6/23/03 Dear Abby

[PM_Mama00]

Originally posted by Kevlar281
I’ve been to a lot of traditional Italian weddings where money is given but it isn’t to pay for the wedding; it’s to help the new couple start their life. It’s a tradition, not everyone does it but a lot of my family still does; my mother gives a gift but my dad gives money so it’s sort of a double whammy. However if we received an invite like this demanding a certain increment I know we wouldn’t be attending.

The only time I've ever seen people give gifts at a wedding are when they are "American" (to Italians, that would be non-Italians). Personally I'd rather get money at my wedding (for the reason stated above) instead of another gift. Think of it this way... the bride more than likely had a wedding shower. The shower is for the gift-giving. If I had a bunch of presents to haul home after my wedding (which will prolly just be repeats of what I got at my shower) I'd be pretty pissy!