A general rule of thumb is to spend about 20 percent of your total gift budget on something for the shower and save the bigger spending for a wedding gift. Regardless of suggestions, your personal budget is always the deciding factor. Others put the numbers somewhere between $25 and $75. $75 to $150 for close friends and family members.$75 to $100 for friends, co-workers and extended family members.$50 for acquaintances and regular guests.Some guides break the numbers down by your relationship to the bride and suggest: Opinions differ regarding how much you should spend on a shower gift. With few exceptions, the purpose of the party is to help the bride get ready for the next phase of her life by giving practical gifts she and her groom-to-be can use to set up their home. Usually thrown by the maid of honor or the bridesmaids, the bridal shower occurs at least a month before the wedding date. Couples who do receive gifts should express thanks with notes or cards as soon as possible. You shouldn’t feel obligated to spend more on top of expenses related to the wedding. If this is the case, respect their wishes and come simply to celebrate their happiness. For couples who enjoy trying new things together, consider giving a certificate for a couple’s class in cooking, fitness or any other activity in which they’ve expressed interest.Īlthough tradition has evolved to make engagement parties another potential occasion for gift-giving, some couples specifically request their engagement party guests not bring gifts. Appropriate gifts include:Ĭash is also an acceptable engagement gift, or you can give the couple something useful to help plan their wedding. Best Gifts for Engagement Partiesīecause the happy couple is about to be inundated with gifts from shower and wedding guests, simple is best for celebrating their engagement. Fragile items should be shipped directly to the couple instead. Present the gift at the engagement party unless it’s something you’re afraid will get damaged. The closer you are to the bride and groom, the better idea it is to bring a gift. Budget about one-quarter to one-third of what you expect to spend on the main wedding gift, or go by the rule of spending 20 percent of your total gift budget. If you do want to give something, it’s okay to keep it small. Between the upcoming bridal shower or wedding shower and the wedding itself, it’s understandable everyone’s budgets are going to be stretched a bit thin. In general, couples shouldn’t expect engagement party guests to bring gifts. Meant to celebrate the happy couple’s future union, the party is held shortly after the announcement of the engagement and may include only guests who will be invited to the wedding or a broader group of friends, family members, acquaintances and co-workers. The first of several celebrations, the engagement party is usually planned and hosted by the bride’s parents, but just about anyone close to the bride or groom may take the initiative. This guide will help you get an idea of the basic rules regarding gifting for pre-wedding celebrations and the big day. Regional customs also affect the etiquette surrounding gifts. Some wedding gift-giving customs are no longer thought of as taboo, and others are changing as more couples choose to get married later in life. For guests, one of the biggest struggles is budgeting for expenses related to attending the wedding and still having enough left over for gifts. Brides wrestle with the ins and outs of building a registry and the problem of where and how to let guests know about the finished “wish list” without appearing tacky. These questions can be just as confusing for brides as for guests, especially when it comes to giving gifts to the bridal party. When should you send or present the gift?.Do you have to give a gift if you’re in the wedding party?.Do you have to get a gift for every celebration surrounding the wedding?.After the initial excitement of receiving an invitation has passed, it’s hard not to start wondering about a million little details like: Presenting a happy couple with an appropriate gift should be a straightforward process, but the etiquette surrounding this practice can be surprisingly complex. With everything else you have to consider after receiving a wedding invitation, the last thing you need is added stress over budgeting for, choosing and giving a gift. Tradition has created a laundry list of protocols and unwritten rules about weddings, especially when it comes to giving gifts.
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