Navigating The Waters Of Proper Wedding Gift Etiquette
What You Need to Know about Proper Wedding Gift Etiquette
Have you ever been invited to a wedding and wondered what you were supposed to give as a gift? Maybe the couple is part of your extended family, or a coworker, and you are not sure what is appropriate or required. Maybe you cannot attend -- is it still customary for you to send a gift? It may seem practically impossible to navigate the social waters surrounding proper wedding gift etiquette, but you can do so successfully and emerge unscathed!
Give What You Can Afford
Experts recommend giving gifts to the couple that are valued at $75-$100 per person that is attending the wedding. This may be too much for many families to afford. In these situations, etiquette dictates that the invitees give a thoughtful gift that is within their price range.
Choose an item or category of items from the registry that, when combined, reach a predetermined price ceiling that is within your budget and include a personal note letting the couple know that you hope that the gift is useful to them in their new home.
Do You Have To Follow The Registry?
Wedding registries can be both useful and restrictive. While many people abhor shopping for wedding gifts and are relieved to be guided by a detailed registry, there are inevitably those guests who feel as though their thoughtfulness and creativity is being stymied by the registry.
If you want to be sure that your present is exactly what the couple wants, then buy something off the registry; otherwise, feel free to be original (to some extent), using the styles and taste of the items on the registry to direct your search for the perfect gift.
Whatever your choice, have the gift mailed to the address on the registry (or inquire as to where it should be sent), to avoid making the bride and groom tote your gift home or on their honeymoon following the event.
If shopping isn't for you at all, opt for a check made out to either the bride or the groom, if mailed before the wedding, and made out to the couple if mailed after the wedding.
What If I Cannot Attend The Wedding?
Even if you cannot attend the wedding, it is still proper wedding gift etiquette to mail a gift, including a personalized card wishing the couple the best on their wedding day and expressing your regrets about being unable to attend.
Whatever your choice of wedding gift, it will ultimately not matter how much you spent or even if it was on the registry, as long as it is indicative of thoughtfulness and in good taste. Navigating the waters of proper wedding gift etiquette is less about following rules than it is about using common sense and showing the new couple that you wish them the best in their new life together.