A traditional gift list

Guests attending a wedding do not have any obligation to send the couple a gift and nor should the couple feel that every person who gives a present should be ‘rewarded’ with an invite to the wedding. Most people who do send presents often do get invited to the wedding reception.

It is appropriate to send wedding presents as soon as the news of the impending wedding is received via a personal letter or a newspaper announcement. It is much better to send a gift at this stage rather than to wait until and invitation is received.

Gift lists are often prepared to avoid duplication of gifts. This list should contain items at all price levels so that guests do not feel as if they have to spend more than they can realistically afford. A good way to do this is for the couple to decide on one particular pattern for china or cutlery, this provides a wider range of alternative ideas for guests to choose from which still fall in the basic décor scheme that they originally had planned.

Gifts for the happy couple’s home are still the most popular choice for a wedding present and all gifts purchased should be something that both the bride and the groom can use and enjoy in their life together.

Gifts should be posted or delivered well before the date of the wedding. If gifts are being delivered to the church or reception, they should ideally not be opened by the bridal couple at the time as gift tags explaining who the present is from could be lost, making it impossible to write thank you notes.

As she receives each gift, the bride should make a list of them and acknowledge each present on arrival. Obviously, the couple will need to suggest that each gift was exactly what they wanted, even if it was the 8^th fruit bowl of the day or a hideous photo frame.

All presents received should be laid out for the guests to admire at the wedding reception. If a present is too large to be displayed, a card describing what it was and who it was from should be placed on the table in it’s place. For example,’ a dining table set from Mr & Mrs Pierce’. Alternatively, if the gift is money, the amount should not be quoted, ‘Cheque from Auntie Margaret and Uncle Ron’