I haven't been to a wedding in ages. I avoid them at all costs. But, I can't avoid this one unfortunately b/c it is one of my closest friends.
Anyhow, it is out of town and I already bought a present from her registry. I just read somewhere that it is tacky to bring a present to the wedding/reception. Is that true?
I could have had it shipped but I didn't want to show up empty handed. Now I wish I would have had something shipped.
What do you guys think? Is it tacky to show up with a gift at a wedding reception?
2007-10-26 12:41:35 · 19 answers · asked by Joey 3 in Family & Relationships ➔ Weddings
Actually, bringing gifts to the reception is a fairly recent development. It is now commonplace and not considered tacky, but it is also still perfectly correct to send gifts to the bride's home before the wedding or the home of the newlyweds after the wedding... Shipping is still preferred simply because it saves a great deal of trouble for the couple if they will be leaving for their wedding trip from the reception.
2007-10-26 13:28:45 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
It is not tacky but it truly is thoughtless for so many reasons!! Gifts get stolen (sad but true!) People bring a card and then put their card on a gift box and destroy the original card. The bride must arrange for someone to take all the gifts somewhere for storage right from the reception until they return from honeymoon and this can be a major undertaking! The bride and groom end up opening scads of gifts at once and the thank you cards become tedious. Gift cards get lost due to the pile of gifts and you may not get your gift acknowledged. Gifts can get broken when they are all piled up and then carted off after the reception to another place. So many more reasons!! If you have bought from a gift registry, at least you have uncomplicated things by giving something they want or need and hopefully won't get duplicated. But truly, the old and current etiquette suggests that you buy the gift ahead of time and have it delivered at least two weeks before the wedding. This way, the gift gets opened by the bride and groom in a peaceful surrounding, gets acknowledged right away, and gets displayed in their home or their parents' home so that others know not to buy the same thing. You show up at the wedding to express your happiness for the couple! And it is always so nice when a bride smiles and says, in front of other guestsw, "Oh, Uncle Art, we're so glad you came to the reception and thank you soooo much for the toaster!" You look really well-mannered and put the other guests to shame. People love to turn up carrying a big box but really they are showing bad manners and are causing extra work for the family! Many people will say that bringing the gift to the reception is "traditional". It isn't. It is a regular occurance though just because people don't bother with good manners. And just because so many people do it doesn't make it correct. Actually it looks like they bought the gift at the last minute as it wasn't important enough to think about ahead of time.
2007-10-26 12:55:36 · answer #2 · answered by Wifeforlife 6 · 2⤊ 2⤋
Do whatever you feel most comfortable doing. However, I always ship a gift, even when I'm attending the wedding. The reason why is, wedding gifts have been known to disappear from the gift table. People know there's primo stuff in those boxes, and it's usually tailor made for someone who is less than honest. When it's shipped to them, the bride and groom don't have to worry about hauling it home, having something happen to your gift at the reception, etc. I also don't have to lug the box to the wedding and reception. It's easier on everyone if you have it shipped directly to the bride and groom. No one thinks anything about showing up at a wedding "empty handed" anymore--so don't let that bother you.
2007-10-26 15:00:19 · answer #3 · answered by basketcase88 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Where I'm from, EVERYONE brings the gifts to the reception! The only time someone wouldn't is if they weren't attending the wedding, and then they would ship it.
For our wedding, several gifts were brought to my mom's home - one was a large, framed picture, done by the artist; the other a handmade quilt, which the family just brought to the gift opening the next day.
2007-10-27 01:53:23 · answer #4 · answered by Lydia 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Don't worry about it. Every wedding reception venue has a "gift table."
For many years wedding gifts were sent to the Bride's home before the wedding but times have changed.
Gift tables are there because many people prefer taking their gift to the wedding instead of having it sent. You will see people carrying in gift envelopes and you will see people carrying in wrapped gifts with big, fancy bows.
Answered by: A Certified wedding specialist / A Professional bridal consulant / A Wedding ceremony officiant
2007-10-26 13:02:48 · answer #5 · answered by Avis B 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It's not tacky to show up with a gift to the wedding, but don't listen to the people who tell you that you shouldn't ship it. Many people prefer to get the gift at their home, as opposed to getting it a the wedding, and then having to worry about how to get it home after the party.
Depending on the registry, many times you won't have to pay for shipping if the store ships it for you. But if you already have it, you can give it to them any time. You actually have up to a year to give a wedding gift.
2007-10-26 12:52:33 · answer #6 · answered by firebetty74 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋
You should ship your gift if:
1. It's too big to take on the plane or something like that
2. It is very fragile and breakable
3. It is bigger than say a breadbox and would pose a hassle for the couple in terms of transporting it from the reception home with all the other gifts.
2007-10-26 13:17:09 · answer #7 · answered by pspoptart 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Many people bring their gifts to the wedding reception. In most weddings, there is a table especially for this purpose. Just make sure you have enclosed a card or tag so that the couple will know who gave them the gift.
Having items shipped is of course convenient--especially for large items or if you have to travel far.
2007-10-26 12:55:11 · answer #8 · answered by Benji's Mommy 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Either way it's not a big deal. A lot of people ship gifts nowadays (whether they are local or not). However, you won't be the only one bringing a gift. If it's not too late, wrap it and ship it yourself (one less thing to pack!)
The couple is going to be too busy to know who brought gifts anyway. They'll relegate someone to pack up the gift table and likely open them after their honeymoon.
Totally not worth losing sleep over!!
2007-10-26 13:13:31 · answer #9 · answered by eli_star 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
a present for the bridal bathe is needed. even in spite of the incontrovertible fact that, whilst receiving a marriage invitation, it rather is no longer carved in stone that every person has to hold yet another, extra formal present; yet, maximum folk do. you're visitors of the bride and groom and hence are actually not envisioned to hold a present to the marriage. many human beings get this incorrect and positioned registries in wedding ceremony invites, this may well be a good sized breach of appropriate wedding ceremony etiquette. Registries bypass in bathe invites in simple terms. After having reported this, the weddings I attend are in many situations kin or very close acquaintances and it quite is my own prefer to grant a bathtub present and a marriage present. in case you do no longer prefer to purchase 2 presents this is totally as much as you.
2016-12-18 18:10:29 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋