Manners Matter: Wedding Gift Etiquette

Dear Mary Pat,

I’ve been asked to seven different weddings this summer. Two of the seven are for the reception only. I’m just wondering what the etiquette is for gift giving for the reception-only weddings. One I will be attending and the other one is on the same day as a wedding of a closer friend. I usually have a good idea of what to give, but this is the first time I’ve been invited to the reception only.

Signed,

Guessing at Gifting

Egg Harbor, Wis.

Dear Guessing at Gifting,

When giving a wedding gift, you need to consider two very important things:

1) Your budget. As in what you can genuinely afford. In your case, you have seven wedding gifts to give so it might be a good idea to plan out all the gifts at once, including shower gifts.

2) How close you are to the couple getting married.

If you are invited to just the reception, the couple has perhaps opted for a more intimate ceremony in a smaller church or venue, or perhaps you might not know them as well or the couple is staying within a certain budget. You just have to decide how close you are to the bride and groom and pick out a gift accordingly. If there isn’t anything on their registry left or within your price range, you can still review their registry to get a better feel for their tastes. Leave the type of invite you received out of your decision. Select a thoughtful gift that you think the couple would like and spend what you feel comfortable spending.

Good luck,

Mary Pat