Presents before the wedding- to open or not to open?

Our gifts are being shipped to our parents. It's traditional to open gifts the day after the wedding with your family for us. However, if you are receiving gifts already I would open them. If something came to us I would open it. You can get a head start on your thank you's!

I wasn't sure about this actually. As our gifts first started arriving, I hesitated opening them cause I wasn't sure of the ettiquete but I called someone who I knew had gotten married a few years ago and she told me to go ahead open. I just had to make sure I remembered to write their names down and send them a thank you card in the correct amount of time.

I wasn't sure about this actually. As our gifts first started arriving, I hesitated opening them cause I wasn't sure of the ettiquete but I called someone who I knew had gotten married a few years ago and she told me to go ahead open. I just had to make sure I remembered to write their names down and send them a thank you card in the correct amount of time.

Bump- i know other people must have an opinion on this.

We'll probably open them as we get them so Thank You Cards don't get overwhelming

If gifts are shipped to you (not received at the wedding) it is perfectly fine to open them. Those received at your wedding are traditionally opened the day after.

Any gifts we received before the wedding we opened and sent a thank you note right away. I didn't use anything until after.

I read somewhere that you should open them as you receive them AND also send a thank you card shortly after receiving it. It will also alleviate some of your thank you note stress later!!

All my wedding gifts i got so far are not wrapped lol so i had no choice =) one of fh "mommas" made us blanket love it and another is like a tea thing that we are going to use for the wedding

Ours came unwrapped to our house and said what it was on the box... It's not technically opened but I did do a happy dance when it was a Kitchen Aid mixer

I was JUST thinking about this same thing. I imagine it is practical to go ahead and open as they arrive and get the thank you's started. As for using, I'm not sure. I will be curious to hear what other ladies have to say.

Gifts that arrive, before the wedding, should be opened and a thank you note sent right away. The beauty of this, you will not be writing as many thank you cards post-wedding. LOL!

Open em!

We have opened them, cashed them and sent thank you notes

I really wanted to use some wedding pictures on our thank you cards (and am so glad I did), so we opened them and send a quick informal thank you (email, txt, whatever) and said that the formal thank you would follow after the wedding. I had a fairly small wedding though -- only about 30 thank you cards so far

My understanding is - open gifts when they arrive, send the thank you card right away, mention in thank you card how you look forward to using the gift somehow after the wedding ("Can't wait to have you over for dinner after the wedding and put that margarita set to good use, thank you!") and do not use until after wedding. Technically if the wedding gets called off for whatever reason you're supposed to return the gifts which you can't do if they've been used. Unless it's a check - deposit it so the giver's checking account balances.

And unless you are Krysten, b/c Krysten is supposed to be baking all of us cookies with her shiny new KitchenAid mixer.

We mailed out invitations on March 30 and received a toaster oven a week later. (off our registry.)

My parents couldn't believe that not only did I have the nerve to OPEN the gift, that I set it up and USED IT!! Well, I still have 3 months until I get married. I'm not going to let gifts pile up and sit. Sure I could at least open it and send a thank you not and not use it until after the marriage, but we'll have so much other stuff going on I'd rather just start swapping things out now.

Since we are getting married July 2 in Florida (and if I get gifts I expect them to only be cards), if gifts arrive while we're gone, I'll probably wait until Sunday the 15th to open them. We return from Florida on the 8th and our home reception is the 14th.

Definately open in case there are checks or returns needed, these things can be sensitive because of dates. It will be helpful to do those ty cards in advance.

Heck ya! I open them the minute I get them and send the thank you card the next day!

Wow! All I can say, is I am shocked by all the responses to open them and send thank you’s right away. The even has not happened. You are not married yet. I personally think it’s really bad luck. I have a gift. I’ve had it for months. I refuse to open anything that has my married name on it if that is not my name yet. However, I’m freaking out that it’s silverware (from cutlery.com) and I don’t want anyone picking out my silverware. I haven’t even sent my invitations yet!