Wedding gifts should be thoughtful and reflect your relationship with the person receiving them.
But how do you wrap memories, friendship and well wishes into a specially packaged box for one of life’s most meaningful events?
Marilyn Oliveira, senior editor at weddingchannel
, advice about giving the perfect wedding gift:
Stay within your means
First and foremost, “There is no hard and set rule about how much to spend,” so “don’t feel obligated to spend more than you ought to,” Oliveira says, adding that the average wedding gift costs $50 to $100.
Don’t bring it to the wedding
Although there is nothing dictating how much to spend, the etiquette of
sending a gift is more concrete: Deliver the gift to the couple before the wedding. In some instances, such as an impromptu wedding or an illness, sending a gift after the wedding is all right.
Oliveira recommends sending a gift whether or not you attend the wedding.
Use the registry
If you are shopping on a limited budget, use the gift registry and select a couple of the less-expensive items and pair them as one gift. For example, if the couple has utensils on the list, you can purchase a cookbook to go along with it.
If there is nothing on the registry you feel comfortable purchasing – whether it’s too cheap or expensive – it’s acceptable to chip in on a group gift for a pricier item or to shop off the registry, she says.
Just don’t make that the first step, Oliveira says. Registries allow you to shop online 24/7 and make sure you are not buying duplicates., for example, allows guests to search for the couple, find the stores they are registered at and purchase the gift through
.
And like any occasion, gift cards are acceptable as are donations to charities and honeymoons, so long as the couple has signed up for such a service, Oliveira says.
Don’t skimp on second weddings
Each wedding presents a different set of circumstances. If you are attending a wedding for someone who has been previously married, you treat it just like you did the first, Oliveira says.
– Desiree Belmarez, Denver Post staff writer
