When Ross let me in on his plans to propose to my sister, I was so, so excited! Since I knew my family and I were going to be part of the proposal in some way, I knew we’d see Ross and Leslie on the day of their engagement and started brainstorming engagement gift ideas.
My mom and I joined forces to pack a basket full of wedding-themed gifts and wedding planning materials to give to them on the night of the proposal.
We had a great time putting it together!
Last week, I stopped by Hobby Lobby and picked up a basket, paint and craft supplies to dress up the basket.
I wrapped the handles of the basket in yellow chevron ribbon and personalized the basket with Ross and Leslie’s initials. Then my mom and I filled it with lots of fun goodies!
In the basket:
- Champagne
- Champagne flutes filled with candles
- Bridal magazines
- Wedding planner (large and pocket-size)
- Fun wedding/engagement-themed stickers
- Picture frame with “R Heart L”
- 4th of July-themed Christmas ornament (since Ross proposed on the 4th)
- Decorative letter “C” (the first initial of Ross’ last name)
- Box of Mexican wedding cookies
- Mini electronic wedding countdown timer
- Date idea jar (see below)
My favorite part of the basket was a craft project I worked on that Leslie and Ross can enjoy throughout their engagement.
A date idea jar!
Since I know that dates can fall to the wayside during wedding planning, I decided to jot down 12 inexpensive date ideas for Leslie and Ross to enjoy throughout their engagement.
On the first day of each month, they’ll select an envelope from the jar and pick a day that month to do the designated activity.
I stuffed 12 mini envelopes with different date ideas since I know many engagements last about a year, though you could easily do more or less. (This could also make a fun Valentine’s Day or anniversary gift for your significant other!)
Ross and Leslie seemed really excited about the idea and I hope they have a blast on the dates!
Congratulations again to Leslie and Ross!
Question of the Morning
- What is one of the most memorable inexpensive dates you’ve ever been on in your life?
When Ryan and I first started dating, Ryan told me to wear a t-shirt and comfy sweatpants and took me to Target to pick up a half gallon of mint chocolate chip ice cream, mancala and a DVD and we had a cheap but incredible date night at his apartment. We ate the ice cream right out of the container and had a blast. I also love our budget-friendly Valentine’s Day tradition!
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What a cute little idea!! I might have to do something similar for my bro and his fiance. I just LOVE Ross and Leslie together. They are so adorable and just seem so incredibly happy and right for each other. Congrats to them!
This is so creative and thoughtful! A fun way to start the engagement and wedding planning excitement immediately!
You are so creative! What a great/cute idea!
What an amazing idea, that turned out so cute! What an awesome gift they will cherish for sure 🙂
What a cute idea! When one of my best friends got engaged I put together a similar basket but also included a cute little notebook for her to write down all of her ideas in as they came to her 🙂 She said the gift basket meant the world to her! So I’m sure your sister will always cherish what you did! I remember my husband and I in college would drive out in the country and park down at the boat landing on the river, turn on some music, and just lay there under the stars 🙂 Cheesy yes, but when you’re dating it’s nice to escape from everything and everyone and really be ALONE together so you HAVE to talk to each other and learn something new!
What a fun gift basket idea! A lot of my friends are getting engaged right now and it’s so nice to have a fun idea of something to give them!
This is SO cute!!! I’m sure they love it.
Question – would you mind sharing the 12 date ideas, please? It would be much appreciated! 🙂
I love this idea! How fun!
Cute idea; very crafty!
Wow, what a fun and crafty idea! I love that. Anyhow, one of the most memorable, inexpensive dates I’ve been on, is simply hanging out at home, watching a movie. Sometimes, it’s those nights where everything feels and truly is more meaningful.
I LOVE this! What an awesome, thoughtful gift. Is there any way you might be willing to share a few more of the date ideas? I always really struggle thinking of inexpensive date ideas 🙂
What a thoughtful gift! Your sister looked so happy. I bet they loved your basket!
What a cute idea! Love it!
I love the idea of the date idea jar!!! This entire project looks amazing and so thoughtful. When my future close friends and family get engaged, I’m going to do this .LOVE IT!
What a cute idea! I’ve seen something similar to the date night cards you made on Pinterest. I can’t wait to make this for my friends who will be getting engaged in the future! Great job!
Best sister of the year award. I don’t know how you do it – I still can’t get over how thoughtful your gift to your father was! Thank you for continuously sharing ways to show others how much you care.
+1! I agree, thank you so much for sharing your creative and very thoughtful ideas! Your gifts are so amazing and the receivers must be so happy to know you love them, care enough to put all that effort into their gifts. I personally would totally love to receive the handmade, creative, well-thought out gift over an expensive store-bought gift any day. 🙂
my fiance’s and my first “date” was a run! it cost a total of $0 and was the best thing ever.
You’re so crafty and adorable!! Thanks for sharing!
We’ve had so many “cheap” dates, but that’s how we like it 🙂 We have more fun. Just last weekend, we went and got a pint of coconut strawberry ice cream, and some dove chocolate bars and we sat there and watched a marathon of shows. May not seem like a date, but for me and him, it was. The simpler the better. I love just being to spend time with him and do/eat yummy food 🙂 More often our dates include, going for a run, then going to a little sandwich place, and getting froyo later. Allows it to be just me and him, no interruptions 🙂
That is so awesome! I love all your DIY projects. I did something similar to your dad’s 60th birthday gift for my sister’s wedding anniversary. I’m totally pinning this one 🙂
Julie – What did you use to make the frame with their initials? I love that. It’s so adorable!!
Thanks! I bought the frame & initials/heart pic at Hobby Lobby and then just framed them myself. The burlap background actually came with the frame. I figured they can change it out and put wedding pictures in there if they want to one day!
Thanks!! I might have to make a trip to Hobby Lobby soon. I think this would be a great housewarming gift too!
You are quite the crafty lady! I need to start taking ideas from you 😉
This is such a great idea especially because date nights seem to fall to the wayside when it comes to planning a wedding! Plus, it’s one day you can just relax each month! I love it and it’s so creative! What a great sister 😀
Your DIY projects are always so creative! When my husband and I first started dating, he had an old Volkswagen that would randomly overheat and marked the gas wrong so it made everything VERY interesting.
love this! such a creative idea
You’re so crafty! Another awesome unique gift!
Love it! Congrats to them! I got married on this fourth and loved it! Wedding reception with fireworks was amazing !
This is so cute! If I were your sister, I would be so happy to have recieved something like that right upon getting engaged!
My favorite cheap/easy date is a picnic. Take some sandwiches, even some champagne, and chill at the park for an hour or so in the sun, talking and eating. Me and my husband’s favorite 🙂
What a great idea! I wish I had this idea back when my best friend got engaged last year :-). I have one friend left, so maybe I’ll do that for her. I especially love the date jar idea!
The most inexpensive date I have been on is the first date I went on with my boyfriend (about two years ago). I lived in the city and he invited me upstate to his house in the Hudson Valley. Our first official date was hiking up a mountain, and it was the most romantic date I’ve ever been on. We’ve hiked that mountain many times since, and now, I live in the Hudson Valley too!
What a wonderful gift for your sister! I love the date idea jar – super cute!
What a cute idea! Would you mind sharing some of the inexpensive date ideas with us? I just got married and we are moving into a new house so money is short and dates are few a far between.
This is so creative!! I just pinned it to remember it for the future! It’s so important to remember date nights when planning to spend the rest of your life together!!
One of my favorite date nights was the night before my college boyfriend’s graduation. He picked up a bottle of white wine, a french baguette & our favorite cheese (fromage d’affinois with garlic & herbs – you have to try it!). He set up blankets on his floor & we watched a DVD. It was relaxing & super fun!
What a great idea! I’m totally considering putting together a date jar for my boyfriend for a Valentine’s day gift or something this year. The most memorable inexpensive date we’ve gone on recently was when the carnival came to town earlier this summer. We rode the rides, ate corn dogs for dinner, even snuck a kiss on the ferris wheel – SO cheesy but amazingly fun at the same time!
You are an awesome sister!!! This is such a sweet gift and I love all the items you put in it!! How great!
I think the date jar idea is the cutest thing I’ve ever heard of.
That is such a cool and thoughtful idea!! What an awesome sister! 🙂
Hey! What an awesome little basket! Can I ask, what were the date ideas? I would love to make something like this for my honey too and I have some ideas but I’d love to see what else other people have thought of. Thanks!
I’m totally adding this onto Pinterest for reference!
I was wondering if you could post the date ideas.
Cute idea for a gift!!!
My favorite inexpensive date night: In the middle of winter, one night we decided to grab a bunch of blankets and watch the stars from our own backyard
I LOVE THIS! Seriously, make one for me when I get engaged 😉
Would love to see more of the date ideas! Such a brilliant idea, looks super cute too!
Absolutely adorable! You always make such great homemade craft gifts, love it!
Ice cream on the couch dates are awesome 🙂
The best inexpensive date I’ve gone on was when my boyfriend in high school surprised me with a homemade meal. He even set it up to look like we were eating at a restaurant. It didn’t taste great (haha) but I was sooo impressed at the thought.
This is sooo cute and thoughtful. I love the stamps you used for the date night part of the gift, so cute!! You are an awesome sister!!
The date idea jar is pretty much the cutest idea ever! Love.
This is such a sweet gift, it really shows how much you care!
On one of my first dates with my fiancé we went to a small beach near my house. We spent the day playing in the water and skipping rocks, and it was one of the best days of my life! After getting engaged my fiancé told me it was on that date that he knew he wanted to marry me. 🙂
That’s such a sweet and thoughtful gift idea!! Can you make me a date jar too please?! One of my favorite dates is just getting to ride horses with my boyfriend. We just walked our horses down some irrigation ditches at the end of the day. It was so calm and peaceful.
Very clever! I wish I was as creative for these types of gifts!
This is soooo super cute! Especially the date night idea! My boyfriend and I aren’t married or engaged but dates definitely get pushed to the side sometimes when you’re just so busy. Thanks for sharing!
This is an awesome and adorable idea! If my older brother ever gets engaged, I will surely think of this! (By the way, your handwriting is SO COOL).