Creations: Wedding/Bridal Shower Wine Gift

Wedding/Bridal Shower Wine Gift

I’ve always loved arts and crafts, however being a travel therapist has limited my creations lately since it would be rather impractical for me to travel with extra craft supplies and to create things for an apartment we’d be moving out of within 4 months.  Instead I’ve been channeling my creative energy to new recipes, therapy drills (although my patients would call them cruel rather than creative), and GIFTS!

One of my favorite recent creations has been a Wedding Wine Basket!  I was ecstatic and truly honored to be a bridesmaid in my friend Jess’ wedding.  Jess and her fiance Brian didn’t create a wedding registry and told guests that gifts were unnecessary; they were just happy to have everyone they love get together to celebrate.

Consequently I thought that the Wedding Wine Basket would be a fun and personal gift for them.  For those unfamiliar, the gift basket is filled with a variety of wines for the newlyweds to share on special occasions that lie ahead in their future together.  It can also make a fun bridal shower or group gift in which each bridesmaid contributes 1-2 bottles of wine.

I used Microsoft Word to create personalized labels for the following occasions and included a label a little poem related to the occasions.  I printed the labels a Avery label paper and then cut each label to the appropriate size.  Then I carefully applied the labels to the wines.  Another variation is to create tags instead of labels and attach a tag to each bottle with a ribbon.

Wedding night:
Mr. and Mrs. Hudock
This day is meant for you to share.
Enjoy each other, a perfect pair!
July, 28^th 2012

First fight:
Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff
When fights occur and tempers are hot,
Pour a glass and be thankful for what you’ve got.
For in marriage it would be a bore,
If everyone agreed and said nothing more.

First dinner party:
Cheers to Good Times
Open your home to entertain and eat,
Catch up with old friends and new ones to meet.
When the night is over share this bottle of wine,
But don’t sit down yet – it’s clean up time.

First Christmas:
A Christmas to Remember
Now it the season for holiday cheer.
Enjoy this bottle as family and friends draw near.
Pop the cork for a toast, for this much is true,
Santa is sure to be good to you.
 

First anniversary:
I Thought I Loved You Then
On your first anniversary you’ll wonder where time goes,
No longer are you newlyweds, you’ll soon be pros.
Now raise your glass to this date as the first, not the last,
And as you build your future don’t forget the past.

First child:
And Baby Makes Three
The news that a baby will soon share your life,
Will make you parents, not just husband and wife.
This one is non-alcoholic so you can both raise a glass.
Sit back and relax, nine months will quickly pass.

I hit up some local wineries with my mom to choose the wines and added some extra personal flair to the basket by including some heart shaped wine stoppers from a local shop and some personalized wine glasses for the colleges that Brian and Jess attended (PSU and PITT).  

I chose a cute basket from Marshall’s that appeared it could be useful for storage, magazines or such.  Using tissue paper as padding, I carefully and securely arranged the wines and glasses in the basket (they needed to survive a 4 hour car ride).  

Shrink wrap from the dollar store and a big white ribbon were the final touches. I placed my filled basket into a large shrink wrap bag, tied the top with a white ribbon and used a blow dryer to fit the wrapping down to size.   Voila!