Ideas for thoughtful bridal shower gifts she'll love?

Here’s how I’d do it. I’d get something you know the bride will generally like and appreciate. Something traditional and common for bridal shower gifts, like a jewelry box or a throw blanket. Then, I’d get the gift customized. Like, you could get a short message embossed on a jewelry box, or have the blanket embroidered. Write a cute little “I love you so much!” note and voila! You’re good to go!

People often give home- or wedding-related gifts for bridal showers. Stuff like wine glasses, towels, pillows, etc. Personally, I think the bridal shower is sort of your last chance to get something specific for the bride. You can get them something they’ll use as a couple for your wedding gift. I’d buy something the bride will personally love and just forget about the traditional angle.

Okay, this might sound really random and specific, but hear me out. I’ve got two words for you. Towel. Warmer. Most people don’t even know towel warmers exist, so you’ll get points for being original here, but you’ll also be giving the bride something she’ll love and get a lot of use out of. It’s also kind of household-adjacent, so it fulfills the “traditional” part of your question. Towel warmers are also the kind of thing most people wouldn’t really buy on their own, which is kind of why I think it makes an awesome gift.

Just pick something on the couple’s gift registry! Everybody wants to be creative when it comes to this stuff, but they’ve curated a list of things they want. They wouldn’t have put anything on the registry if they didn’t want it, so you already have a list of the perfect gifts.

If the couple haven’t moved in together yet, I’d highly recommend getting them some home goods. Stuff everyone needs. Pots, fancy soaps, house plants, cutting boards, any of that kind of thing. It costs a lot of money to fill a new home with all of the stuff you need, so help the bride out a bit.

If this is a good friend of yours, forget about tradition. You know what she's like, so lean into your personal knowledge here. If she’s big on self-care but she’s not super materialistic, buy her a spa day for the two of you to enjoy after the wedding is over. If she’s sporty and she’s been talking about getting into pickleball, buy her a set of paddles and get one for yourself so the two of you can play.

For my bridal shower, I got a few keepsakes that I really loved. My MIL got me champagne glasses that were etched with Mr. and Mrs., my best friend got me a silk robe with my new last name on the back that I ended up wearing when I was getting ready on my wedding day, and my sister got me a really nice wooden hanger for my wedding dress that had my last name and the wedding date on it.