Wedding Tips + Tricks | Wedding Gift Etiquette

Today I received a great question from one of our brides asking whether it's okay to open wedding presents that arrive before their wedding.

That's a great question!

"Traditional Wedding Etiquette" has couples wait until after their wedding to open gifts and sometimes in front of family at a post-wedding brunch. My thoughts and modern wedding etiquette states that couples should open their wedding gifts as they arrive and to send thank you notes right away. The reasoning for this is two-fold. First, it lets your guests know that you received their gift and you are "thanking" them for their generosity. Secondly, it gives you a jump start on your thank you notes.

However, I do agree with traditional wedding gift etiquette that states you do not use the gift until you after you are married as the gift is intended for your life as a married couple.

All thank you notes should be written within three months of when you receive the gift. (Ideally, a response should be written on the day you receive the wedding gift)

Emily Post's Do and Dont's of Thank You Notes 

• Do personalize your notes and make reference to the person as well as the gift.

• Do remember that a gift should be acknowledged with the same courtesy and generous spirit in which it was given.

• Do be enthusiastic, but don’t gush. Avoid saying a gift is the most beautiful thing you have ever seen unless you really mean it.

• Don’t send form letters or cards with printed messages and just your signature; don’t use email or post a generic thank you on your wedding web site in lieu of a personal note.

• Do promptly acknowledge the receipt of shipped gifts by sending a note right away or calling and following up with a written note in a day or two.

• Don’t mention that you plan to return a gift or that you are dissatisfied in any way.

• Don’t tailor your note to the perceived value of the gift; no one should receive a perfunctory note.

• Do refer to the way you will use a gift of money. Mentioning the amount is optional.

• Don’t include wedding photos or use photo cards if it will delay sending the note.

• Don’t use being late as an excuse not to write. Even if you are still sending notes after your first anniversary, keep writing!

Wedding Tips + Tricks | Tackling the Wedding Registry

One of the funniest aspects of preparing for your wedding is the creating the wedding registry. This can be a great bonding time with you and you fiance finding the best products to compliment your home and to start off your married life together. For men, its the power of the registry scanner and for women its picking out your own gifts. The key to a successful registry experience is to register together since this is for the both of you; and to make a whole day out of it by going out to lunch or dinner afterward. Remember the process can take anymore from one to three hours so make sure that you are not under any time constraints.

Here are some helpful hints for registering:

1. Determine what store(s) you want to register at and what are your needs for the household. Make sure that you register at stores you frequent and if you are going to register for a speciality store make sure that you register for a nationwide department store to accommodate all of your guests.

2. Register in person rather than online. This is best since you can touch and feel out the products and then after completing your registry you can always go online to change or add a product.

3. Register for items to fit every kind of budget. With the current state of our economy make sure to register for a wide variety of products with price points. But don't shy away from registering for big ticket items such as a luggage set since a new trend is for wedding guests to pool their money to purchase one large gift.

4. Do your research on household products. Before you register figure out what your needs are. Don't register for something just to register. Stick to one brand for linens, towels, stemware, luggage and china. This will avoid receiving several items from different product lines.

5. Before your wedding, find a reliable friend or family member to gather all of your gifts at the church and/or reception venue to bring to your residence.

Wedding Gift Etiquette

Today I received a great question from one of my August brides asking whether it's okay to open wedding presents that arrive before their wedding.

That's a great question!

"Traditional Wedding Etiquette" has couples wait until after their wedding to open gifts and sometimes in front of family at a post-wedding brunch. My thoughts and modern wedding etiquette states that couples should open their wedding gifts as they arrive and to send thank you notes right away. The reasoning for this is two-fold. First, it lets your guests know that you received their gift and you are "thanking" them for their generosity. Secondly, it gives you a jump start on your thank you notes.

However, I do agree with traditional wedding gift etiquette that states you do not use the gift until you after you are married as the gift is intended for your life as a married couple.

All thank you notes should be written within three months of when you receive the gift. (Ideally, a response should be written on the day you receive the wedding gift)

Emily Post's Do and Dont's of Thank You Notes 

• Do personalize your notes and make reference to the person as well as the gift.


• Do remember that a gift should be acknowledged with the same courtesy and generous spirit in which it was given.


• Do be enthusiastic, but don’t gush. Avoid saying a gift is the most beautiful thing you have ever seen unless you really mean it. 


• Don’t send form letters or cards with printed messages and just your signature; don’t use email or post a generic thank you on your wedding web site in lieu of a personal note.


• Do promptly acknowledge the receipt of shipped gifts by sending a note right away or calling and following up with a written note in a day or two.


• Don’t mention that you plan to return a gift or that you are dissatisfied in any way.


• Don’t tailor your note to the perceived value of the gift; no one should receive a perfunctory note.


• Do refer to the way you will use a gift of money. Mentioning the amount is optional.


• Don’t include wedding photos or use photo cards if it will delay sending the note. 


• Don’t use being late as an excuse not to write. Even if you are still sending notes after your first anniversary, keep writing!