Once you and your other half get back from your honeymoon, you’re going to have a lot of wedding presents sitting there waiting for you to open them. But there are a lot of questions surrounding the gift-opening process, like, “who should I invite?” Here are a few of the do’s and don’ts of opening your wedding gifts:
Do have a wedding gift-opening party
A wedding gift-opening party certainly isn’t as big of a trend as the bridal shower or bachelorette party, but it is gaining popularity. You usually host the event following post-wedding brunch, which means that your friends and family will all be there to watch. If you don’t want everyone around for the event, you can wait until most of your guests have left, leaving only your closest friends and family.
Don’t open cash gifts
It’s not appropriate to open cards and cash gifts in front of the other guests, so it’s best to save the envelopes for later. You and your spouse can open them in private after everyone has left.
Do recruit help
You and your spouse are going to have more than a few gifts to sort through, so you may want to call on the maid of honor or best man to help you keep track of them. This person can write down who gave you what, and can help you find specific addresses so you can give the gift giver a proper thank-you note.
Don’t wait to open if you don’t want to
Many couples feel as though they have to wait until after the wedding to open gifts. However, if you receive a gift in the mail, open it! This way, you can get a jumpstart on writing thank-you notes before your wedding day even arrives.
Do serve leftover wedding food
Have leftover wedding food and cake that you don’t know what to do with? Consider serving those leftovers at the gift-opening party! This way, it doesn’t go to waste, and you can keep the celebration going a little longer.
Don’t open them at the reception
Your wedding reception seem like the appropriate time to open up gifts, but your nuptials aren’t like a birthday party. You don’t want to take your guests away from the food and the dance floor by having them watch you open presents. Instead, you can invite close friends and family over to your home after your wedding has passed to reveal what each guest got you.
When do you and your spouse plan on opening up your wedding gifts? Share your thoughts with us!
My boyfriend and I want a very small wedding, pretty much an elopement, with only our immediate families as witnesses and guests, so around 10 people.
There’s a cute little backyard behind the chapel with a gazebo and a stage for a band or dancing, the perfect place for the reception.
I have a playlist that I could play on my phone, that way we won’t have to pay for a band or DJ to force us to dance. It lasts for more than three hours, but it’s so hard to pick which songs not to play because it’s a very personal playlist, songs that we have sent to each other in mushy text conversations.
Because we just want it to be a gathering of close family, and not a big party, I’m planning for it to be not very formal. After we say our vows, he and I lead our guests directly to the backyard, to the Olive Garden buffet under a tent.
Because it won’t be very formal, and because we would have one or two more hours to kill, do you think it would be appropriate for us to open our gifts then and there? The only reason I think it would be impractical is that there would be a lot appliances and other practical things for us to bring back to our place before going on our honeymoon, and they would be pretty bulky gifts for the guests to bring to the wedding in the first place.
What do you think?
Hi Rachel! Congrats on your upcoming wedding. An intimate, backyard wedding sounds amazing! Our advice is to go with what you think is best for you, your future husband and your families. If you think people would enjoy having the gift opening during or before the reception, we say go for it! If you think people would rather have that time to themselves or for you to mingle with your guests, then you can save the gifts until you return from your honeymoon. Our experience and from other brides is that your wedding day goes by very quickly! So just be sure to make the most of your time doing what you and your husband want! Enjoy every minute. Congrats!