Gifts are an important but often overlooked aspect of your event. Make sure that by the time your next party rolls around, you have the gifts component covered!

Anyone invited to a wedding, birthday, housewarming, Christmas or anniversary party is obliged to bring a present. At other times, the party organiser supplies gifts for guests, in the form of bomboniere, goodie bags, corporate gifts or party favours.

Then there are special occasions such as Valentine's Day, Mother's Day and Easter, at which gifts are appreciated but not mandatory.

Whatever your situation, put time and thought into gift buying. And if you're the ones getting married or having a housewarming, create a gift register that gives guests leeway for personal expression and recognises that some will have budgetary constraints.

Gift-buying options
There are many ways to find the perfect gift for the bridal or anniversary couple, birthday or bar mitzvah boy, colleague or client. Some are simpler than others.

You may be sourcing multiple gifts - for a Christmas celebration, your office do, as thank yous to corporate clients, or as party favours for a child's birthday. You may want bomboniere for wedding guests, or gifts to fill guest goodie bags for a product launch or fashion show.

If it's a themed party, you may want gifts to match the theme, or at least packaged to suit! There are four main ways to buy your gift or gifts:

¥ By shopping yourself: If you look for long enough, you'll find the perfect gifts for everyone on your list...but it could take you days to do so;
¥ Through a gift registry at a department store or specialty gift outlet;
¥ Through an online gift buying service or online registry;
¥ Via a personalised shopper service (some are tailored to
corporate gifts).

Store-based gift registries
If it's a wedding, the bride and groom will often set up a gift registry, either at a major department store or at a specialist gift outlet. Less commonly, people set up registries for housewarmings, anniversaries and birthdays.

One of the advantages of buying via an official gift register is that you're less likely to replicate a gift someone else is giving. Usually, the couple will have listed gifts in various price categories so that there's something to suit every budget. And you know they're going to enjoy anything you buy them that's from the register, as they chose the items on the list.

To view the gifts, visit the store where the register is held or log onto their website. Buy your gift early while there's still a broad selection of unbought items on the register.

This chapter continues in Party Magazine