"I Want to Avoid Burdening My Parents on Their Way Home: Ideas for 'Lightweight Gifts' to Bring from Afar"

2022.08.28 published

Light Weight Gifts for Parents

When parents travel from afar to attend the wedding using bullet trains or airplanes.

The return journey will already be filled with souvenirs and other baggage, so you'd want to give gifts for parents that are as light and non-burdening as possible.

(Heavy items like rice (close to 3kg) or wooden triplet clocks are classic, but they can become quite heavy in a bag.)

Here are some ideas for lightweight gifts for parents.

For brides who want their parents to return home easily, please refer to this ♡

①

A product sold by marry shop that features a flower painting in a glass frame ♡

It's glass, but it only weighs about as much as a photo frame that measures around 20cm on its longest side, so it's recommended.

We will create and deliver an original painting of whatever you love (it could be flowers, cakes, or a picture of your pet) ♡

I made it with the hope of it being a stylish interior item!

There are several types of photo frames to choose from, but if you are giving it as a gift for parents, this double-sided type is perfect ♡

On both sides:

- Father's birth flower × Mother's birth flower

- Flowers from parents' wedding anniversary × A pet they have

- The bouquet your mother held at her wedding × The bouquet you held at your wedding

You can paint up to two pictures of your favorite combinations ♡

Alternatively, you could paint on just one side and place a thank you note for parenting or a family photo on the other side.

Budget: 20,000 yen

➡ Order here*

②

If your parents love to travel, or if you want them to enjoy outings together now that their child-rearing days are over, how about a catalog gift from travel agency JTB? ♡

It contains accommodation plans at inns and hotels nationwide, allowing them to choose where they want to go.

Since it's an A5 catalog-style booklet, it is not heavy and won't crushed or become messy in their bags.

Even if "Traveling is a bit hard right now..." there are delicious gourmet options and interior items listed, so they can find something they'd like.

Budget: 22,660 yen

➡ Order here*

JTB also offers card-type gift tickets. These can be made with any photo you like and you can set the desired amount.

I recommend using a pre-wedding photo to create and present it.

➡ More details here

③

Personally, I think a flower subscription gift ticket is a great idea ♡

Many people may already subscribe to services where flowers arrive at home at set times...

This gift entails paying for 3 or 6 months for that service, allowing them to enjoy flowers for an extended period rather than just once.

Since it’s ticket type, it’s definitely lightweight ♡

The older generation may not be very familiar with subscription services, which is why they would likely appreciate receiving flowers regularly.

It could also lead to more communication, like "Look what I received this time~".

Budget: 20,350 yen (for 6 months), 10,450 yen (for 3 months)

➡ Order here*

④

Instead of giving real flowers that will eventually wilt, how about creating a bouquet of artificial flowers as a lasting decorative gift?

You can select flowers from stores like East Side Tokyo or Tokyo-do, and wrap them with ribbons or colored paper.

Since it’s just displayed, there’s no need for elderly parents to care for it, making it easy.

Have you ever thought, "It would be nice to have flowers or something in this space at my parents' house"?

In such cases, giving artificial flowers might be a good idea.

They are light, and since they are artificial flowers, they can be fixed if they bend or break a bit.＊

Want to choose carefully to avoid any that look too fake? What are the differences between artificial flowers that look artificial and those that don’t?

If coming from afar, keep weight in mind

It might be fine if they travel by car... but if parents are coming from far away to your wedding via bullet trains or airplanes.

Giving gifts for parents that are as light as possible will surely minimize their burden and make return travel easier.

By the way, the average weight of a woman's commuting bag is said to be around 3kg (when it contains a laptop, drinks, a planner, and cosmetics). That’s quite heavy...

Considering that, it’s best to keep it light, so aiming for a weight guideline of around 1kg to 1.5kg could be a good plan.＊