Wedding gifts
Wedding gift ideas for couples with and without a registry, what to give, what to spend, and what actually gets used after the first year.
Wedding gifts
The one occasion with a list already written, which is exactly why an off-list gift has to justify itself.
Most couples build a registry, and the polite default is to use it. A registry is not a lack of imagination on their part; it is a couple telling you what they actually need, and ignoring it in favor of something more personal is a decision to be more interesting than helpful.
There are two honest reasons to go off list. The first is that you know them well enough to know something the list does not cover. The second is that you are giving alongside the registry rather than instead of it, which is the version that usually works.
What people actually give
Off the registry, the gifts that survive the first move are the ones tied to the day itself or to the two people rather than to the house: the date, the place, the invitation, the vows. Household objects age out of taste. A record of the day does not, and it does not compete with the registry either.
Save the date for next time
We will write about a month ahead, with time to choose well.