Gifts That’ll Woo Your Lover No Matter What Dating Stage You’re In

Unless you're a complete Leslie Knope-type, gift-giving can be tricky. And when it comes to buying gifts for a partner, it can be even more challenging. While a gift card and flowers might do for friends and family, a gift for a partner needs to tick all the right boxes.

If you've been in this situation before, you've probably got a laundry list of questions you've asked yourself: is it sentimental enough? Does it accurately reflect the level our relationship is at? Is it too generic? Will they 'get' the inside joke I'm referencing?

It can be a lot. And in these economic times, buying a present that doesn't break the bank can be even trickier. But never fear — like most things in life, we're here to try and remove a little bit of that brain work for you, so we've compiled a list of never-fail gift ideas that'll surely woo your partner, no matter what stage of your relationship. Hot tip: we highly recommend browsing Cashrewards to both spark inspiration and save a little coin on a huge range of brands during your gift-buying journey, too.

The way to my heart is through my favourite artists. I know that might not be the case for everyone, but if your partner's love language is making you playlists, surprise them with tickets to a show. Luckily for us Down Under, we've been blessed with Splendour In The Grass sideshows a-plenty, a Listen Out lineup to die for and an ever-evolving list of local artists doing shows (which are usually on the more affordable side of things too).

The best part about buying concert tickets is that you look forward to enjoying something together — the same theory applies to theatre tickets or plane tickets if music isn't your vibe. And when the day for the event finally arrives, it's the perfect opportunity to turn it into a special date night with dinner and drinks. So it's kind of like celebrating a special occasion twice, which we're all about.

Getting to know your partner and all their weird and wonderful interests is probably one of the best things about being in a relationship. While a Netflix or Disney+ subscription might be nice, they likely already have their streaming services down pat.

Opting for a more unique subscription is the way to go – so it's like they're receiving little gifts from you monthly, annually or fortnightly. If someone bought me an A24 subscription, I would melt – it offers discounts on merch, exclusive access to product drops (like those incredible script books) and a monthly zine subscription.

If indie movies aren't their thing, find a Masterclass course they'd be interested in taking, a monthly wine bottle subscription, or even an old-school print mag subscription to a quarterly journal.

Perfume gets a bad rap as a gift. I know for me, it's probably because, in my teen years I spent many-a Saturday hitting up Priceline to buy the same discounted bottle of Beyonce's 'Heat' as a gift for the 16th birthday I was going to that night.

However, perfume can be a highly romantic gift. My view on it changed when I bought my partner a bottle of cologne for his birthday during our first year of dating, and he's been wearing the same one ever since. Finding someone's signature scent means you have to know them quite well and their preferences — whether it's fruity, earthy or anything in between. But you can also buy a scent that reminds you of them — which can be a cute compliment in itself.

Before writing this piece, I asked my colleagues whether they'd given or received any unique gifts lately. One mentioned that five months into dating, their girlfriend had an artist draw a portrait of them and her cat together. While this is highly adorable, it might be a little much for others in the early stages of dating.

It did, however, remind me that any piece of art is a great gift. Whether it's a painting to hang up in their new place or a handmade and crafted vase, art is a great way of showing you understand someone's style and interests. It doesn't have to be expensive either — head to a local market or antiques shop or have a friend who's an artist make something special.

We, as a society, have forgotten what a good love letter can do. I'm not saying you have to bare your heart in written form over 15 pages of metaphors and similies, something personalised with a message from the heart is always something to consider. A friend of mine recently made her partner a Build-A-Bear, and inserted a personalised voice memo — adorable.

The options don't just end there. You can always opt for something like making your partner a special dinner, dessert and setting your living room up like it's the fanciest restaurant in town. If you are strapped for ideas (and looking to save), browsing sites like Cashrewards, which offers up to 20% cashback on brands ranging from Expedia to Apple can be a great way of sparking inspiration. After all, no one knows your partner better than you do, so despite the anxiety around picking something perfect, we're sure whatever you land on will be fab.

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