Destination and OOT brides..question!

[luckystar112]

I''ve been thinking about it....and I think I have a couple of dillemnas!

The first is in regards to presents. Did guests bring them to where you were, or did they mail them to your house?
It makes sense to mail them to the house, but I''m sort of afraid of that option! For one, our mailman and ups always put the packages outside our front door (even if I''m home and there is a note on the door that says "please knock".

) I''m scared of the thought of being away from home for two weeks (getting married and HM) and the gifts just being left outside. They could be rained on, damaged, STOLEN....
But mailing them would probably be extremely expensive. Is there a 3rd option?

The other thing is, the top of the wedding cake! Since we will be going on our HM right after, it''s not like we can take it with us. Should be we just get rid of it...or should we have one of FI''s relatives keep it for us? If the latter, is it something that can be mailed?

Thanks for any help!!

 

[Harleigh]

Date: 9/26/2007 11:14:03 PM
Author:luckystar112
I''ve been thinking about it....and I think I have a couple of dillemnas!

The first is in regards to presents. Did guests bring them to where you were, or did they mail them to your house?
It makes sense to mail them to the house, but I''m sort of afraid of that option! For one, our mailman and ups always put the packages outside our front door (even if I''m home and there is a note on the door that says ''please knock''.

) I''m scared of the thought of being away from home for two weeks (getting married and HM) and the gifts just being left outside. They could be rained on, damaged, STOLEN....
But mailing them would probably be extremely expensive. Is there a 3rd option?

The other thing is, the top of the wedding cake! Since we will be going on our HM right after, it''s not like we can take it with us. Should be we just get rid of it...or should we have one of FI''s relatives keep it for us? If the latter, is it something that can be mailed?

Thanks for any help!!

Hi lucky!

I haven''t had mine yet, but people I know who have had their weddings away from home usually got most of their gifts long before the wedding. However, I think you have a few options...

1) Have the Post Office hold your mail...you can do this online at www.usps.com. They will hold your mail as long as you like and then you can go pick it up when you return.

2) As for UPS packages, do you have any neighbors you trust to check your porch each day, or at least every other day? When I''m expecting a package and am going to be gone to FI''s for the weekend, I just ask them to keep their eye out for me and ask if they wouldn''t mind holding onto it for me.

3) Since some packages may require a signature, you might consider contacting UPS and asking their procedure for things like this. I would be cautious what you tell them until you find out if you can even do so before alerting some of their workers that you will be out of town from now till then, etc...

4) PRAY FOR GIFT CARDS OR MONEY!??!

Well, it sounds good to me!

As for the top of the cake, I would try to send it AND your wedding dress with a friend or relative before you leave on your honeymoon. Some of my friends have already been assigned the task of helping cart all of the welcome bag stuff to HI as well as bring my dress home, etc... My brother never packs much, so I figure I can send him home with anything I don''t need on the honeymoon and then he will just hang on to the stuff until we return home.

I hope that helps!

 

[luckystar112]

I seriously never thought of sending the cake back home with one of my guests. Brilliant!!!
The neighbor thing too...also brilliant!!

I really hate getting packages in the mail though.

Our mailman just doesn''t have a clue. I once watched him DROP a package in front of my door....it had fragile written all over it, and it was insured up the ying-yang. It was my grandmothers china from the 40s!

Broken, of course.
We never got the insurance money for it either because they wanted a bunch of proof of its worth and we just didn''t have it.
So, I''m nervous about china and other fragile items being sent here. hmmph.

 

[Harleigh]

Hi again,

Just so you know, if you put a HOLD on your mail through the USPS, the mail carrier won''t touch anything you receive. In fact, unless you are expecting something important right before you leave, I would stop the mail the day before you take off so that you can be sure nothing is coming and the HOLD went through.

However, I have one of those community boxes that requires a key to access it. My mail carrier just starts putting my mail into one of the larger bottom boxes (usually for packages) and leaves the key for it in my box. I usually hold the mail longer than necessary, but I also check "Have mail carrier deliver on such and such day" so that is why he puts it in the box...it''s so much fun to come home and get my mail after being away! (I know, I need to get a life!)

When I have expected a large package or know there is or might be something I need to sign for, I do check the "HOLD at the PO, customer will pick up accumuted mail" and this will ensure that nothing is returned to the sender. If you get back early or late, you know it will be there, but I recommend you set the stop date for at least 1-2 days after your planned return in case your flight gets delayed, etc...

So sorry to hear about your grandma''s china...same thing happened with us when we tried to send home some china and Precious Moments figurines from WI after my grandma passed away last year. Only 1 piece, the grandmother figurine, made it through. It broke my heart when I opened that box...I didn''t know you could feel that devastated over THINGS, but those "things" were all I had left of her.

So, whattya say we put a hit out on our mail carriers???

I wonder how they would feel if it were THEIR fragile items being tossed around???

 

[OUpearlgirl]

It''s actually supposedly bad manners to bring a present to the actual wedding. (I know, I know.. everyone does it!) But if anyone was raised by a mother like mine, they would be sending it to your house regardless of where the wedding is.

 

[luckystar112]

Date: 9/27/2007 12:15:57 AM
Author: OUpeargirl
It''s actually supposedly bad manners to bring a present to the actual wedding. (I know, I know.. everyone does it!) But if anyone was raised by a mother like mine, they would be sending it to your house regardless of where the wedding is.

Really? Wow, I didn''t know that.

 

[zoebartlett]

I usually give cash or a check as a wedding gift, but if I do get an actual gift, I try to send it to the couple ahead of time. That way, the gift is already safely in the couple''s house and it''s at least one less gift the couple (or designated family member/friend)has to worry about packing up after the wedding.

 

[sumbride]

My mother also raised me not to deliver the presents to the wedding!

I just called our UPS distribution center and they were able to place a hold on delivery to my address for the length of time I specified and will begin delivery when I return. Fedex said "huh? No, no... we can''t do that." Guess who just made me a customer for life? I''m so peeved at Fedex right now!

Definitely hold your mail and ask your neighbors to check for packages... but call UPS as well because they will be able to hold your packages for you.