What are traditional gifts for a groom to give a bride on their wedding day?

Answer

Why be traditional? Give from the heart and something you feel is very close to each other (other than yourselves. LOL) You also can give your new bride this gift when you are alone and it's not necessary to give it to her before the wedding or at the reception. It's more romantic if you can pick a time when you are alone after all the excitement of the wedding/reception is over. Here are some ideas, but please, think from the heart re this gift ... it need not be expensive, but can mean a lot to your new bride.

Jewelry (jewelry store owners will help you out on this one.)
If you have time and your wife-to-be is very close to her family, work with her mother and get some pictures and make her up a beautiful album from the time she was a baby to growing up. Women love these sorts of things.

It could be a trip to another country (if you can afford it) that you have both really wanted to do. You don't have to do it right away, but can book the flights for a later date (even a few months to a year after the honeymoon.)

The simplest and most wonderful gift you could give her is a "love letter." Take your time writing it and say what is in your heart. Your spelling or punctuation doesn't have to be perfect and often that is what makes the letter more endearing. I can guarantee she will hold this tightly to her heart. Most men today don't write love letters and for that matter, usually leave the letter writing and any correspondence up to their wives. When you give her the letter you could give her a piece of jewelry such as a silver (or gold) entwined heart (representing the heart of each other.)

You are probably going to spend the night in a nice hotel so call one of her girlfriends or one of you girl friends and ask if they could slip up to the hotel before you get there, fill that big bath tub with bubbles, rose pedals and put loads of candles ready to be lit when you get there. Then when you get to the hotel you go into the bathroom and light those candles!

You can also have some a rose laying across her pillow in your honeymoon suite and rose pedals strewn across the bed. Have the hotel make up chocolate covered strawberries, have some fancy ice cream on the side in a nice dessert cup (usually the bride and groom are so excited they forget to eat and are starving) and of course the hotel usually will provide the champagne.

If I were you ... go with the love letter and that piece of jewelry with the entwined heart. Then polish it off with either the bath tub scene or the rose on the pillow, etc. Venture to be different as it makes your marriage more exciting.  

Answer

Well, if she's the type, try going the sentimental route. Get her something special that will remind her of a special time you shared. Maybe something that will remind her of your engagement, your first kiss, your first date, or the first time you met. You could even make her a book full of different things to remind her of different memories and times that you've shared.

You could fill it plenty photos, and maybe even something unique like a take-out menu from the restaurant you first went to together, a piece of sports memorabilia (one that could fit in a scrapbook) if you met at a football game, postcards from places you've visited together, some flattened rose petals if you gave her a bouqet of flowers for a special ocassion, etc.. You could end it with a letter telling her how much you love her, and maybe leave room for pages that she can fill with things from your wedding, honeymoon, and marriage. Just use your imagination!

And if you're not sure where to start, or want some other ideas, then ask a romantically-minded female that you know (such as a sister, cousin, or friend) for some help. After they gush at what a sweetie you are, they may be able to brainstorm with you and help you come up with something that will sweep your new bride off of her feet.