<p>Save the Date cards are useful if planes, hotels needed and also scheduling work vacations…</p>
<p>Just wondering, D is getting married in 5 mo, but I dont know if they have the day yet.</p>
<p>We got married very young and had nothing. Small things were appreciated. DH’s roommate was in our wedding. He gave us salt and pepper shakers…not fancy ones…think Kmart. We didn’t have any so it was a great gift. Thirty ones years later, we still use that salt and pepper set. They are the only ones we’ve ever used and we always remember who gave them to us.</p>
<p>My D is getting married in almost exactly two months. :eek: She and her fianc</p>
<p>Back in the old days, before you could google up fantastic recipes, I got a beautiful cookbook from an “aunt” of mine. She wrote a lovely inscription in the inside cover. She’s gone now, but I treasure the book and her well wishes. Another guest gave us a subscription to Gourmet Magazine. Never renewed it…but the thought was very nice.</p>
<p>We got a save the date from my nephew as an email - the actual invite as a mailed invitation. I definitely want to be there, so I was glad to know well in advance not to plan anything for that weekend.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t want a pepper shaker - but a nice peppermill isn’t expensive and so worth it!</p>
<p>We have exactly four wedding gifts from our wedding 32 years ago. One is a picture of a shell. The second is twelve cream colored Lenox dinner plates (from our grandmother), the third is Orrefors crystal that has barely been used, and fourth a very nice vintage glass pitcher (from an aunt). </p>
<p>From friends…one baked our wedding cake, one took our photos, one hosted the event at their house, a few gave us a crock pot (which was only recently replaced).</p>
<p>I hope my D registers someplace ( I never thought to), because I have no idea what to give them.</p>
<p>We are getting married when we are 24 and just starting out, but luckily we’ve lived together since we were 21 and are set on “things”. We are asking for contributions toward our honeymoon (I don’t need a lecture on how this is tacky- I truly do not care what anyone thinks of this… it’s something that’s fairly common in my family). </p>
<p>We absolutely understand that many of our friends/family are very young and just starting out just like us. Truly, we expect absolutely nothing and would be thrilled with just a “congratulations” card. We would much, much rather have people come empty handed than feel that they can’t come because they can’t afford a gift. This is just us though. YMMV. </p>
<p>I don’t know what proper “etiquette” is but I assume they’ll let you know if there’s a registry or what they would else they would like.</p>
<p>I was 23 when i got married and we had a tiny wedding cause that was all we could afford.
But my friends got together to buy us a nice set of glasses, & I even still have most of them!</p>
<p>Some of these posts reminded me that when we got married, some of our friends got together on a couple of larger group gifts – which we still have!</p>
<p>Deb922, thanks.</p>
<p>Thanks for all of the suggestions, guys! </p>
<p>You’d think that people would be really accepting that young 20somethings aren’t going to be able to afford a huge gift, and for the most part…my 20something friends have. That being said, I’ve definitely had some experiences where I haven’t been able to send much (or have attached my name to my dad’s gift) and have heard about displeasure through the grapevine.</p>
<p>Relatively inexpensive presents:
A framed copy of the invitation (in a nice frame).
Nice picture frame (for those wedding photos).
Monogrammed pillowcases.
A guidebook for something they’d enjoy together–like a bird book for nature lovers, for example.
A tiny art-glass vase or similar craft piece.</p>
<p>And for the no-cost option:
Use your computer to typeset a favorite poem about love and romance on really good paper, then write a letter about what their love for each other has meant to you and how happy you are for them.</p>
<p>Three of my favorite wedding gifts were a small bud vase from my maid of honor, also in her 20’s, for my night stand with a note to DH to keep a flower in it. There’s almost always a single fresh flower or sprig in it from the yard, holly, lavender, etc. Very rarely is one bought. My cousin made a lovely needle point with our names and wedding date and had it framed. It’s on my dresser. Other cousins made us beautiful origami lai’s that we wore at our rehearsal dinner and are hung in our room with a picture of us from that night. The thoughts behind them, love and work, was well beyond writing a check and we treasure them still. </p>
<p>I think anything with a thought, small token, heartfelt letter of well wishes, is very appropriate, and received with appreciation and remembered fondly.</p>
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<p>I’ve did that several times when we were first starting out. Most times I’d pick out a frame that could be engraved, and I’d get their names engraved on it.</p>