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Stephanie
Beginner August 2021

What's the Wedding Gift Etiquette

Stephanie, on July 1, 2020 at 5:58 PM Posted in Etiquette and Advice 0 8

My fiance and I were scheduled to have our wedding on 8/8/2020. But due to the continuing COVID-19 issue, we have postponed the big celebration out a year. We are still getting married this year with just our parents and siblings, but we will be renewing our vows and having the big celebration on our first year anniversary. We had already sent out our invitations before making that decision, which, of course, had our registry information. Prior to postponing, we had received a couple wedding gifts that were shipped directly to us. At the time, we were going to put them off to the side and wait to open them until after our wedding. However, putting boxes off to the side for a month or two is a whole different story than putting them off to the side for a whole year. We're also continuing receiving gifts that had to have been ordered after we postponed. So what is the etiquette here? I'm not sure if there is an etiquette rule written for this type of situation....... Do we set them aside for a year? Or can we open them now and send out the thank you cards now?

8 Comments

Latest activity by Jodie, on July 3, 2020 at 9:45 PM
  • M
    Legend June 2019
    Melle ·
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    I would just open it now and send thank you cards now

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  • J
    Master October 2022
    Jana ·
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    This is the only article I was able to find on the topic:

    https://www.theknot.com/content/registry-etiquette-postponed-wedding

    It seems like it would be ok to open them now and send thank yous immediately. That way people know you received them.

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  • Lisa
    Legend July 2022
    Lisa ·
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    I agree, I think it's fine to open them now, and send thank you notes now as well.
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  • mrswinteriscoming
    VIP December 2021
    mrswinteriscoming ·
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    I would open them now and send thank you notes with a little reference to things being delayed and how you otherwise can't wait to celebrate with them next year.

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  • VIP August 2020
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    I'm another 08/08/2020 bride who's having a mini (immediate families only) wedding this year and a hopefully-covid-free big reception next year! We're sending thank you notes for gifts as we get them and we'll probably send a shorter, "thank you for coming," note if they come to the reception next year. Someone actually apologized for sending a gift before realizing we were going to postpone, which seemed a strange to me, but I think sending a card that says, "thanks for the gift, we look forward to celebrating with you next year," is helpful in terms of making people feel less weird about the whole situation.
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  • Gen
    Champion June 2019
    Gen ·
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    Open now and send thank yous ASAP! And don’t expect gifts from those same people next year lol
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  • Lynnie
    WeddingWire Administrator October 2016
    Lynnie ·
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    I agree! Open them now and send thank you notes right away! Make sure to write down on a master list somewhere that they've already sent their wedding gift and that you sent them a thank you note as well! Tracking becomes really important once the gifts ramp up!

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  • Jodie
    Expert August 2020
    Jodie ·
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    We've opened the gifts we've received so far and sent thank you notes right away. That way the sender knows that they have been received and also if anything needs to be returned or exchanged it gets done before the return window ends.

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