What was the Best/Worst gift you received?

[CaliCushion]

Brides! (or soon to be Brides with shower gifts...) What was the best/most meaningful gift that you got for your wedding?

What was the worst gift that you got? (and yes, I know it''s the thought that counts....)

 

[CaliCushion]

I''ll go first!!!

Worst gift:

It''s a tie. Someone bought us a 50 piece silverware set. No gift receipt, no tag from a store, nothing. We had already registered for (and received) all of our silverware and matching serving pieces. I''m thinking that they either got it at a major discount somewhere or it was a regift. Thier daughter got married a few months before.

Someone else bought us about 9 fake silver picture frames, 3 of each design (same size). So we have 3 sets of identical ugly frames.

Best/most thoughtful gift: My invitations and ketubah had pink cherry blossoms on them. My cousin had an artist paint us a painting with pink cherry blossoms and gold leaf. Here it is:

 

[Diamond Confused]

For my engagement party I got a tea set. It''s in the top presents ever category. I am a huge tea drinker and it makes it even more speacial knowing that she realy put thought into it. The set is beautiful!

No bad gifts yet.

 

[Haven]

We received a lot of wonderful gifts, but the one that came to mind when I read this thread is a beautiful fine china serving platter that my grandmother''s oldest friend bought for us when she was in Berlin. We''re from Berlin, so that makes it special, and we were so touched that she brought it all the way back for us.

No bad gifts that I can think of.

 

[CaliCushion]

Oooooooh! I completely forgot another amazing present! For my briday shower, the mother of a friend knitted us a beautiful cream colored throw. I was honored that she put so much time into making something for us.

 

[JSM]

Best gift, hands down, my grandma put together a photo album of my life. Included were photos or repro photos of past generations of my family and their wedding photos. I will treasure that forever!

No bad gifts for me, either... the stuff that was accidentally bought off of someone else''s registry (I have a super super common name) I actually liked BETTER than what I had registered for myself.

 

[Blair138]

I had lots of awesome gifts from my shower:

Our Dyson vaccuum (my grandma bought it and I thought NO ONE would)
Some of our china (my other grandma bought it)
a co-worker made us a blanket with our names and wedding date embroidered on it

I really love everything I got and CANNOT WAIT to use it all!

Most thoughtful:

A good friend got me "everything I need to make FI happy"
mixing bowls, spatula, pans and FI''s favorite cake mix: Funfetti

 

[modernsparkler]

hmm... some great gifts include awesome family heirloom lace tablecloth from my grandmother (but i am scared to use it)!!!, a gift card from my medical school friends to buy a grill and patio set for our yard- super thoughtful of them since they know how much we love to grill, and so generous given that no one even has a job until july 1st, also love the off registry hand picked steuben bowl by my best friends dad!

i hate to call a gift bad, but we got a really strange framed picture of a bird from FI''s 2nd cousins. Neither FI or I are bird people, and the bird actually looks really creepy... not sure what we are going to do with it!

 

[jstarfireb]

Best gift: cash. Seriously. Because we had a honeymoon registry and used the cash people gave us toward a kick-a$$ honeymoon. We''re too frugal to ever have spent that kind of money on ourselves without it being a gift. But our guests'' generous gifts allowed us to stay in a great hotel, skydive, "snuba" dive, swim with dolphins, eat at nice restaurants, get a couples'' massage, bring back souvenirs, and do all sorts of other stuff that we wouldn''t have been able to do otherwise.

Neutral: the 3 sets of towels I got for my bridal shower, when we didn''t register for any towels because we already have them. Turns out our towels are kinda threadbare and it was good that people got new ones, but 3 sets? Two white and one beige...not even good colors!

Worst gift: gift cards to stores that we didn''t register at. There''s a reason we didn''t register there. Also, those Visa or AmEx debit gift cards...it''s so hard to use the whole thing, and the people who bought them paid a $5 activation fee just to avoid giving us cash!

 

[Elmorton]

My two favorite gifts actually came from DH''s side of the family, and guests that we certainly didn''t expect to receive sentimental gifts from. The first was from DH''s stepmom''s siblings- they''d taken a vacation somewhere and built us a clock in a clock shop. At first, DH and I were very "eh" about it, but I love having a mantel clock and we''re seriously programmed now to the clock chimes. If it were missing from my house, I''d go insane.

The second thoughtful gift came from DH''s dad''s stepsister. Background: When my cousins got married, my grandmother made them quilts or gave them family quilts. I''m much younger than my cousins and my grandma''s health has declined quite a bit, but I was honestly disappointed when the gift that came from her was something off the registry (I think my aunt/cousin just picked something out and asked her to sign the card). I was really hoping that there was still some special heirloom for me. It''s not like I don''t have quilts made by my gma, but they''re all twin-sized. So, after the wedding when we were opening gifts, when I opened a plain cardboard box and out slipped a quilt in a bag, I nearly lost it. It''s a beautiful quilt, and DH''s step-aunt (who he barely knows, btw) sewed in a patch that read that it was a garden of love quilt made in celebration of our wedding and it also has our wedding dates.

Bad gifts? The folks who didn''t give a gift --- NOR A CARD. I''m fine with not recieving a gift, but to not even splurge for a $1 card to congratulate the couple..not cool.

The weirdest gift came from DH''s great-aunt. A single silver (the only piece of real silver we own) spaghetti server.

 

[DearBuddha]

The best gift we received came from DH''s grandmother: it''s an antique sterling silver serving bowl that has been a part of their family for generations. It''s very intricate and beautiful, and I''m honored that she gifted it to us as a wedding present, especially when DH was not the first of her grandchildren to get married, nor is he the oldest.

This present was closely followed by a homemade book my 4th/5th grade students made for me before the wedding. They wrote down their ideas of what makes a happy marriage and drew little pictures to illustrate their ideas. They bound it, and we had it on our welcome table at our wedding. I love this book!

The worst gift we got was from one of my uncles. He''s a minister and as such he gave us a unity candle, a loaf of bread (I don''t get the deal with this), and a family bible. All well and fine with me, but my husband is a very open and outspoken atheist. He meant well, but that particular gift ended up in a box in our closet

 

[VRBeauty]

Date: 6/11/2009 9:43:37 PM
Author: DearBuddha

This present was closely followed by a homemade book my 4th/5th grade students made for me before the wedding. They wrote down their ideas of what makes a happy marriage and drew little pictures to illustrate their ideas. They bound it, and we had it on our welcome table at our wedding. I love this book!

That''s awesome! If you ever have some free time on your hands, would you mind sharing some of your favorite "entries" with us?

 

[loriken214]

I have three most favorite wedding gifts:

1. FI had earrings made for me and surprised me with them just before the wedding. They are yg, pearl and heart shaped blue sapphire dangles. They match my engagement ring and the pearl necklace I wore on my wedding day.

2. My Memaw handmade a quilt for me and one for DH. They are AMAZING heirlooms. DH uses his, but I won''t take mine out of the protective box.

3. My dear Aunt Joanie is a china painting artist, very tiny delicate detailed, and she painted a tea set for me. This, too, will not see the light of day. I treasure it and will not let anything happen to it.

Worst gift was the regift candle set we received from DH''s cousin....it was sealed up with masking tape and the original card to the cousin and her FI was still inside the box.

Lori

 

[kama_s]

Best gifts: Mr. Kama's uncle just dropped by our place with our wedding gift - he knew we don't have a car and it would be difficult to carry the gift they bought us on the metro. It was so thoughtful of them to drive 45 minutes in the pouring rain! They got us the KitchenAid stand mixer and an attachment to go with it (~700$). I just can't believe how generous they are! I promised them the first batch of cookies! A few other really nice gifts have been a hand carved jewellery box made of rosewood given to me by my close friend in India - she knows how much I love hand-made things and ofcourse, also my love for jewellery

. Another was a beautiful gold, pearl and diamond necklace and earring set for me from a family friend of my parents. So pwettttty!

Worst gifts: Well, we recieved a whole bunch of crap from our wedding in Dubai/India - my father put 'no gifts, only blessings and well wishes' on the card. But people still came bearing gifts and some thoughtful and other just plain re-gifted crap. We distributed most to our help staff (the cook, cleaner and our driver - they were all soooo awesome to us, so we asked them to pick out things they'd want from the pile of gifts in addition to the big tips we left them, and the big bag of chocolates I brought with me from here).

 

[Dannielle]

We mostly recieved money and gift vouchers from our Engagement party, but we did get a few presents

Best: A beautfiul chocolate wood bookcase from FI''s Dad & Stepmom. Its really big and solid with gorgeous carvings on the edge.

Worst: FI''s aunty gave us a set of mugs with teddy bears on them which had already been opened and had dust in and all over the box.

 

[cocolaw]

Date: 6/11/2009 7:42:30 PM
Author: modernsparkler



i hate to call a gift bad, but we got a really strange framed picture of a bird from FI''s 2nd cousins. Neither FI or I are bird people, and the bird actually looks really creepy... not sure what we are going to do with it!

you put that in the guest room so that the cousins get to sleep next to it when they come to visit

 

[modernsparkler]

Date: 6/12/2009 8:47:06 AM
Author: cocolaw

Date: 6/11/2009 7:42:30 PM
Author: modernsparkler



i hate to call a gift bad, but we got a really strange framed picture of a bird from FI''s 2nd cousins. Neither FI or I are bird people, and the bird actually looks really creepy... not sure what we are going to do with it!

you put that in the guest room so that the cousins get to sleep next to it when they come to visit

It might have to be one of those things that we put up only for their visit. seriously!! when i get it from my parents'' house this weekend i will post a photo. looking at it really weirds me out

 

[EricaR]

Best: cuisinart food processor. I LOVE cooking and I only had a small small one. This puppy is HUGE and I''ve used it to make a million things.

Worst: Sigh. We got a set of the ugliest rice bowls ever. A big serving bowl and four individual bowls. They are plastic and are painted to look like people, including little hats. What do I do with these? They are HUGE! I looked them up online and they are pricy - about $150 for the set of five so I''d feel guilty not keeping them. They are only sold in NYC and I''m in LA - too far to return.

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

Date: 6/12/2009 1:09:51 PM
Author: EricaR
Best: cuisinart food processor. I LOVE cooking and I only had a small small one. This puppy is HUGE and I''ve used it to make a million things.


Worst: Sigh. We got a set of the ugliest rice bowls ever. A big serving bowl and four individual bowls. They are plastic and are painted to look like people, including little hats. What do I do with these? They are HUGE! I looked them up online and they are pricy - about $150 for the set of five so I''d feel guilty not keeping them. They are only sold in NYC and I''m in LA - too far to return.

Situations like this are what Ebay was made for.

 

[tlh]

best wedding gift - HUGE flat screen LCD tv and honeymoon. memories........

worst wedding gift - a 4 set of blue glasses from crate and barrel. They are nice glasses, and pretty. However why it is the worst gift... my BFF that I have known almost 20 years told me she was too busy to get me a gift so she had her BF of 6 months pick out our gift. He had NEVER met my DH and only met me 1 time for about 2-3 hours where they ended up dry humping and making out the entire time, as I waited for them to give me a ride home, umm they were sober - as was I.

So not a lot of getting to know one another. Well, he picked them out from a store I was not registered from and NOTHING in my decor is blue. I kept them because I honestly have evilly thought about re-gifting them BACK to the happy couple... who''s entire decor IS blue.

Honestly, I think they''ll end up being donated. I don''t do returns.

I guess why this makes it a worst gift ever, because they aren''t ulgy. It is the fact that my BFF who I''ve known for YEARS and have been through a lot with, and held her up during every rough patch in her entire life... couldn''t even take the time to pick out a wedding gift for me and my husband. Just really hurt my feelings, and ended up being the straw that broke the camel''s back when it came to her bad behavior about my wedding. Yup... blue glasses. Go figure.

 

[Efe]

Best: A beautiful antique framed mirror.

Worst: A tube of KY Jelly. I swear I am not making this up. It totally grossed me out, especially since it was from my husband''s best friend. To be fair, he did give us a nice piece of luggage at my husband''s bachelor party. Maybe he got the gifts mixed up? He was a bachelor then and still is!

 

[tlh]

Date: 6/11/2009 4:29:15 PM
Author: jsm
Best gift, hands down, my grandma put together a photo album of my life. Included were photos or repro photos of past generations of my family and their wedding photos. I will treasure that forever!

No bad gifts for me, either... the stuff that was accidentally bought off of someone else''s registry (I have a super super common name) I actually liked BETTER than what I had registered for myself.

that gift is phenom!

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

Best gift to date is from my Godmother. She bought us a lovely hand-blown Simon Pierce bowl. Simon Pierce is a glass/crystal company located very close to where I grew up.

Worst gift has to be the "Lolita" glass from my great aunt. I guess it could be considered cute, but it''s not my style and I''ll never use it.

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

Lolita glass-reminds me of a pimp cup

 

[Efe]

Date: 6/12/2009 1:37:30 PM
Author: Hudson_Hawk
Best gift to date is from my Godmother. She bought us a lovely hand-blown Simon Pierce bowl. Simon Pierce is a glass/crystal company located very close to where I grew up.

Worst gift has to be the ''Lolita'' glass from my great aunt. I guess it could be considered cute, but it''s not my style and I''ll never use it.

I love Simon Pierce. They make beautiful things.

 

[bee*]

Date: 6/12/2009 1:36:51 PM
Author: BizouMom

Worst: A tube of KY Jelly. I swear I am not making this up. It totally grossed me out, especially since it was from my husband''s best friend. To be fair, he did give us a nice piece of luggage at my husband''s bachelor party. Maybe he got the gifts mixed up? He was a bachelor then and still is!

lol!! KY?!!

We''ve received some beautiful presents so far-waterford crystal glasses and a vase, Tiffany necklace for me (from my sis!), and people have been so generous with cash gifts.
No bad presents received so far so don''t have a worst. Love everything we''ve received.

 

[Yimmers]

Coming from Asian families, a lot of people just give cash, but we were very touched that a friend gave us a coffee table trunk from the registry - we didn''t think someone would actually buy it for us.

As for the worst gift...I got two pillow cases (meant for really big pillows and won''t fit ours), two birds on sticks, and two ceramic figurines...I have no clue what kind of animal they are, but they''re white, creepy, with one having a painted blue tie and the other with a painted red bikini. I was told it has to do with having babies, but it''s too much for me. I mean, it''s not like they''re something you can ever display...I''d post a picture, but I can''t modify here at work...

 

[cocolaw]

lol that IS a pimp cup!

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

Date: 6/12/2009 5:46:04 PM
Author: cocolaw
lol that IS a pimp cup!

RIGHT?!? It''s like a bridal pimp cup!

 

[bensbride]

Best Gift: My aunt donated frequent flier miles four our honeymoon as our wedding present. I thought that was really generous of her, we basically have free tickets. Also, I''ve heard rumors that she''s giving us another very generous gift for the wedding, but I don''t know what yet!

Worst Gift: Tossup between Astroglide and some "pantiliner slippers" from our Naughty or Nice Shower. Granted, they were the "naughty" gifts, but still...lovely.

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