Wedding etiquette still dictates that guests give the bride and groom a gift or a cash gift at their wedding, but most typical wedding presents can be, well, ordinary. So, what about something a little greener? The great thing about giving a plant as a wedding gift is that it’s usually fairly inexpensive, and it’s something that can last for years. Serving as a living reminder of the best day of the wedding couple’s lives.
So, if you are considering giving a plant as a wedding gift this year, here are some of my favorite plants suitable for wedding gifts:
Plants Suitable For Wedding Gifts
Lucky Bamboo
Lucky bamboo is an excellent choice for a wedding gift because it is relatively low maintenance and great for a less green-thumbed bride and groom.
The number of bamboo stalks you gift also has an extra special meaning.
You could give one bamboo stalk as your gift as it represents commitment, although a lone stalk can be a bit underwhelming.
In Chinese culture, the number two is considered a lucky number, so gifting two stalks is not only considered to be giving the gift receiver luck, but it also represents love and is the usual number of bamboo stalks gifted to a newly wedded couple as a wedding gift.
A Fruit Tree
A fruit tree is a slightly more original plant to gift to a newly married couple; it’s definitely one you may want to run by the couple first.
The best thing about fruit trees is that many of them can be grown in large pots if the couple doesn’t want to plant a tree in their yard.
There are so many fruit trees to choose from, and your particular zone can dictate what fruit trees will grow.
However, some popular choices are cherry, apple, plum, peach, and pear fruit trees. This particular green gift is super long-lasting and will remind the new couple of their wedding day and also provide delicious fruits every summer.
Succulents
Succulents have become a more popular houseplant over the years, but they can also be planted in many yards, depending on your area zone.
They are incredibly hardy and can withstand some really neglectful care. They prefer to be underwatered rather than overwatered.
So they can be perfect for a couple who have struggled to keep houseplants alive in the past.
Succulents also provide ample opportunity for creativity.
You can gift a single succulent or combine a few to create a truly unique display. They also don’t have to just be planted in regular pots.
You can get stunning hanging glass planters and really anything else that will hold a little soil and the plant comfortably.
A Peace Lily
The peace lily has been popular for decades, and for good reason.
The dramatic, creamy white flower heads and their deep green foliage make for a really dramatic display.
This tropical plant symbolizes peace, hope, and prosperity, making it the perfect wedding gift.
Some lesser-known benefits to having a Peace Lily in the home are that they help to purify the air from harmful pollutants, they can help to prevent mold and mildew in bathrooms, and they also help to promote better sleep.
Even more, reasons to gift them to a new couple. The Peace Lily is a popular wedding gift for good reason, and it helps that it is also fairly low maintenance.
The Zanzibar Gem
The Zanzibar Gem is considered to be almost un-killable thanks to its really low maintenance care needs.
It quite happily tolerates lower levels of water and darker rooms.
Also known as ‘the eternity plant,’ giving this plant as a gift to a newly married couple symbolizes the good wishes and hope you have for their married life.
The Zanzibar Gem is a relatively slow-growing plant which makes it a great plant to grow and mature with the couple as they work their way through their years together.
It’s definitely more of a houseplant, so if you are hoping to gift something that can go outdoors, this may not be the one for you.
Orchids
Orchids seem to have a got a really bad rap when it comes to how fussy and difficult people think they are to care for.
However, many of the new commercial varieties are far hardier and require only moderate attention.
Plus, they really are a show-stopping plant to have in the home.
Getting them to re-bloom is the only tricky part. By artificially reducing the light they receive and by reducing their environmental temperatures, although not below 55 degrees Fahrenheit, you should help nudge along the re-blooming process.
Rose Bush
Traditional and well-loved for a reason.
The rose bush is always a beautiful plant choice as a wedding gift.
The rambling rose ‘wedding day’ is a popular wedding gift plant with its strongly fragrant white flowers and its habit of growing fast and large, but you can always choose something a little more original like the Emily Bronte rose that has beautiful dusky pink blossoms that blend into a more peach color towards their centers.
Or, even The Lady Gardener rose bush that has large peach/orange blossoms and a string apricot-like scent.
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What Makes A Plant Suitable For A Wedding Gift?
Usually, low-maintenance and slow-growing are the best attributes a plant will have if you want to give it as a wedding gift.
However, this can vary a lot depending on the couple themselves.
If they are real plant lovers, they may be well comfortable with a plant that requires far more care; they may even have a plant that you know they have been dying to have at home or a favorite bloom that can make a better gift than a simple succulent.
However, if your couple aren’t plant fanatics, it’s always better the err on the side of caution with your plant purchasing and gift them something easy to care for and can withstand at least a little bit of neglect.
Best Practices When Giving Plants As Wedding Gifts
If you have decided to give a plant as a wedding gift to a couple.
Here are a few things you will need to keep in mind to make sure you are handing over a healthy plant that will last them for years.
Where To Keep It
As the wedding ceremony gets started, you will probably be keeping your green gift in your car.
If you are, you will want to make sure it doesn’t get too hot and damage the plant.
You may need to keep windows open to keep a constant flow of fresh air, or you may have to find some way of getting it to the reception venue before you even sit down for the ceremony.
Keep in mind that some ceremonies, such as catholic wedding ceremonies, can last a good couple of hours, and your car can turn into an oven very quickly.
Care For It Well
You may have strongly considered the care the wedding couple can give to your plant gift, but have you considered whether you can give it the correct care?
You may have to look after the plant for a good few weeks before you gift it, so you want to make sure you can keep up with all the specific care it needs, such as watering, feeding, light needs, and fertilizer needs.
This is one other reason why low-maintenance plants are popular as gifts.
Time Of Year
If you are giving a houseplant as a gift for a wedding, the time of year shouldn’t have much impact on what plant you choose, but if the plant you are going to gift is to be planted outdoors, the time of year can have more influence over your choices than you may have first thought.
For example, fruit trees prefer to be planted after fruiting and once they have gone dormant.
So they may be perfect as a gift in the autumn or early spring, but you will want to avoid giving them as a gift unless they can be kept in a pot until the season suits outdoor planting better.
Do They Want A Plant?
Always keep in mind whether the newly wedded couple will actually appreciate a plant as a wedding gift.
Many couples love to receive plants, but others may be allergic to certain plants, have children or pets that the plants may be toxic for, or they really just aren’t plant people.
Final Thoughts
Wedding gifts can get a little bit mundane and repetitive; there are only so many times you can gift a toaster and not begin to feel like it’s groundhog day.
Gifting a plant can be a fantastically unique way of showing a wedding couple how much you love and care for them while also giving them something that will grow through the years with them.
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