Wedding Invitation Etiquette Question

[KSUViolet06]

Originally Posted by ZTABullwinkle

Thank you. I was wondering about that. I didn't notice the price tags at first, but my mom sure did when we taking the gifts out to the car.

Oh TEH TACKY.

[ZTAMich]

Originally Posted by ZTABullwinkle

Almost all of my gifts have not had a ribbon, so I have a pretty small rehearsal bouquet. I noticed that many of my gifts came with the price tag still attached! (Including a card I got yesterday.) My mom always taught me to remove pricetags from gifts before wrapping (there is a running joke at Christmas as to whose gift will have a tag attached). Is this the norm nowadays?

I think my mom told me once about a superstition that for every ribbon you break at your shower you'll have a baby! So perhaps they are saving you with not that much ribbon
One of my OOT friends brought us a gift to the wedding. It was in a gift bag along with the entire registry print out and a card she had forgotten to sign. Oh and with the receipt. Thank goodness THAT was in there or I never would have known who gave the gift!

[AGDee]

At showers around here, the bride opens every gift in front of the whole group and announces who it is from so I don't see how the "sip and see" would be any more/less embarrassing or tacky than that. Either way, everybody knows who gave what. Gifts of money are also common and the bride generally opens the card, says "A gift of money from... " but doesn't say that amount. It seems to me that a sip and see would save the guests from a couple hours of "And this toaster is from my neighbor's great aunt's boss" that we have to endure. I kind of like the idea.

It's also fairly common to receive duplicate gifts so including a gift receipt and leaving the price tag on could ease the hassle of returning all those dupes. Some price tags are difficult to remove without destroying the packaging of the item. After all, the bride registered for most of the stuff, she knows how much it cost.

My family abandoned the broken ribbon tradition but did make the paper plate bouquet. The opening of gifts was usually done in a production line at the head table so things were all unwrapped by the time the bride got it. She just had to say what it was and who it was from.

This is a hijack, but I find it exceptionally funny at baby showers when the mom-to-be doesn't know what an item is and has to ask someone.

[aephi alum]

Originally Posted by ZTAMich

I think my mom told me once about a superstition that for every ribbon you break at your shower you'll have a baby! So perhaps they are saving you with not that much ribbon

This is why I was very, very careful unwrapping our engagement party gifts... much to my mother-in-law's disappointment

Originally Posted by AGDee

This is a hijack, but I find it exceptionally funny at baby showers when the mom-to-be doesn't know what an item is and has to ask someone.

Tell me about it! I attended a baby shower a while ago where mom-to-be didn't know what several of the items were. "Is this a onesie?" The kicker: She's a pediatrician!

[XOMichelle]

My roommate was invited to a wedding where the bride and groom asked people to buy them things for a trip around the world. I'm not entirely sure how they worked out the logistics, but their guests got them hotel rooms, dinners at restaurants, and other things for their trip.

Sounds way cooler to me than dishes!

[PeppyGPhiB]

Originally Posted by XOMichelle

My roommate was invited to a wedding where the bride and groom asked people to buy them things for a trip around the world. I'm not entirely sure how they worked out the logistics, but their guests got them hotel rooms, dinners at restaurants, and other things for their trip.

Sounds way cooler to me than dishes!

There ARE honeymoon registries nowadays, but that isn't my style. Registries were established to set up a couple's household. And I will get VERY excited about china when the time comes!

[KSigkid]

Originally Posted by XOMichelle

My roommate was invited to a wedding where the bride and groom asked people to buy them things for a trip around the world. I'm not entirely sure how they worked out the logistics, but their guests got them hotel rooms, dinners at restaurants, and other things for their trip.

Sounds way cooler to me than dishes!

We've been to a couple of weddings where people had honeymoon registries. It seemed like a neat idea, for people to be able to craft their registries around what they like. It also seems like a good idea for people who already have a lot of the home stuff (appliances, dishes, flatware, etc.).

We have three weddings next year (two with college friends and one with a family member), and I would be a little surprised if at least one didn't have some sort of honeymoon registry.

[KSUViolet06]

I think the thing I've heard of that took the cake in terms of registries would be the HOME BUYING REGISTRY. The couple sets up a bank account and asks guests to contribute $$ to it in lieu of gifts, which will go toward the purchase of their new home.

http://www.bridaldownpayment.com/index.html#overview

I opened an invite that had a card from one of these places, and did a double take. I had never seen or heard of anything like this before.

[RaggedyAnn]

Originally Posted by KSUViolet06

I think the thing I've heard of that took the cake in terms of registries would be the HOME BUYING REGISTRY. The couple sets up a bank account and asks guests to contribute $$ to it in lieu of gifts, which will go toward the purchase of their new home.

http://www.bridaldownpayment.com/index.html#overview

I opened an invite that had a card from one of these places, and did a double take. I had never seen or heard of anything like this before.

It sounds strange, but I like that idea better than a green back. We actually let everyone know who gave us cash at our wedding that their gift would be used toward the downpayment of a home.

[OneTimeSBX]

Originally Posted by RaggedyAnn

It sounds strange, but I like that idea better than a green back. We actually let everyone know who gave us cash at our wedding that their gift would be used toward the downpayment of a home.

i am just always so nervous about who you turn off when you steer from the norm, you know? some people think registries are pushy, others think money is rude...not that im would get married for the gifts lol, but traditions are traditions for some people! i would love money towards a house, but wouldnt DARE imply that, because our families are extra old-school and would probably opt to skip the gift altogether!

[honeychile]

Originally Posted by KSUViolet06

I think the thing I've heard of that took the cake in terms of registries would be the HOME BUYING REGISTRY. The couple sets up a bank account and asks guests to contribute $$ to it in lieu of gifts, which will go toward the purchase of their new home.

http://www.bridaldownpayment.com/index.html#overview

I opened an invite that had a card from one of these places, and did a double take. I had never seen or heard of anything like this before.

If I got an invitation with that in it, the bridal couple would receive an etiquette book from me!

As wonderful as getting wedding presents is, wedding guests bring them in celebration of a wedding, not to be fleeced. If you really want a house, cut back on the wedding frills.

[KSUViolet06]

Originally Posted by honeychile

If you really want a house, cut back on the wedding frills.

See that's what I was thinking too. As a guest, I have no problem with contributing registry items to help you furnish your home and such. I do have a problem with helping you pay for THE HOME ITSELF. If you need a registry to buy a home, you don't need a wedding.