Gift certificate to a nice B&B. We had a lovely quick getaway a few months after the wedding when we otherwise wouldn't have spent the money.

Money, a bunch of less-expensive necessities from the registry, or a gift card to the place they registered.

We did not register for it but someone gave us a very name Nambe' platter. When we got it we were wondering what the hell we'd do with it. 13 years later, we use it all the time.

It's not 'tangible' in that it's something that they can hold on, but it's not a gift card either. How about a cooking class or wine tasting class that they can do together and have a great experience with? Probably about that price range.

Cuisinart food processor. Still using it 20 years later.

OP if you see a knife in your price range- I would get it. An expensive knife is a REALLY nice gift. It seems like a small thing, but I use my favorite Wusthof multiple times a day. I didn't register for it because it was so expensive and seemed excessive, but we love that knife.

DH's cousins gave us a cooler and two camping chairs. 16 years later we still use both frequently.

We asked that no one bring gifts. The point of wedding gifts is to set up a home for a young couple. When you are in your 30s and both working you don't need that kind of support and its just a gratuitous grab-fest as far as I am concerned. So we had no gifts, but a marvelous wedding day. That was enough.

gift cards to stores we like. They're either a nice way to get a full set of whatever or a nice discount on something else.

Anonymous wrote:thanks all...what about a nice chef's knife? that is about at the price I want to spend. i have heard it's bad luck to give knives but i don't really care about that. even though it's expensive, though, it just seems so...small. haha. like I should give something to accompany it.

I was going to say that my favorite wedding gift was a set of really nice knives. I use them everyday!

You could also do something like getting a nicer version of something they registered for, like a nice complete set of matching utensils, including the funny ones that people don't always ask for. Also, a really nice stick blender could be awesome.

If they like to cook and have space--someone got us a zillion odd kitchen gadgets (the kinds they have in bins at Williams Sonoma and Crate and Barrel), and we still love and use them (15 years later). I never would have bought them all myself, but occasionally we use the tiny funnel, the zester, the tiny graduated measuring cup, the egg separator, the garlic press, etc. and it's nice to have them all around. The little corn on the cob holders, the little spout you stick in a lemon to make it a sprayer. That kind of thing. It was like getting 30 presents.

Etsy is a great source! Something practical is always nice, but I really enjoyed getting some sentimental off-registry gifts. Try Easy or even Hallmark for an "Our first Christmas" ornament. Kate Spade has some nice things for wedding presents - check Bloomingdale's or Macy's. We got a Kate Spade "Mr & Mrs" frame that I love. My best friend got us some champagne glasses from Tiffany's - our caterer broke one and replaced it, I had to send him a link so I am fairly sure they were well in your price range. My parents still use the cake knife from their wedding for every birthday/cake occasion, if they didn't register for one I think it's a nice-to-have. Williams-Sonoma has a Bride and Groom cookbook if you go the chef's knife route and want to add something sentimental.

A dear neighbor had our wedding invitation and reception card professionally matted and framed. It was such a thoughtful gift. A lot of time and thought goes into choosing some of those details leading up to the wedding - but I would never even remember what the invitations looked like (everything is such a blur now) so I love that someone had the foresight to preserve that little detail. I see it every day and just love it.

It was on our registry, but 6 years later, the things I still love most are the really high-quality bed sheets we got. Every time I put them in the bed, I thight of the couple who have them to us because they are SO SOFT. Now that they are finally wearing out, I'm dreading having to fork over the cash for new sets.

I'd definitely go with the chef's knife from the registry. To me, the whole "bad luck" thing is silly. They put it on their registry. All good.

If you want to add something small and fun, how about a small set of spices from Penzeys? You can either shop in person (Falls Church or Rockville) or order on-line. We're not major cooks, but we LOVE their spices. Really takes things up a notch. Of the small sets, I'd recommend the Heart box or the BBQ box:

https://www.penzeys.com/shop/gift-boxes/