So, you’ve set the date and booked the venue, now all you need to take of are the invitations, choosing a wedding dress, hiring wedding transportation, a florist and a make-up artist, choosing a honeymoon destination, creating a gift list, and… wait a minute….gift list? Many members of your friends and family will want to bring a gift to your wedding, and a gift list is a great way of making sure you don’t receive 3 toasters and 19 photo frames. If however you already live together and would rather have money than presents you don’t really want, how do you ask politely?
No one is expected to bring a present to a wedding, but it is tradition, and people will most certainly ask about the gift list if it isn’t mentioned somewhere on the invite. If you as a couple have decided that you do not want a gift list and would rather have money to put towards something else, then its best just to be honest. Your friends and family will know you both as a couple and will also know your lifestyle, so there is nothing to be embarrassed about.
It is more common than you think for couples to ask for money instead of having a gift list. A lot of expense occurs when planning a wedding and sometimes a couple can’t afford a big honeymoon – so money in this instance is a great idea. Also if you are thinking of re-furbishing, money can be put towards a new bedroom, living room or kitchen.
So the question I bet you are all asking now is….how do we actually ask? You can be frank and up front and say something on the invitation along the lines of…. “As you already know, Sarah and Jack already live together and are in no way asking for any gifts, but if you would like to donate money towards their new kitchen there will be a post box at the reception for cards”. Alternatively you could say something along the lines of: “Rather than having a gift list, Sarah and Jack are saving up to go on a once in a life time honeymoon. Please do not feel obliged in any way, but if you would like to contribute towards their honeymoon fund then please follow the directions enclosed.” A lot of travel company’s can create a booking for you and give you a reference number which you can then pass on to your guests. The guests can then call the agent, quote the booking reference, and then contribute some money towards the balance of the trip. Another option could be to ask for vouchers. Companies like Argos, 1bigpresent.com, and any major department store specialise in gift vouchers and that way you can still get what you really want as gifts, rather than things you might already have.
Top tips from hitched.co.uk
– Be organised and have your gift list option planned before you send out your invites
– Be prepared and have a wedding post box at the reception so that you don’t have a lot of envelopes to take care of.
– If you asked for money, make sure you mention what you spent/ plan to spend the money on in your thank you notes after the wedding.
Follow hitched.co.uk
Join us on Facebook
