<p>Well don’t look at me, BB, as I said upthread I have a Tiffany ice bucket :-). I wasn’t the one outraged by the “extravagance” of a $40 ice bucket!!</p>
<p>Ellebud that baccarat jam server is what I gave my parents as a thank you for my wedding! It is impractical yet lovely!</p>
<p>Best present - rice cooker! </p>
<p>I still use mine, a gift from my wedding 26 years ago, weekly. It works great.</p>
<p>so, isn’t the purpose of a wedding to invite people to celebrate your marriage, not to finance it?</p>
<p>isn’t the couple supposed to be the host and the guests supposed to be the, um, guests?</p>
<p>things like this, where the guests are expected to essentially pay admission to a wedding, just kinda confound me.<br>
there’s a difference between the close friends and family of a couple giving them the homy essentials of starting a life together and demanding that your guests accessorise your kitchen, bath, bedroom, and living room.</p>
<p>“so, isn’t the purpose of a wedding to invite people to celebrate your marriage, not to finance it?”</p>
<p>It seems that no one shares that view.</p>
<p>pity.</p>
<p>i suppose we’re all supposed to feel entitled to everything we ever wanted just because it’s our special day.</p>
<p>just like all the other special days we were told we were entitled to.</p>
<p>IBfootballer, who said that the guests are invited to finance the wedding? I’m not seeing that in this thread. Who feels “entitled to everything” except for maybe the bride mentioned whose registry gifts started at $250? I certainly have never known a bride who felt that way, and I’ve been to dozens of weddings. I’m curious to know how many people attend a wedding and do not give a gift to the bride and groom? I’ve never heard of anyone doing that but maybe it does happen. Most people I know are happy to offer a gift to a new couple starting off their married lives together.</p>
<p>"Most people I know are happy to offer a gift to a new couple starting off their married lives together. "</p>
<p>Most wedding I have gone to the couple asks for cold hard cash - they even write on their invitation - No Boxed Gifts please,</p>
<p>No it is not a Texas tradition, but prevalent amongst Indians. what ticks me off is that bulk of those greedy brats who beg for money don’t even send a thank you card acknowledging that charitable hand out.</p>
<p>PizzaGirl: Yes, it is lovely. The lines are gorgeous…so fluid.</p>
<p>As to “special days” haven’t you seen the reality show Bridezillas and others like it? Someone told these people (and I recall seeing a male bride) that this was the day that they could act up/act out (no double meanings here) and in general act like an entitled, bratty 2 year old.</p>
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<p>Absolutely not a Texas tradition! Good heavens, my grandma would’ve strangled me like a chicken casserole dish if I’d put that on my invitations.</p>
<p>…and every single one of my guests received a hand-written thank you note from me. And they weren’t “Dear ____, thank you for the thing, Love from the aibarrs,” either. I wrote a full note to everyone expounding why we liked the gift, how we planned on using it, thanking them for attending the wedding, hoping everything was well with them, etc.</p>
<p>There may be greedy brats, but there are a lot of young people out here who still value etiquette.</p>
<p>aibarr, my comment about the Texas tradition was meant to be light-hearted. Sorry if it didn’t come across that way. My D spent a lot of time on her thank-you notes, much like you did. They were personal and expressed how thankful she and her new husband were that each guest had been able to share the special day and also a thanks for the gift. They chose their favorite photo from the photographer’s proofs and a small one was on the front of each thank you card. I agree with you that a lot of young people out there value etiquette, probably most, in my opinion. I honestly can’t recall ever having been to a wedding and not received a thank you note for the gift.</p>
<p>I’ve never seen Bridezillas, but from the stories I’ve heard about it, I think it’s likely that the show does not represent a significant percentage of brides out there any more than Kate Gosselin represents mothers of multiples. :)</p>
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<p>Truffles and chocolates.</p>
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<p>How appallingly rude! I’ve never heard of such a thing. (I don’t come from a tradition of monetary gifts. But no one I’ve known who did ever put such a statement on an invitation, either.)</p>
<p>Regarding the ice bucket…</p>
<p>I think the Baccarat Harmonie ice bucket is very classy for a wedding gift.</p>
<p>But, I’d be embarrassed to put something so outrageous on a gift registry.</p>
<p>I think a nice registry is one that includes gifts in all price ranges – from a $3.99 corkscrew to a $1,000 oriental carpet. If Great Aunt Matilda wants to spring for the carpet, who wants to deny her that pleasure? ;)</p>
<p>For some bride’s shower gift, I bought all the little items on the registry that were under $5.00 – corkscrews, measuring cups, etc. I wound up spending around $70 for the shower that way. I thought it was fun.</p>
<p>Seriously – there should be lots and lots of gifts in the $25 to $200 range, which is where most peoples’ “price points” will fall.</p>
<p>I know of a bride who said it was ‘customary’ in her culture (Armenian) for the groom’s parents (Italian) and siblings to present her, during the reception with very expensive jewelry and baubles. Of course, the bride had gone to the jeweler ahead of time to pick out what she desired (diamond and gold bracelets, earrings and the like). All these goodies were presented in a very ornate jewel box. This on top of the lavish shower and wedding gifts the family was already giving. Surprisingly, every Armenian I’ve ever asked about the custom has been baffled by it. SO, when you start thinking the registry is obnoxious, believe me, it could be worse.</p>
<p>A friend of mine’s family is of Syrian/Lebanese Christian descent. It is–or at least was–the custom in that culture to present the bride with gold. Her mother had several extremely handsome heavy gold bangle bracelets. I admired them, and she explained what they were. (She also told us that she used to put them in her D’s room when they went out. The room was such an appalling mess that she was sure no thief would ever find them! 
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<p>Of course, her mother was a lady and would never have gone to a jeweler and picked them out for herself! :)</p>
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<p>Oh! No worries-- I caught that, hence the chicken casserole dish reference. I should’ve used more winkies. ;)</p>
<p>Would that be King Ranch Chicken with or without the jalepenos?</p>