A beautiful Western-Styled Wedding Gift given by Sheila of Martinsville, Virginia, USA, to her friends on their wedding – Photo Courtesy: Sheila C.
It is that time of the year when you need to respond to a string of wedding invites. Sadly you are looking for excuses to avoid as the thought of what is the appropriate gift to give is enough to say no.
What to give for friends, colleagues, family etc can be very difficult. Recently read about a girl who called up one of her guests and told her off for the bad gift she gave her for the wedding. Receiving such a call would be really embarrassing for anyone. So there are a few questions that frequently come up, when practicing the etiquette for wedding gift-giving which are discussed here.
Is there a difference between what you should buy for a wedding shower vs. the actual wedding?
Generally the shower gift is opened up in front of all the guests who are attending. So it’s a time for fun, and it works best if the gift is something that everyone can ‘ooh’ and ‘ah’ over. You can give something which is customized and unique and add a little personal touch as per your relationship with the person. The attempt should be to get something one of a kind for the shower. For the wedding, a less expensive gift can also work, including a cash envelope.
Is it ok to send a wedding gift a year later?
Though old school rules say it is ok to send a wedding gift an year later; however, in today’s day and age, this is absolutely not ok. Being a question mark on the gift list of anyone is not at all cool, it just seems extremely rude. At best, it is ok to have a month before you send the wedding gift, not any more than that. Even in this case you should do this only if you have a very good reason and you have let the couple know in advance.
Sending a gift or carrying it with you
Well this question depends on where the wedding is and to a certain extent the culture of the couple whose wedding it is. In terms of the location, if it is a destination wedding or the couple is situated in a different location then it is best to send the gift. You can either send it before or after the wedding. However, if you decide to carry it with you, then you should hand the gift over to the designated person. In most cases, it will be a family member or the wedding planner who will be given the job of receiving the gifts. The gifts are typically never received by the newlywed couple ever.
If it’s a financial gift how much is appropriate
Well, this is a question generally dependent on a number of different factors; i.e. your connection to the couple, cultural norms and your financial capacity. It is generally a question which is oft asked, and the rule of thumb to follow in this is to go with a $50 – $75 per individual that is going. So if you are going with a +1 then an amount of $150-$200 is a good amount to give. In case you are strapped financially, then you can create something personalized where the dollar amount won’t matter.
Karen Denver is a self-made person and a successful entrepreneur. She writes articles on a wide variety of topics. For some excellent X’mas gift hampers and coupons, you can visit her website.
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