Wedding Gift Suggestion (please help!)

[himom]

We live next door to a very cute couple that just got married. They are such nice people, and very fun to hang out with. My kids adore them and they are in turn spoiled by them. We just really like them. I want to get them something lasting and memorable, that they can both have.

But.....

1. They are both in the navy. He is leaving for training today, after which he'll be sent to Iraq for at least 9 months.

2. She may or may not be off to Iraq sometime this year.

3. We are broke!

They got married back in their own hometown, so of course we didn't go. But I still want to get them something. I need to be creative. Any ideas?

TIA!

Jodi

[hellokitty]

Do you sew or do anything crafty? My favorite gifts are always handmade ones, b/c it means so much that someone took the time out to actually plan and make something for me, rather than just go out and buy something. Like, maybe a pretty pillow with their names and wedding date on it to put on their bed, or a quilt. If you have a sewing machine that does embroidery, you can buy some plain towels and embroider their initials onto it, which makes it look like a REALLY nice gift.

BTW, do you still have their wedding invitation? One of my favorite gifts is to get a beautiful frame and matte and put the invitation into it. I did it for myself and have did it for every other wedding I have been to since and the couple always loves it. I usually include a check with it, but I think that in your case, since they are neighbors and casual acquaintances it would be totally appropriate to make that a gift. If they did not give you an invitation, you can always ask if they have an extra and tell them you have a little surprised up your sleeve, lol. I had a friend whose invitation got chewed up courtesy of USPS en route to my house. I could still read it, but I requested a second invitation and told her it was a surprise. She loved it. She had a very different invitation where it was square with a middle and two fold out pages. I cut all the different pages apart and put each one in its own little square frame. She absolutely loved it. I could not go to her wedding, but I know that something like that is most definitely something that would probably be hung very close to that precious wedding portrait that all brides display in their house.