9 Engagement gift ideas to give your engaged BFF

Believe it or not, traditionally there were no gifts given at the engagement party.  Close family members and friends would be invited out to dinner and then the father of the bride would make the announcement that his daughter just got engaged.  It was a surprise to those in attendance because they thought they were only going out to dinner, so no gifts were given by the guests.  

The family member who were aware of the engagement may have used the announcement as an opportunity to pass down to the new bride a family heirloom such as earrings or a necklace that would double as the "something borrowed."  Today, small gifts can be given when the engagement announcement is made, but they are not required.

Since it's your BFF who just got engaged, you will want to mark the occasion with a gift.  Understand that the gift does not need to be expensive, flashy or big.  It can be something small, but meaningful.  Useful gifts are the best!

When a couple you know gets engaged, you will usually want to do something for them to acknowledge this landmark occasion.  If you are lucky enough to be friends with both the bride and the groom, then it's a good idea to get them some sort of gift that they can can use together as a couple.

Take your newly engaged couple out to dinner to celebrate their engagement.  You can show your support for the couple by asking all about the way he proposed to her.  Make sure you take them to their favorite place, as long as it isn't a fast food type of chain.  Remember, this is your gift to the newly engaged couple so make sure the restaurant is a nice place.  

Your guests will take their cues from you, so order an alcoholic beverage, appetizer and dessert so they know that they can too!  Don't order the least expensive entree either.  Enjoy the night because you are celebrating the love that your best friend has for their partner.

A wedding countdown clock is a fun gift to give to a newly engaged couple.  Of course, the newly engaged will not know the date of their wedding, but once they do, the excitement will build.  There is so much planning that goes into a wedding day event, and the clock will be a constant reminder of how the time is ticking away towards the big day.

What's great about this gift is that you can set the date to start the countdown 999 days before the event.  Most weddings take longer than one year to plan, so this is ideal.  When the wedding day arrives, the wedding sticker on the front of the clock can easily be removed and you can set the timer to countdown to your next vacation or some other special event.

A couple's massage is a wonderful gift for your newly engaged friends.  Wedding planning is stressful and expensive, so a massage for them will help ease stress. Your friends will each get their own masseuse.  They will be in the same room together for the massage, so it is an intimate space.  Because they get their own massage therapists, they can ask for different types of massages.  He can get a deep tissue massage and she can get a Swedish or hot stone.  Adding an aromatherapy treatment will add to the relaxation.

Your best friend just got engaged and you are overjoyed. Get her a gift to start off the celebration.  She will have months of planning and stress ahead of her, so anything you can do to get excited with her and yet keep her grounded at the same time would be appreciated.  You do not have to spend a lot of money on this either and do not feel bad about that.  There will be many more opportunities for you to buy expensive gifts over the course of wedding planning. Here are a few ideas for potential gifts you can give your friend as an engagement present.

A wedding planner with pockets to hold deposits and contracts was the most invaluable gift I received.  Planning a wedding and honeymoon is draining, but having a planner to record dates that deposits are due, appointments with the DJ, photographer, event venue, cake tasting, dress fittings etc. will literally save your sanity.  Every bride needs one to keep track of it all.  There are so many to choose from, but take my word for it, you must get one with pockets to hold contracts and receipts.  

Taking your BFF out to a lovely mid-morning brunch or an evening of drinks and appetizers is a great way to celebrate her engagement.  Since it is just the two of you, she may be willing to spill the tea on how the proposal went down.  You can ask her when the exact moment happened that she knew her fiance was the one for her.  

Please refrain from asking any specifics about the wedding.  She just got engaged, so she doesn't have a clue as to when, where or what type of wedding she will have.  Those plans won't start coming together for a few months yet.  Allow her to bask in the glory of being newly engaged as she flaunts her diamond ring.

Planning a wedding is taxing, and no bride wants to take her frustration out on her fiance, parents or friends, but it happens.  To help prevent bridezilla moments, give your best friend this book to read.  It is filled with real life bridezilla moments, and is bound to make her laugh.  It also has a lot of do's and don'ts of wedding etiquette that will surely come in handy as the wedding plans get underway.

When your best friend gets engaged, you may feel as if you are losing your bro, but you are actually gaining another friend.  You can get to know her better over the course of the wedding plans that you will surely be hearing about.  Of course, no matter how you actually feel about his decision to get married to this particular woman, keep that to yourself.  He is going to be very excited about the impending nuptials and you have to show him your support.  Giving him an engagement gift will show your friend how much you care.

Take your BFF for beers and burgers as a way to celebrate his new engagement.  Use it as an opportunity to get to know his fiance through the eyes of the groom.  Ask him how he knew that she was the one because that is not something everyone can pinpoint.  The first few weeks after the engagement, the two of them will be flying high.  Once things settle down, they can get back to reality.  If you have any doubts about his choice, you can subtly voice them later, but try to embrace your friend's excitement about this monumentous occasion.  

Take your bro to a comedy club with a few other guys.  It will be good to get out and cut loose.  Wedding planning is demanding and hard work, so if you and your crew can get him out for a night of fun and frivolity, it will go a long way towards relaxing him.  Guys need bro time too, so before everything becomes lace and invitations, let him enjoy a night out with the boys.

Most wedding books are geared towards the bride, but this one is for the groom. I picked up this book as a lark because I thought it might be a light-hearted read but I was totally shocked at how much great information is in it!  It will be a terrific resource for him when his fiance is freaking out about the color of the linens at the banquet hall not being "blue enough," or getting accused about not caring about the cake filling she wants for the wedding.  Buy this book for the groom and the bride will be eternally grateful.

When your BFF gets engaged, the one sure thing is that money will be tight.  Weddings are costly and even if you are a consummate planner, unexpected expenses arise.  Invite your friend and her fiance over on a Saturday night for appetizers and drinks at your place.  They will appreciate a night out with dear friends that won't cost them a penny, especially because every penny counts.