The Most Strange Wedding Gifts People Have Ever Received

The unnecessary, creepy, and unexpected surprises that left newlyweds speechless

It shouldn’t be too difficult to pick out a gift for a couple getting married, especially with the advent of modern-day registries. But time and time again, wedding guests like to get very personal (and sometimes very weird) with their gift-giving. These unexpected gifts can be a delight or a head-scratcher for the newlyweds.

Wedding expert Claudia Postigo from The Planner Co. unwraps some instances where wedding guests missed the mark with their presents.

Singing Holiday Decorations

‘We received a storage tub full of those novelty singing holiday animals for almost every holiday you can think of. Frog with a banjo singing ‘God Bless the USA’ for the 4th? Yup. Santa singing, ‘Grandma got run over by a reindeer’? You betcha. A turkey that sang and moved to a gobble song? Absolutely yes. A storage tub full of them.’ – Anonymous, Reddit

Claudia says, ‘Unless you know the couple well, it’s probably good to stay away from gifts this specific. Holiday gifts only make sense if the wedding is around a certain holiday or is holiday-themed and if the couple specifically asked for holiday decor.’

Ouija Boards

‘My brother and sister-in-law gave us an Ouija board handmade by a witch on Etsy. Supposedly, it’s cursed. It sits on our bookshelf with our cremated relatives. I love it! No curses have come through it yet, but we also haven’t called the spirits.’ – Anonymous, Reddit.

Not many couples would be happy with a toy meant to communicate with the dead for a wedding present. But as seen in this story, if a gift is asked for, it will be well received! (Even if it is unusual).

Racially Insensitive Blanket

‘Someone got me one of those blankets with a couple in a car saying ‘Just Married’ that you can customize with the name and date. The only problem was that the blanket depicted a white blonde lady and a white blonde male. I’m a black woman with black curly hair, and my husband, while white, has brown hair… it was baffling to me that it didn’t cross my friend’s mind that I’m black, and so they shouldn’t buy a blanket with a white lady on it?’ – Anonymous, Reddit.

‘Oof, you really don’t want to be in this situation,’ says Claudia. ‘If you’re selecting art meant to symbolize the couple for a wedding gift, it’s essential to ensure that the portrayal is visually accurate and culturally sensitive.’ Consider elements such as skin tone, facial features, and cultural background to ensure that the representation respects and reflects the diversity of the couple’s identities.

Giant Cow

‘I’m not married, but at my sibling’s wedding, someone gifted them a giant ceramic COW. Like, the thing was some 2-3 feet big. A cow. I s—t you not, a ceramic COW. For context – it is pretty much expected to give cash, culturally, where I live. If you’re very close to the couple, perhaps you might give jewelry or crockery. If you’re old school, maybe silver. A giant ceramic cow fits none of those things.’ – Anonymous, Reddit.

‘Stay away from decor as a wedding gift unless you know exactly what the couple want,’ says Claudia. ‘Home decorations are so personal and tastes vary so much from person to person, it’s really best to not stray from registry items in this department.’

Memory Box

‘My BFF gave me a hand-carved wooden box with a slot on top for inserting ticket stubs, boarding passes, and other small mementos that we could then open at the anniversary of our choosing, allowing us to have a stroll down memory lane through some of the fun events of our marriage. It was very thoughtful, and we love adding to it.’ – Anonymous, Reddit.

Here’s an instance of a gift that was not asked for, was unexpected, and was still a hit. ‘The key to making an off-registry gift like this work is that it’s simple, thoughtful, and not style-specific,’ says Claudia.