DIY Engagement Gift

December seems to have also become known as ‘Engagement Season’, since The Question often gets popped around the holidays, with friends and family there to celebrate. With so many loved ones getting engaged recently, I’ve had a hard time keeping up with all the gifts!

I always want to celebrate a couple with something that they will truly appreciate, and as cheesy as it is, booze is almost always a winner. It just works a little better when it’s personalized, and you really don’t need much to bring the classic bottle to the next level. I started doing these customized ‘HIs & Hers’ bottles a few years ago, starting with my cousin Jamie’s engagement party, and they have been a hit every time since.

Here is the step by step process of how I build them AND I’ve included a free PDF template you can download for the labels to personalize for your happy couple!

When I did this first one, I searched and searched for a 12” square box that was 6” high and just could not find one at those dimensions that wasn’t either crazy expensive or the right material. So of course, I decided to get crafty and make my own. It needed to be those dimensions to fit a standard sized bottle of champagne. You can play around with the bottle sizes or box size and the steps below for customizing still apply.

And of course, this gift can be adapted to a non-alcoholic gift or ‘His & His’, etc. It’s a great way to celebrate any couple and show your excitement for their upcoming festivities especially if you don’t know what else to get them!

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The Details:

Gift box
A bottle for each
Lots of tissue paper
Box filler
Gold Spray Paint
Strong tape
scissors + ruler
Twine or ribbon
Adhesive label paper
Access to a printer
Label template to personalize

Step 1:

Assemble the gift box and mark 6” high measuring up from the bottom.

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Step 2:

Fold the box flat again and cut off the top half of the box on all 4 sides.

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Step 3:

Reassemble the box and remove the bow from the lid.

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Step 4:

Spray the box inside and out with the metallic gold spray paint. You may need to do more than one layer for complete coverage of the box’s print. Be sure to spray outside or in a properly vented area because this stuff STINKS.

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Step 5:

While the box and lid dries thoroughly, wrap your bottles in the tissue paper. I chose a solid print for the groom-to-be and a pretty polka-dot pattern for the bride-to-be. Placing the bottles squarely in the middle of the layered tissue, I wrapped up around to the neck. Secure with twine wrapped several times around the necks and tied with a bow.

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Step 6:

I designed my labels in Illustrator and created this template that you can download to to personalize….or make your own! If you download my template, just open the PDF and change the names and/or message under the ‘Edit’ panel in Acrobat or import to Illustrator if you’re more skilled. Print your labels on an adhesive backed label paper. Cut and trim to size and stick to the tissue wrap on each bottle.

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Step 7:

Fill your dry box with layers of more tissue paper and festive box filler. Lay the bottles inside. Reattach the bow to the box’s lid to top it off!

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Ready to gift!

This was a fun gift to give because of the personalization. My cousins loved it and ended up saving the box to keep as a collecting place for wedding notes and cards. I love that it found another use after the original gift. And of course, the booze was also the gift that kept on giving. :)

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Side note: this is great for un-boxing videos on social media so make sure to have the bride and groom tag you so everyone can see your handy work!

Easy DIY Engagement Gift