someone is looking for healthier options, with so many choices out their today you can even get healthier options in sweets.

3. Ganesh

A simple traditional Indian gift for a couple who are starting their lives together can be a nice Ganesh idol. Since most Hindu’s have religious beliefs joined to it, it can usually make for an uncomplicated gift. You can find something very ornamental or even something plain and nice, complementing to the taste of the person you are gifting it to. You can usually find Ganesh idols fitting into your budget as there is a whole range of them. Just make sure to know your friend's religious background before gifting it as some people might not receive it well.

4. Spices

Want to spice up someone’s life? Well, then this is the perfect gift. Though all kidding aside, spices are an amazing gift to give out at weddings. Even in old India, it was a common gift to be given, as even today you see people gifting out Kesar. If the couple is living abroad then gifting a box of spices can be an excellent gift. Although if you want to give it a twist to this traditional Indian gift for people living in India then you can give spices that you cannot find easily here, which would surely delight the receiver.

5. Clothes

Who does not love clothes? Well, not me. Clothes are gifted quite often, as general gifts and as wedding gifts. This is because in a new turn of life you tend to wear and want to wear new clothes. Even tradition dictates that occasions warranted the gifting of new clothes, so why not do it ourselves. Just a tip would be to understand what the receiver would actually want and not buy clothes without doing the research first. Also with clothes, the thing is that someone can never have enough. Good clothes, not to forget, can be an investment too. Like a good Banarasi silk or Kanjeevaram saree.  

6. Dry Fruits

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Though not as common as a traditional Indian gift, but nowadays dry fruits are very up and coming. The reason for their popularity are many, they are healthy, don’t get spoiled easily, and it can be added to other foods to make them even tastier. Dry fruits are an awesome gift for all categories of gifts, for people who want something healthy, for people who want something useful, even for some people who want rich gifts. They are easy to find and will have no problem being consumed also. Make them look better with good packagings like beautiful boxes or Potli’s.

7. Silver Ornaments

A chic, yet stylish traditional Indian gift would be silver ornaments. They can be a wonderful gift as you can get them in various sizes and different types. Nowadays you can even find crockery made in the finest silver to gift, so it can all suit your budget. They show insight to the people you are gifting it to and would be a great addition to a person’s home. But also in hindsight, a person should not buy something a silver ornament they are not sure of as it might just be a waste. 

8. Jewellery

A beautiful traditional Indian gift would be jewellery. These pretty little pieced make us feel all the more beautiful, and they can range from earrings to a pair of Payal, but they always do their job. The absolutely amazing part? You get men’s jewellery too, and it is coming back into fashion, so giving it for a pair is easier. You can also gift a pair of jewellery watches to the couple as a gift. 

9. Bangles

Why put bangles all removed from the other jewellery? Well, there is a simple reason why. Bangles hold a special significance in a married woman's life. A married women’s wrist is never to go bare, thus giving bangles to a new bride holds even more significance, for her and her husband. So, why not gift a new bride this traditional Indian gift and a blessing to a happy and long married life ahead. 

10. Gold Coins

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The richest of all traditional Indian gifts. A gold coin. There are innumerable uses for it and benefits to gifting it. To start with no one refuses a gold coin, unlike cash that sometimes can be refused, a gold coin is considered to be shagun so no fear of people going down the unlucky road. Another thing is that they are an investment, that grows with years without putting them in the bank, also unlike silver even a huge amount of gold would not take as much space. And talking in sense of tradition, gold has been gifted through centuries, even in royalty, so who are we to break tradition?

With all these ideas for traditional Indian gifts, you can surely dive in and gift the married couple an incredible gift for the start of their marriage. Your traditional Indian gifts do not have to limited to this, you can even take ideas from specific cultures and gift the couple according to that.

What gifts do you suggest, that also match with Indian traditions?