Getting a present not on gift list..?

sibles

my friend was quite stern about the fact she'd be really peeved if people gave her anything other than the money they are asking for. Said she'd rather have nothing... I found it a bit harsh, but at least I know where I stand now

Mrs_Moore_To_Be

I can understand that Sibles, Whats the point in having lots of things you dont need or already have? We asked for money/dollars but if people would have rather got us nothing then them being there was enough.

We got a few presents and some were ok, some were awful though!

aarchk

I'm afraid I got really annoyed over the presents we got that were not on the gift list! We asked for vouchers to use for a new kitchen (our current one is rubbish as it is just tables in a room) and a limited gift list at John Lewis. we only moved in together 8 months before the wedding so although we had some stuff we had large gaps and there were items we needed to replace pretty quickly (dodgy old kettle etc). We really didnt appreciate the truly ugly Egyptian throw and weird looking lazy susan we got. Apparently we have another present coming to us. The same family have also bought us a traditional picnic hamper, except we already have one.

Sorry if I sound ungrateful but unless the person giving the present knows the couple very well its best to play it safe and I reaallly needed a new kettle as the old one had dodgy electrics. Other presents we got included a rose bush with a lovely name and a wooden planter with our names and the wedding date on - both of which we love, but then all our friends know we love roses and our garden.

I understand what you are saying re: only buying part of set and I do tend to avoid this. If you cant buy a full set of whatever then perhaps vouchers for the store and then they can buy whatever they want afterwards? I would love new towels that didnt come second hand from friends/relatives but he kitchen was more urgent so even if they have stuff it doesnt mean they dont want to replace an item.

cte1111

We had our wedding list at John Lewis and found that they were very helpful about swapping / taking back items when given an incomplete set. E.g. I was given a lovely table runner but not the napkins that went with it. I took back the item and swapped it for some other bits and pieces that we desparately needed, e.g. curtain hooks and rings.

My BIL wasn't sure what to buy from the list, so gave us vouchers (which you can do from the gift list) which was also helpful - we could then buy the matching sheets for our lovely new (and more expensive than we would usually be able to afford) duvet cover that my Aunt kindly gave us from the list.

The only off list presents we got were from friends of MIL - loads of wine glasses in an old fashioned style that clashed horribly with all my modern glasses. They went to a charity auction so at least someone benefitted. She must have told them to get them, as they all bought matching items, exactly what she would like but sadly not for us.

sugarwalsh

For close family I would definitely give something more personal. I might be tempted to chip in with others to get something larger off the list and then still give something more personal. I recently gave my friends a 'love tree' print from Modo Creative (Find them on Not on The High Street). I know the guys at Modo though, so i love to support their business venture whenever possible. On the print it had the words of their first dance, their names and the date. It also meant I got away with sending it after the day....

If the love tree is too expensive try it unframed and get an ikea frame, or one of their 'Admits 2' tickets. Totally fab hanging on the wall.

Megan

sugarwalsh

http://www.notonthehighstreet.com/modocreative/product/personalised-love-twitter-tree

Here it is!

Megan

Ps the recipients LOVED it!

lizzywig

We had lived together for 18 months before we got married and put a list together with Debenhams. The list ranged in price, we never expected people to pay the higher prices but as we both have some family who we know want to give more we put those things on there. We had all sorts of there including glass pyrex bowls!! We'd spent so long saving for the wedding and to buy a house that we didn't have anything of much value and had all the basic sorts of things instead. The day all the presents arrived was more exciting than all my birthdays put together. We also had people give us other things, money, theatre vouchers, digital photo frames etc. It never even crossed my mind to be ungrateful for them because they'd not come from 'the list'. I just felt blessed that anyone who wanted to give us something to celebrate our marriage was just so sweet.