Wedding gift ideas

11 November 2026

If you want a wedding present that doesn't come off the gift list, choose something personal to the couple: their names, the date and a meaning that lasts. On this page: a real star named for the couple, which takes up no room in a new home and can arrive in the post or digitally on the morning itself.

What is a good personal wedding gift?

Most wedding gifts are for the house: towels, glasses, something from the list. They are useful, but few of them say anything about the marriage itself. A personal present is for the two of them rather than their kitchen, and it stands out on the gift table for exactly that reason. You don't need to know their taste in crockery, only their names and the date.

A star named for the couple

A real, catalogued star is recorded under the name you choose, and the couple receive documents showing where it is in the sky. We run two star naming brands, each with its own register, documents and website.

The Star Naming Co.

The Star Naming Co. has a page on naming a star as a wedding gift, for guests and for couples giving one to each other.

• One star for the couple. Name it for both of them and put the wedding date and a short line in the certificate message. The registration date is printed on the certificate too.
• A star for each of them. The Lovers Edition names two neighbouring stars in a constellation of your choice, side by side on one landscape certificate with gold hearts, printed on special edition pink stock and posted free in the UK. Lyra, Aquila, Andromeda and Cygnus are its love constellations, and the story of the one you choose comes in the pack.
• For the gift table. The Physical Gift Pack is five A4 documents on fine cream stock, posted flat in an A4 envelope, free in the UK, within 24 hours. It can go to you or straight to the couple.
• For a wedding abroad, or on the day. The Digital Gift Pack is emailed within minutes, anywhere in the world, and prints on A4 or US Letter.

Intergalactic Star Database

Intergalactic Star Database records a star from the Hipparcos catalogue under the couple's names, and its page on a star for a wedding or anniversary includes advice for guests. The posted gift pack comes in a full-colour gift envelope with a Certificate of Registry, a Star Area Co-ordinates Sheet, a welcome letter and a fold-out star chart, and Royal Mail usually has it on its way within 24 hours. Running late? The print-at-home star is ready the moment you've paid, and you can send the couple a gift link from the star's own page.

How do I give a star as a wedding guest?

1. Check the names. Find out whether either of them is changing surname or double-barrelling. If you are unsure, first names alone are always safe, such as "Lucy & Sam, 5 September 2026".
2. Add the date. Copy it from the invitation rather than from memory. Names are printed exactly as you type them.
3. Decide where it goes. A flat envelope is easy to leave on the gift table, or you can have the pack posted to the couple's home after the day.

Ways to use the star on the wedding day

• A morning-of-the-wedding gift. From one of the couple to the other, sent as a digital gift before the ceremony.
• In the speeches. The best man or maid of honour reads out the star's name, with its star page ready on a phone.
• Remembering someone absent. Some couples name a star for a parent or grandparent who isn't there to see the day. Our memorial gift ideas explain more.
• A plan for the first anniversary. Agree to go out and look for it together a year on. Paper is the traditional first-anniversary theme, which suits a certificate, and our anniversary gift ideas go year by year.

When should I order a wedding gift?

For a posted pack, allow a few days before the wedding so it reaches you or the couple in good time.

Looking for more ideas? Try our gifts for someone who has everything.