Was Anyone Surprised By Some Of Their Wedding Gifts?

[iheartscience]

If so, please explain what gift it was and why you were surprised, whether it was good or bad. I''m getting everything together to start my thank you notes so I was checking out all my gifts again tonight. I''ll start it off:

Good surprise: so many people were SO generous with their gifts. And I got some really special gifts. A friend of the family who is an artist gave us a gorgeous handblown vase he made just for us. And another friend made me an awesome glass bowl. Plus some of the checks we got kind of blew my mind!

Not so good surprises: I didn''t even get a card from a few people who I''m really, really close to. Of course I didn''t expect everyone to get us gifts, but I was kind of disappointed in a few friends. Honestly, I would never not give a good friend at least a small gift, if not a card!

 

[ficklefaye]

is it possible that the card got misplaced? i remember after my sisters'' weddings, there were lots of items to move around

i haven''t received any wedding presents yet, but my sister received a regifted can opener and it was broken

 

[wannaBMrsH]

We are not registered anywhere and had my bridal shower last weekend. I specifically said that their presence was gift enough, but I still received some very generous gifts and they were FANTASTIC! I would never have thought of registering for them anyhow, so I am so glad that I didn''t!

Favorites:

-2 First Class tickets anywhere American Airlines flies and 1,000,000 miles (from his parents, his dad has so many miles it''s insane! He bought the airline tickets for our wedding for them, FBIL/date, FSIL/daughter using only his miles)
-Glass Party Bowl with stainless steel lid and spout (the kind you can put punch, sangria or mimosas in!) from Pottery Barn
-Fully electric wine bottle opener (the kind that you only push a button and it extracts the cork)
-Complete monogrammed bath towel set (from a group of friends)
-A Blue Wedding Shoe Bag with Lavendar satchels (the bag has a pair of lovebirds on it!)
-An oversize black mirror
-A white porcelain beverage tub
-A complete set of Samsonite Luggage with our monogram (from my parents)

Not So Favorite, but had a gift receipt and I already exchanged for awesome stuff:

-Rooster measuring cups = stainless steel measuring cups
-Ugly puke yellow kitchen towels = gorgeous khaki kitchen towels
-Not so bad, but nothing matched cut crystal goblets = rocking wine glasses

I was so surprised to see that so many people brought gifts. I was so touched because I really wasn''t expecting anything! And then, everyone was so generous, I am completely overwhelmed!

 

[iheartscience]

Date: 7/23/2009 7:14:04 PM
Author: ficklefaye
is it possible that the card got misplaced? i remember after my sisters'' weddings, there were lots of items to move around

i haven''t received any wedding presents yet, but my sister received a regifted can opener and it was broken

Hahaha a broken regifted can opener is harsh!

I don''t think the cards got lost...oh well! It''s totally not a huge deal but I was just a teensy bit hurt.

But really, truly, more than anything I was surprised and overwhelmed by everyone''s generosity! We got some awesome stuff and some really touching cards. And we had SO MUCH FUN!

 

[iheartscience]

Date: 7/23/2009 8:10:17 PM
Author: wannaBMrsH
We are not registered anywhere and had my bridal shower last weekend. I specifically said that their presence was gift enough, but I still received some very generous gifts and they were FANTASTIC! I would never have thought of registering for them anyhow, so I am so glad that I didn''t!

Favorites:

-2 First Class tickets anywhere American Airlines flies and 1,000,000 miles (from his parents, his dad has so many miles it''s insane! He bought the airline tickets for our wedding for them, FBIL/date, FSIL/daughter using only his miles)
-Glass Party Bowl with stainless steel lid and spout (the kind you can put punch, sangria or mimosas in!) from Pottery Barn
-Fully electric wine bottle opener (the kind that you only push a button and it extracts the cork)
-Complete monogrammed bath towel set (from a group of friends)
-A Blue Wedding Shoe Bag with Lavendar satchels (the bag has a pair of lovebirds on it!)
-An oversize black mirror
-A white porcelain beverage tub
-A complete set of Samsonite Luggage with our monogram (from my parents)

Not So Favorite, but had a gift receipt and I already exchanged for awesome stuff:

-Rooster measuring cups = stainless steel measuring cups
-Ugly puke yellow kitchen towels = gorgeous khaki kitchen towels
-Not so bad, but nothing matched cut crystal goblets = rocking wine glasses

I was so surprised to see that so many people brought gifts. I was so touched because I really wasn''t expecting anything! And then, everyone was so generous, I am completely overwhelmed!

Wow, you got some great stuff! And I love your conversions!

That was actually another surprise-there''s really only one thing I want to exchange. Pretty much all the stuff we got that we didn''t register for was great! Honestly, I got a tiny bit more excited for the stuff I didn''t register for than for the stuff I did register for! Is that wrong?

 

[musey]

Date: 7/23/2009 7:01:50 PM
Author:thing2of2

Not so good surprises: I didn't even get a card from a few people who I'm really, really close to. Of course I didn't expect everyone to get us gifts, but I was kind of disappointed in a few friends. Honestly, I would never not give a good friend at least a small gift, if not a card!

Date: 7/23/2009 7:14:04 PM
Author: ficklefaye
is it possible that the card got misplaced? i remember after my sisters' weddings, there were lots of items to move around

I had a bunch of close friends (the only friends we invited are very close ones) who did not give cards or anything, some of them attended and some of them didn't. I'd say about 1/3 of our guests did not give any gift at all, including cards. Probably just a cultural thing. Interestingly, the only people who didn't gift at all are all from California, born and raised. Probably just a coincidence, but it was a funny one to notice. Though we did also notice that of those who gave gifts, the east-coasters gifted the most by far - at least double the average west-coasters' gift.

Ordinarily I wouldn't even think to keep track of who gave me/us a gift and how much it was worth (!), but I kept a spreadsheet for my thank-you-note-writing-sanity, so the trends came out there.


Anyway... most surprising gift came from one of our good friends who traveled in from New York. We had a porcelain soup ladle on our registry, so she bought that for us and also chose some of-registry items inspired by the ladle, including a set of footed soup bowls and a soup cook book. I thought it was such a cute idea, and so sweet of her to combine on- and off-registry selections to make up a gift that she was excited about. We also use those soup bowls more than any other tableware item - including the bowls we registered for!!

We also got a Swedish cook book from my parents' Swedish neighbor (not invited and not all that close of a friend, so it was unexpected and so darn SWEET of her!).

 

[musey]

Date: 7/23/2009 9:07:44 PM
Author: thing2of2
Honestly, I got a tiny bit more excited for the stuff I didn''t register for than for the stuff I did register for! Is that wrong?

Not at all - it''s more exciting because it''s a SURPRISE!

 

[miraclesrule]

Practically noting surprises me these days. In fact, I look forward to something that actually does...for better or for worse.

P.s. That is way I am "sort of" glad my daughter isn''t finding out the gender of my grandchild...even though it is "sort of " driving me a little crazy.


Just have fun opening all those gifts.

 

[iheartscience]

Date: 7/23/2009 9:17:35 PM
Author: musey
Date: 7/23/2009 7:01:50 PM

I had a bunch of close friends (the only friends we invited are very close ones) who did not give cards or anything, some of them attended and some of them didn't. I'd say about 1/3 of our guests did not give any gift at all, including cards. Probably just a cultural thing. Interestingly, the only people who didn't gift at all are all from California, born and raised. Probably just a coincidence, but it was a funny one to notice. Though we did also notice that of those who gave gifts, the east-coasters gifted the most by far - at least double the average west-coasters' gift.

Ordinarily I wouldn't even think to keep track of who gave me/us a gift and how much it was worth (!), but I kept a spreadsheet for my thank-you-note-writing-sanity, so the trends came out there.

Anyway... most surprising gift came from one of our good friends who traveled in from New York. We had a porcelain soup ladle on our registry, so she bought that for us and also chose some of-registry items inspired by the ladle, including a set of footed soup bowls and a soup cook book. I thought it was such a cute idea, and so sweet of her to combine on- and off-registry selections to make up a gift that she was excited about. We also use those soup bowls more than any other tableware item - including the bowls we registered for!!

We also got a Swedish cook book from my parents' Swedish neighbor (not invited and not all that close of a friend, so it was unexpected and so darn SWEET of her!).

Hahaha interesting trend, musey! I will say that my mom's family (most live in the Boston-area) gave us the most by far, too! Definitely a cultural thing, I think. And ditto the bolded part-I'm spreadsheeting it out for the thank you notes, too, or else I probably wouldn't have even noticed.

 

[MakingTheGrade]

Definitely surprised! The most surprising was a giftcard of 500$ from a couple whose names I didn''t even recognize. Turned out to be my parents friends (and once my parents described them, I totally remembered who they were, I just don''t hear their names often). But my family and their friends have been incredibly generous with the gifts (almost ridiculously so. They bought out our entire registry a month before our wedding, so now his side is kind of on their own I guess).

 

[VRBeauty]

Date: 7/23/2009 7:01:50 PM
Author:thing2of2

Not so good surprises: I didn't even get a card from a few people who I'm really, really close to. Of course I didn't expect everyone to get us gifts, but I was kind of disappointed in a few friends. Honestly, I would never not give a good friend at least a small gift, if not a card!

Thing -- you only just got married! Right or wrong, there is the belief out there that you have six months (give or take) to send a wedding gift, and some people will take most if not all of that time!

As a sometimes procrastinator, I used to be one of them... that is, I used to be one of them until I waited two or three months to put together the perfect gift, and then found out that the happy couple had separated before my perfect gift reached them!

 

[Gypsy]

Same experience as you Thing2.

Most were so generous. We didn't get anything really 'personal'... well, we got one thing, but it was a little sad cause it just demonstrated that the person (who is very close to us) doesn't know us at all. And they spent (I kid you not) 100 dollars on custom silk wrapping for it (

). And then from a few people that REALLY surprised us, not even a card.

And I'm not complaining at all. But if I'm invited to a wedding, PARTICULARLY if I RSVP that I am a "yes" or a "maybe" I always send a gift. But we had people who RSVPed yes or maybe... left us hanging or were no shows, and again... not even a card. Dunno.

And we had a smaller wedding. We didn't do "I'm inviting everyone and their dog" for gifts.

 

[OUpearlgirl]

Thing2, I never bring a present to a wedding. My Momma always told me not to!

According to the old, old rules of etiquette, guests have up to a year to give you a gift! I''m sure you''ll be getting a few more gifts as the weeks go by!

 

[violet02]

I had the same situation.

Some close friends, not even a card.

Best and most suprising gift was a free RT plane ticket to Europe from some friends of my dad''s that I invited because he asked me to and I like them as well of course but they live in Richmond, VA and we live in CA so I''m not particularly close with them. That allowed us to be able to visit two countries on our honeymoon! (France and Greece)

 

[bee*]

We received so many generous gifts-mainly cash as is the done thing over here, but also some beautiful waterford crystal glasses, two weekend trips away and a trip to New York with spending money. Very generous!!

We were a bit hurt by one or two people who didn''t bring cards. We didn''t get gifts off some people, but we would have loved to have gotten a card.

 

[iheartscience]

Date: 7/24/2009 12:07:14 AM
Author: VRBeauty

Date: 7/23/2009 7:01:50 PM

Author:thing2of2

Not so good surprises: I didn''t even get a card from a few people who I''m really, really close to. Of course I didn''t expect everyone to get us gifts, but I was kind of disappointed in a few friends. Honestly, I would never not give a good friend at least a small gift, if not a card!

Thing -- you only just got married! Right or wrong, there is the belief out there that you have six months (give or take) to send a wedding gift, and some people will take most if not all of that time!

As a sometimes procrastinator, I used to be one of them... that is, I used to be one of them until I waited two or three months to put together the perfect gift, and then found out that the happy couple had separated before my perfect gift reached them!

Very true, maybe they''ll surprise me yet. But I''m really not worried about it-I just had a smidge of disappointment/hurt feelings when I realized. Everyone''s generosity really overrides any of that, though!

And that is hilarious/sad about your perfect gift!

 

[ts44]

Date: 7/24/2009 1:51:45 AM
Author: OUpeargirl
Thing2, I never bring a present to a wedding. My Momma always told me not to!

According to the old, old rules of etiquette, guests have up to a year to give you a gift! I''m sure you''ll be getting a few more gifts as the weeks go by!

I am always so confused about when to bring a gift to the wedding and when not. I have many friends and aquaintances that are getting/have been married as we are all in our late 20''s early 30''s, and it seems like the "rules" have been different for each one. My co-worker''s wedding, for example, I was not invited to the shower so I brought a gift and a card to the wedding; when I arrived there was a giant table stacked high with gifts, so clearly that was expected! My family friend''s wedding, I went to the shower and brought a gift, but I also bought a wedding gift for them and had it sent to their house because it was pretty bulky, and at the wedding there was no gift table, just a small area for cards if people had brought them. So I''ve been lucky so far in that I seem to be guessing right on expected protocol! Then for my best friend''s wedding coming up, I''m in the bridal party so in addition to shower gifts and wedding gifts, I have to do a bride gift and a bachelorette gift? So complex.

I wish there was a way to outline gift expectations in the invitations, but Ms. Manners always says never to put any gift information there. For my wedding, I have half a mind to say "no gifts!" and be done with it!