Wooden Wedding Gifts from Guests: Clocks, Signs and Keepsakes

As a wedding guest, the wooden gifts that work best are the ones the couple will use or display in their home: a 30cm oak wall clock engraved with their names and date, a sign explaining what their shared surname means, a set of engraved coasters, or a poem sign with your own words. Each is laser-engraved to order in our North Wales workshop, most in FSC-certified oak veneered MDF. This guide is for guests choosing a present. If you are the couple planning favours and signs, our wedding products guide covers that instead.

Engraved wall clocks

A clock is a present that gets hung up and used every day. We make four 30cm oak wall clocks with a quartz movement that runs on one AA battery. They differ in wording and layout:

• Wedding couple wall clock: both names and the date, no titles
• Wedding wall clock: names and date, for a first home together
• Mr and Mrs wall clock: wording can change to Mr and Mr or Mrs and Mrs
• Mr and Mrs anniversary clock: suited to a later anniversary or vow renewal

For other clock styles, see the clocks collection, including the custom engraved oak wall clock for your own text.

Surname signs and coasters

If the couple are sharing a surname, a wedding surname meaning sign engraves the name with what it means. Give us the surname and choose serious or humorous; we research and write the text. For a smaller present, the slate surname meaning coaster, in natural slate, comes in packs of 1, 6 or 12.

Coaster sets

A set of Mr and Mrs oak coasters or Wedding Day oak coasters engraved with the couple's names and date makes a practical present. Choose a pack of 10 or more for a household set.

Poem and message signs

To give something only you could write, engrave your own words, a reading from the ceremony or a short poem on oak. The A4 poem sign and the floral Art Deco sign both take your text. The poem sign with writing service includes a poem written for you.

Getting it right as a guest

• Check names and date. Copy them from the invitation into the personalisation box exactly as you want them engraved. Engraving is permanent.
• Check titles. If you are unsure whether the couple use Mr and Mrs, choose a design with names and date only.
• Allow time. Everything is made to order, and the dispatch time is shown at checkout. Order early enough to bring it to the wedding or post it after.
• Proofs. Not standard. Ask for one in the personalisation box if you want to approve the layout first.

All items are made to order. Dispatch time is shown at checkout. UK orders via Royal Mail Tracked 24. International via Royal Mail International Tracked.

Frequently asked questions

What is a good wooden wedding gift from a guest?
An engraved oak wall clock with the couple's names and wedding date, a surname meaning sign or a set of engraved coasters. All are things the couple use or display at home.

Should I give a wedding gift or an anniversary gift?
For the wedding itself, engrave the wedding date. For a later anniversary, see our guide to wooden anniversary gifts; wood is the traditional 5th anniversary gift.

Can I add a message from me?
Add it in the personalisation box. Space depends on the product, so keep it short on clocks and coasters.

Do you ship outside the UK?
Yes, to the USA, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Switzerland via Royal Mail International Tracked.

Browse wedding gifts for couples or all wedding products.