Wedding gift'ers are going crazy on us!
The presents are starting to flow in now, and we're getting some pretty generous checks - we're talking about ones for $100 and $150 a PIECE!!! I'm not sure what the average amount people usually give, but anything over $50 seems like a lot to me. I can understand if close family members or best friends want to give a little extra, but we're getting a lot from guests that aren't even COMING to the wedding! WTF? I guess we have some good fans ;)
Being the curious little badger that I am, I took it upon myself to do some research and I came across an interesting little blurb from WeddingBasics.com:
I didn't want to put a billion things on our registries cuz I feel that we (or I should say "I") already have most of this stuff, but she thought we needed to so that people know what to give us, and so that we could also have more "joint" stuff. At any rate, we're totally passed all that now, but it never fails to get a bit crazy when money starts playing a part.
Secondly (sorry, got a little sidetracked there) i guess it IS a rule of thumb to send a gift whether you're coming or not. That's quite a shock to me, esp. looking back at all those I didn't attend - YIKES! I'll just blame it on all those brain cells i lost back in College ;) I don't think many people expect any big gifts from college kids anyways, so whatever.
Okay that's enough wedding talk for now. I can seriously go on and on about all this stuff, but I'm sure not everyone wants to read about it - I know i don't want to any more! I can tell you one thing though, it'll be GREAT not having to worry about this stuff ever again. Crazy kids and their crazy weddings.
-------------------
If you're itching for more though, check out these oldies:
- Mrs. Budgetsaresexy on frugal wedding-ness
- Two rants and two helpful hints
- Wedding budget for $10k? Fingers crossed!
- I just spent $170 in under 5 minutes
Being the curious little badger that I am, I took it upon myself to do some research and I came across an interesting little blurb from WeddingBasics.com:
"Guests are not required to bring a wedding gift to the wedding which is one of the reasons you should never make mention of gifts with your wedding invitation. However, social etiquette indicates that if you are invited to a wedding you should send a gift to the couple whether or not you plan to attend."First off, i thought it was a mandatory thing! haha...not that i personally care, it just seems to be the case. I guess that's where "social" etiquette comes in. To be honest, the whole gift registry thing was the only part where Mrs Budgetsaresexy and I got into some arguments :(
I didn't want to put a billion things on our registries cuz I feel that we (or I should say "I") already have most of this stuff, but she thought we needed to so that people know what to give us, and so that we could also have more "joint" stuff. At any rate, we're totally passed all that now, but it never fails to get a bit crazy when money starts playing a part.
Secondly (sorry, got a little sidetracked there) i guess it IS a rule of thumb to send a gift whether you're coming or not. That's quite a shock to me, esp. looking back at all those I didn't attend - YIKES! I'll just blame it on all those brain cells i lost back in College ;) I don't think many people expect any big gifts from college kids anyways, so whatever.
Okay that's enough wedding talk for now. I can seriously go on and on about all this stuff, but I'm sure not everyone wants to read about it - I know i don't want to any more! I can tell you one thing though, it'll be GREAT not having to worry about this stuff ever again. Crazy kids and their crazy weddings.
-------------------
If you're itching for more though, check out these oldies:
- Mrs. Budgetsaresexy on frugal wedding-ness
- Two rants and two helpful hints
- Wedding budget for $10k? Fingers crossed!
- I just spent $170 in under 5 minutes
Labels: wedding
• Digg this! • Stumble it! • Send to PF Buzz • Save to Del.icio.us • Subscribe to feed
posted by J. Money at
3:46 PM
7 Comments:
Okay, so I wanted to get married tomorrow now just so I can register for gifts and get checks in the mail!!
So what IS a standard amount for gift-giving?
My best friend is getting married and I don't know how much I can be expected to fork over for her shower and wedding gifts... I'm already spending a ton just by being her bridesmaid, and I paid for the bachelorette, too!
That's a GOOD question! From everything i'm reading, the least amount that should be given/gifted is $25-$50 if you're not part of the party, and $100ish for those IN the party.
so i guess that means $100 for you? who knows...i usually give a $100 present that i can find on sale, or by using a 20% at bed, bath, and beyond ;)
I think it depends on what part of the country you are from. My rule of thumb is to give between $75-$100. This follows the 'pay for your plate' idea. Getting married in central PA is going to cost a lot less then getting married in or outside of NYC. However when it comes down to it I decide on how much I'm going to give depending on how close I am with them and how far I have to travel to go to the wedding. If I'm already paying for a plane ticket and a hotel room, you are going to get less. It all has to work with my budget.
I have friends getting married across the country this summer, I have to buy plane tickets, pay for a hotel, AND rent a car. It's going to be pretty expensive so I won't be able to give them $100 even though they are really good friends.
I think that asgreen has the right idea. The standard rule(s) that applies is the aforementioned "pay for your plate" notion, but first and foremost you need to do whatever you can afford and/or feel most comfortable with--and this can vary from situation to situation.
Though we HAVE gotten quite a few checks for $100 and more, we also have gotten a gift of $25 (from a couple), and probably will get more of the same. It's a personal choice, give what you can afford and just enjoy the celebration!
I hope I will be getting those gifts like you do after my wedding! Weddings are expensive!
I think guests should spend what they feel comfortable with, not a figure they think will cover the cost of their dinner. From Miss Manners:
"Etiquette recognizes no such rule, Miss Manners assures you. It assumes, perhaps naively, that wedding guests are invited solely because their attending has emotional value, and that wedding presents are selected by the guests from within their particular financial means, solely to please the recipients."
Also, at the risk of sounding like a total stick in the mud, etiquette does not require people to send gifts if they they don't plan to attend the wedding.
Post a Comment
Links to this post:
Create a Link
<< Home