How To Receive Expensive Wedding Gifts

Graciously receiving an expensive wedding gift is an art.

Your wedding is obviously not about receiving gifts, but when you begin planning your event, your friends and family members will want to celebrate with you. One of the ways will be showering you with gifts of all sizes and shapes.

Generally you will get what you register for, china, wine glasses and bedding. But don’t be surprised when someone offers to pay for your honeymoon, wraps up a Mercedes Cabriolet as your wedding day get-away car or simply hands over an envelope with more cash than you know what to do with.

How to Accept Expensive Wedding Gifts

Accept the gift. Avoid the “you shouldn’t have” first reaction. If they didn’t want to, they wouldn’t have. Some people have very giving hearts and enjoy spoiling people they love. You are not their accountant and shouldn’t judge whether or not they could actually afford the gift or not, your job is accepting it…graciously!

Say Thank you. Immediately. Let them know in person how grateful/excited/happy/thankful you are to receive the gift. It is obviously a big gift, so let them know how big of a deal it is and be thankful in a big way.

Write a Thank you letter. I realize that I just told you to say thank you verbally, but I am also telling you to write a thank you letter soon after you received the gift. A handwritten thank you letter is personal and depending on who your writing it to, can make a huge impression.

Follow up with how you are enjoying your gift.  A week after your honeymoon, after a month of driving your new car or after you made a big purchase with the money that was given to you, let the giver know how you are enjoying the gift. Give them an update on the exciting adventures you went on during your honeymoon, how your first road trip in your new car went, or what you spent the money on (or are planning to spend it on).

Tips:

You don’t have to reciprocate. Most couples feel in their debt or like you owe them something big back. You don’t. Be thankful, accept the gift graciously and go about your lives as normal.

Pay it forward. My favorite thing about giving is the ability to pay it forward. Hopefully this has opened up your heart to the act of giving. It’s contagious and as you give more to people around you, the kindness will only grow as everyone gives their time, help and gifts to the next person.

Donate it if you must. If you can’t get your head around accepting the gift, and for whatever reason you believe it was too much, donate it. Give the money to charity, the car to someone in need or the romantic vacation to someone else who needs it.

There are no rules to giving and receiving wedding gifts, only suggestions.

How did you react to an expensive wedding gift at your wedding?