<p>My step-daughter is getting married this fall. DH and I are paying for the wedding. Last night he asked me if we should give them a wedding present. I have to admit I never thought about it. So, wise CCers, do parents hosting the wedding also give a wedding present?</p>
<p>Sure! Back in the day, my parents hosted our wedding and also gave us a generous check as a wedding gift. I think an item from their registry would be a nice option as well.</p>
<p>We will also be hosting and paying for our daughter’s wedding in a bit over a year from now and, yes, we will also give them a wedding gift. Probably more than one (for any wedding showers that might be thrown for them).</p>
<p>We gave the kids a gift of cash and told them to use what they wanted for the wedding, keep the change and gave them permission to elope and keep it all. They had some leftover, but not as much as they hoped. That was our gift.</p>
<p>We did something very similar as somemom. We gave our kids X number of dollars and said this was for wedding expenses. Anything over this comes out of your pocket. Anything left over goes into your pocket. They both came in under budget and so kept the rest. It was a nice amount of money.</p>
<p>I’ve only had sons gets married so not a huge amount spent on the wedding, although even the groom’s side spends a lot. Gave the first couple a nice check as a gift but the second couple didn’t really need money so I completed their china registry which came to about the same.</p>
<p>My parents gave us a wedding gift after paying for our whole wedding. It was a gift of stock which we only recently sold.</p>
<p>My parents also gave my kids a very generous check for their weddings. Much more than they gave us :)</p>
<p>MOG here: our gift will be the catering, which DH, S2 and I are doing. I have also been doing lots of crafty things. S & DIL insist on paying for same, but what I tell them the cost was will actually be less than what I paid (and is still a steal compared to what a wedding planner would charge). ;)</p>
<p>S & DIL have excellent jobs and are saving aggressively. They have specifically said they don’t need people to send them cash. OTOH, a vacuum, a set of knives, good pots & pans, the latest Terry Pratchett – that’s another story.</p>
<p>Mine hosted our wedding and gave us our silverware. I consider myself very lucky that they were able to afford to do both. At the time DH was a poor grad student and I was an underpaid architect. (Though I have to say we didn’t feel poor since we had a ridiculously low rent.)</p>
<p>I’d look at it this way: you are probably paying many many thousands for the wedding. Wow, prices are staggering and it’s all a lot more than you expected. Still, a gift means you wanted them to have something extra to start their long and happy life together. If you can afford it, I would.</p>
<p>My Mom paid all the usual bridal expenses (but on a very tight budget) including paying for all the pictures which was her gift to me. DH’s parents bought us a bedroom suite. DH was just one yr. out of college and I was still in college and living in a dorm. We had no furniture to speak of. I think they felt sorry for us.</p>
<p>I think I would want to give my children something special as a commemoration of the occasion, even if I was footing the entire bill for the wedding. Something special – something personal. Perhaps antique or family heirloom. Perhaps something that could be engraved. Required? Probably not. But that’s me. While cash is king and always useful, I’d like to give something concrete and symbolic.</p>
<p>My parents bought us bedroom furniture as a wedding gift. Significant, memorable, but useful.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone! My inclination was to give them a gift but I wanted to hear what others had to say.</p>