It is a Jewish custom to present the bride and groom with gifts in order to bring them joy.1
Chassidus explains that giving gifts to the bride and groom has profound meaning and significance.2
The essential aspect of a wedding consists of G‑d granting tremendous gifts to bride and groom: G‑d provides them with unparalleled powers such as the power to conceive children as well as the gift of the unification of the two halves of their soul, as explained earlier.
A gift is unlike a salary or wage, with an obvious difference between them:
A person receives payment for his work; the money that he earns serves as compensation for his labors. When a person, however, receives a gift, it is not the result of his efforts and toil, and there is absolutely no obligation on the part of the gift-giver to grant him the gift. Rather, the gift is given entirely out of the giver’s free will and the kindness of his heart.
The lofty powers that are revealed at a wedding — powers that wholly transcend nature — have the quality of a gift since they do not serve as remuneration for one’s labors but are entirely a reflection of the giver’s decision to give the gift.
[The good deeds of the bride and groom, laudable as they may be, are not sufficient to receive infinite powers emanating from the Ein Sof. Their labors — their Divine service within the natural realm — do not make them deserving of receiving truly infinite powers, powers that are beyond nature.]
Thus, in essence, a wedding is a heavenly gift. Moreover, as Chassidus explains, the community’s participation in a wedding has a profound spiritual effect on bride and groom. Their active participation through giving gifts to the newlywed couple is thus particularly significant.