Spending and Saving
Cashing In on Wedding Gifts
In some circles, it’s considered totally ticky-tack to give cash as a wedding gift. Well, times are tight and with people getting married later and later, couples are likely to already own not one but two sets of salad servers.
We expect cash to become more acceptable–and frankly, think it’s far preferable to some of the junk guests call “gifts.”
Deposit a Gift is a new site that seems right on trend. DaG makes it easy to set up a registry for a wedding, baby shower, or other celebration, showing gift-givers what they’re contributing to. (If you change your mind, you can spend the money on whatever you like once you cash out.)
And for the etiquette-sensitive among you, it’s also not cool to ask for money as a gift–because you shouldn’t presume anyone’s giving you a gift at all. But making it simpler for someone to give is a-okay.
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9 comments for “Cashing In on Wedding Gifts”
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Ah, but this way people will know how much you spent on them! Those who avoid the gift registry can finesse the expense by re-gifting one of their own wedding gifts, by making a gift, or by purchasing a gift at a thrift store or rummage sale. (It happens.)
I can hear it now: “Your friends are so cheap! They deposited an average of $25 each!”
In my family and with most families I know, it is inappropriate to give anything but cash at the wedding. Registry gifts are for the shower.
Depends on where you’re from, I guess, or maybe it’s cultural and/or generational. In my experience no one gave cash as a wedding gift.
Comment #1 – is reason #1 for doing something like this. Who wants a re-gift or a thrift store gift that you most likely won’t like and can’t return. Talk of cheap. While it’s always the prescence of the guest that matters most, as someone who has been on both sides – receiving and giving, you can’t go wrong with cash.
People are so touchy over the subject of giving cash for a wedding, but I don’t see how giving $50 is any different than giving a $50 toaster or something (which the couple knows is $50 because they registered for it!). A bunch of my friends who recently got married used a website called myregistry.com that let them register for cash and regular gifts on one registry. I thought this was a good compromise for the people who are morally opposed to giving cash for whatever reason.
I have a friend who is already using Deposit a Gift and they love it. To Lila’s point about having all registries in one, with Deposit a Gift you can also list your other registries with your cash registry (or honeymoon registry, whatever you wanna call it).
But my friend is also using them for her wedding website as well because they offer that part too. As a guest, I love it because all the details are in one place (I’m easily confused!), plus I know exactly what they need, be it for their honeymoon or anything else.
DepositAGift.com – Can a name be anymore tacky? Why give cash if you can give an experience. I’d rather give a toaster than cash through a website.
Also, I bet DespositAGift.com charges a fee….If you are going to give cash or a check, why not give it in an envelope with a nice card at the wedding? That is what I’ve been doing for the last 15 years and it has worked perfectly.
-Jim M.
I don’t have any experience about that but for my senses no one can give cash wedding give ^_^ am i right?
In this economy, cash just might be the ticket for a new couple. Let’s face it would you rather have new china that you never use, or be able to put money down towards a house that you can pick up cheap?