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The easiest way to go when gifting to the special man in your life, is to give something he needs, something practical.

For a way to pair practical with personal, try pairing a leather wallet with a personalized wallet insert. It’s thoughtful, yet something he’ll actually use.

– For the wallets, we have a 50% off code for this new line of leather Blackwood Wallets, they start at $55. Use code Blackwoodevent for 50% off that!

– For the wallet insert, we obviously headed straight to Etsy and found not just personalized, but can be personalized with a photo and your very own handwriting from Vintage Branding Co ($20).

And there you have a perfectly personalized + practical gift for him right around $50!

The post is in collaboration with Blackwood Wallets.

It can be tough to navigate the waters of what to give at different stages of a relationship.  We’ve rounded up some ideas to give at different stages to help avoid any uncomfortable gifting exchanges.

1. First Starting to Date – Lovepop Pop Up Greetings ($8-$13)

You may have seen these beautiful handcrafted works of art on a recent shark tank! LovePops are not your typical greeting card, they are intricate 3D sculptures that lay flat and pop open to display incredibly designed teddy bears, flowers bouquets, tree scenes with a couple swinging underneath. It’s the perfect step above your average greeting card, perfect for when you are just starting out in a relationship.

2. Dating But Not Overly Serious For Him – GiftCrates ($25 – $145)

The solution for new relationship gifts is to think of their interests or hobbies and go from there. For him, choose a themed crate from GiftCrates from the bacon lover to a Chicago Bears fan and give him a whole crate full of snacks, gadgets and manly gear related to his favorite things. *note price in video is incorrect, bacon crate is $59.99

TGI Deal // GIFTINSIDER10 for 10% off.

3. Dating But Not Overly Serious For Her – Emoji Pillow ($15)

This emoji pillow is a cute and flirty take on giving your lady a teddy bear for Valentine’s Day. It’s a little cheeky, a little romantic and just spot on for a just starting on Valentine’s Day. Add some unique and equally cheeky Valentine’s Day sweets like these “Hey Sugar Lips” gummies or “bear hug” gummy bears all available at Papersource.

5. You’re committed! For Her – Real Flowers that Last Blooms by Heinau ($10 – $449)

These game changing flowers are the perfect way to step it up from the usual bouquets and show you wanna make this last. These arrangements from BloomsbeHeinau are real flowers last 6 months or longer. 100% fresh-cut blooms are cut at their peak & the water & sap in the plant cells is replaced by a moisturizer prolonging it’s beauty. 25+ colors of roses and hydrangeas w/ 50+ different arrangements. All natural, maintenance-free & requires absolutely no water. 

6. You’ve Celebrated A Few Key Milestones – GetWickd Candles Made From Your Own Bottle

These custom candles made from your own saved bottles are the perfect gift as you are starting to celebrate some happy milestones together: 1st Valentine’s Day, 1 year, engagements, anniversaries. Get Wickd from NYC, repurposes your special occasion bottles of wine/champagne/alcohol & turns them into luxe eco-friendly engravable candles. Save & mail your bottle, email your message & they engrave & fill your bottle with a natural soy candle & you choose the scent. (Start at $59)

TGI DEAL // GIFTINSIDER15 for 15% OFF

7. You’re a Lifelong Pair – For Him: Customized Undone Watches

We love anything you can personalize, which is why we’re very into Undone Watches. There 1 million unique combinations of customization, you can build your entire watch online from the color of the case & bezel to the hour and minute hands.We love that you can also upload a favorite photo or personalize the back of the glass caseback with a special message. Love that you can make this watch as individual as you are. ~$430 &

8. When You’ve Been Together Forever –  Heart Black Tie Decanter

This elegant Riedel decanter has a special and perfect for Valentine’s Day twist.  The heart cut out shines through when used (especially with dark reds) which makes this it a beautiful, elegant and keep forever piece. Pair with your favorite bottle of red and it will be a perfectly romantic gift no matter how many years it’s been. $225

Check us out chatting on ABC Detroit on 2/6 about some of these picks.

Also, watch us chat w/ on Good Day Chicago about all these gifts. (with a little surprise appearance at the end from my new hubby!)

We totally acknowledge how hard it must be to shop for a gift-giving expert, that’s why we were so touched by all the sweet and thoughtful engagement gifts we got this year.  Here’s a roundup of just a few of our favorites.

A Mini Painted Canvas and an Initial Ring Dish  

Feyonce Tank 

Mr and Mrs Luggage Tags, Wedding Planning Books and a Framed Photo of our Engagement Picture

A DIY Box of Bottles for Every”First” 

Year Established Schey Family Plaque

Mr and Mrs Schey Stemless Wine Glasses

Days Until We Become Mr and Mrs Schey Door Hanger

L+J Wooden Cheese Board

LoveBirds Handmade by Grandma Gift Insider <3

Yes, Dear Pillow + Kate Spade Mr and Mrs Frame

Kate Spade Polka Dot Vase

These are just a few of our favorites.  Browse our engagement gift section for other ideas and deals on engagement gifts.

What were some of your favorite gifts you’ve given or received for engagement gifts?

We’re big fans of giving candles as gifts, it’s a luxe treat everyone loves to have around the house, but people don’t always buy for themselves.  The only thing we aren’t fans of is when those fancy, beautiful and fabulously scented candles run out.  Enter, a great alternative, Firefly reusable oil candles.

We played around in the office for Valentine’s Day and love the chic look, especially with some Valentine’s Day flare.

Tips for Valentine’s Day:

–  Surprise your sweetie with a room full of tea lights in the shape of a heart

–  Fill their Hurricane Votive with conversation hearts, rose petals or their V-day treat of choice

Insider Deal: 20% Off Coupon Code on the site for the next few days

1. Record a sentimental video on your iPhone

2. Rent his favorite sports car for the night

3. Take Her Ice Skating

4. Make a Buzz Feed with all the Reasons You Love Them

5. Make a Cuddle Kit for 2 (Wine, Chocolates, DVDs in a basket)

6. Make a Custom Crossword Puzzle 

7. Give a Subscription Box – Our top 10 services here

8. Send them a funny dancing JibJab Card using your photos (Let’s get physical is our favorite)

9. Compile a playlist and some favorite photos and save to a USB

9. Send them on a Scavenger Hunt

10. Gift a Hulu or Netflix Subscription – and commit to watching an entire season of their show of choice

Q. How Can I Make It Special Without Spending a Fortune? 

A. Personalize it.  Give a photo gift, a monogrammed gift or something you’ve made yourself.  Thoughtfulness means more than extravagance.

Q. Do I Ask Her What She Wants? 

A. Some ladies know what they want, and they’ll be happy to tell you.  If you want to keep a little mystery, agree to go shopping with her on a sat and just keep your eye out for things she gravitates to. Or browse her Pinterest page.

Q. Should I go big in the beginning?

A. No! Don’t set the bar too high for what you can actually afford, it will only kick ya in the butt in the end.  Save the expensive jewelry and expensive purses for big milestones and for when you really get to know her taste. Browse some ideas for $100 and under gifts.

We have some other great tips on our What Women Want page on our latest blog post, 12 Romantic Gift Ideas Your Girlfriend Will Actually Want and a whole slew of ideas in our Girlfriend Gift Ideas category. Good luck and feel free to tweet us or comment on out FB page any specific q’s you have.

Happy Gifting!

– The Gift Insider

Create a DIY Rosé + Heart Shaped Sparkler gift for your next engagement party or romantic gifting occasion. It’s sweet and affordable, plus the heart shaped sparklers will leave the happy couple with the most memorable photo opps.  

Supplies:

– Heart Sparklers – available at Beacoup

– Bottle of Rosé – Try this Brut Rosé from Gruet Winery

– Velour Ribbon – Not easy to find in stores, we ordered on Amazon Prime (obvi)