The 11 Best Engagement Gifts

These peg dolls aren’t one bit like the passé plasticine cake toppers of yore. Hand-painted by North Carolina artist Bee Webb, the charming Wooden Beehive Custom Family Peg Dolls, available on Etsy, can be made in the likeness of the newly betrothed. Just send clear photos of the two people, along with guidance on any desired details (clothing, accessories) to the artist, and she’ll keep you looped in on her progress in making them. You can also add a child or a pet—each doll is priced individually—to join the happy couple atop their buttercream platform. The resulting folksy dolls will be a keepsake long after the cake is cut.

If the couple has a quirkier vibe, or they’re big into cartoons, they might just love getting Funko Pop Yourself figurines of themselves. You can craft individual Funko Pops or pair them together in a two-pack box. Kit them out in wedding attire and accoutrements, such as a tux, a tiered cake, or a bouquet of flowers, or just add features that reflect their style and interests. The easy-to-use module offers a range of choices in skin tone, hairstyles, outfits, accessories, and, for an additional fee, pets. Wirecutter product testing logistics manager Leslie Grisdale and her husband were delighted to receive a pair from her mother-in-law. If you opt for the protective box, the toys come with the name of each giftee printed on it.

Not your average bottle of bubbly, the Williams Sonoma Heart Mini Bottles showcase two elegantly debossed first names and a date. When we ordered them, we were impressed with the high-quality, deep etchings and the classy typeface on thick glass. Each 6.32-ounce bottle holds enough for sharing a couple of romantic flutes, without the commitment to a full bottle of sparkling wine. They come in packs of six, 12, or 24, so the lucky couple can toast their union at special moments long after their nuptials. Choose from four sparkling options: Moët & Chandon, Chandon, or Freixenet Cordon Negro Champagnes, as well as La Marca prosecco.

The vibrant hand-blown Estelle Colored Glass Champagne Flutes put a colorful twist on the traditional gift of a set of flutes and a bottle of champagne. The set of two is available in an array of colors from the lightest blush to the inkiest blue. And when the wedding rolls around, the couple can build out their set with colors of their choice. As for what to put in them, senior staff writer Lesley Stockton suggests Pol Roger Brut and Billecart-Salmon Brut Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru as her go-to special-occasion bottles.

Handmade from a pliant clay that resists shattering, the sweet Wedding Ring Dishes from Etsy seller The Painted Press are the perfect holders for newly acquired bling. You can customize the 3-inch pieces with liquid-gold initials and the wedding date, or add a delicate watercolor illustration for about $25. Each piece is made by request and ships within five days of ordering.

Not everyone approaches getting hitched with staunch propriety. The sturdy, just-for-fun Gemtend Ring Finger Wine Glasses saucily celebrate a couple’s newfound status. Each stemless 18-ounce goblet depicts a gold hand flipping the ring finger, and they come in a snazzy, satin-lined box. For the right couple, they’re a cheeky, dishwasher-safe score. But we have to deduct some points since we couldn’t find sets for same-sex couples.

Discovering your partner is a lifelong pursuit, aided by Esther Perel’s smartly designed card game Where Should We Begin? A Game of Stories. The 250 story cards stimulate conversation and openness with prompts that probe everything from silly memories to serious fears. Senior editor Catherine Kast took the game for a spin with her husband: “I heard stories I’d never heard before, and we’ve known each other for more than a decade. I was surprised at how the game was able to elicit hilarious tales from childhood as well as revelations about our relationship.”

The sentimental and scientific The Night Sky Museum Grade Print maps capture the stars at the time and place of an important event—such as an engagement, perhaps. The prints are available in three sizes, and the user-friendly website offers a few simple design options. They’re printed on museum-quality paper with archival ink. You can also choose a festive gold-foil option for an additional fee. If paper seems too flimsy or you don’t want to bother with a frame, opt for stretched canvas.

The Date Night Adventure box of 40 scratch-off date-idea cards forces couples to get up and out of a Netflix-and-chill rut. But it comes with a few rules: Keep your phones off, don’t switch cards once you’ve revealed the date, and be open-minded, even if the date doesn’t appeal to you at first. All cards are marked with icons to indicate the cost, duration, setting (indoors or out), and transportation needs before the details are revealed. Suggestions include an IKEA hide-and-seek (loser buys the meatballs) and purchasing art supplies for portrait painting over drinks and snacks. The flip side of each card has a sticky tab for a 2-by-3-inch photo—like the pics from one of our favorite instant cameras, the Fujifilm Instax Mini 12, which could be a fun gift add-on.

If the couple you’re celebrating has set a date, a Custom Wedding Countdown Calendar from Etsy seller WaypostPaper offers a fun way to track the days leading up to the nuptials. Supply the wedding date and your color choices, and the betrothed couple will receive a chunky page-a-day calendar with a handmade desktop easel counting down from the present moment. You can have the first page printed with a sweet message to the couple, and each page includes a love-inspired quote, but the vendor can leave that off for a cleaner design.

When two singles come together, so too do their kitchens. The Complete Cooking for Two Cookbook, a perennial best seller from America’s Test Kitchen, makes things much simpler by scaling down 650 recipes to feed two. Even hearty dishes such as stews, meatloaf, cakes, and pies have been carefully recalibrated—portions, temperatures, and cooking times are all adjusted—to meet the needs of a pair. Recipes range from rather basic to a little fancy, so this cookbook is a fantastic gift for couples no matter whether they merely know a simmer from a boil or are ready to learn more.

We love finding gifts that are unusual, thoughtful, and well vetted. See even more gift ideas we recommend.

This article was edited by Hannah Morrill and Jennifer Hunter.