 | The giving and receiving of wedding gifts is a long-standing tradition. It is also one of the areas where more etiquette rules are broken than perhaps in any other part of your wedding. There are tips to follow for having a lovely wedding without inadvertently offending your guests.
Your guests are not obligated to give a gift, though most do. An invitation to your wedding is a request for guests to join you in celebrating a joyous occasion in your life and it should never be about gifts. If a guest is having financial difficulties or for some other reason is unable to give a gift, don’t worry about it! |
So don’t include registry information in your invitation or mention gifts in any way in the invitation. The stores where you register encourage you to place their cards in your invitation because it is good for their business. However, it is not very proper to do so and it offends your guests who know that.
Don’t tell your guests that you want money or that you will have a money tree at the reception. You should not mention gifts, nor should you suggest that your guests give you a particular type of gift. Money trees are controversial and may offend rather than bring in a lot of money. Your guests are not obligated to help you pay for your wedding or honeymoon.
Guests will choose a gift based on their budget and on how well they know you. They are not obligated to cover the cost of their meal and they should not even know how much you paid for your reception. To give out that information is considered bragging and has no bearing on what your guests will give.
Take pleasure by giving to them - since coming to your wedding is a gift in itself. Give wedding favors as keepsakes and send thank-you notes within a few months of the wedding. When the bride and groom and their guests display courtesy and good manners concerning the giving and receiving of gifts, there are no hurt feelings and you can look back on your wedding with pleasant memories!