Etiquette: Gift of Money

In this video, Bubba offers some helpful advice about what to give as a wedding gift. Yep, Bubba’s etiquette wedding suggestions include beer, scantily clad “negligie-things,” and more BEER. And make sure it’s cold.

Funny, right?

Um, not if Bubba is one of your wedding guests.

So how can you tactfully ask for money as a wedding gift?

According to Miss Emily Post…YOU CAN’T.

If you ask for money right up front, it’s considered offensive, tacky and selfish. But that hasn’t stopped many a bride from finding creative ways to get the green.

Check out these “poetic” requests from Love Of Poems:

“This wishing well before you here
Has a purpose that’s pretty clear.
Please drop some dough into the slot,
Please don’t skimp…make it a lot!
We would think it pretty nifty
If you could give at least a fifty.
After all, it cost us lots of money
To plan this day and our moon of honey!”

“Don’t worry about gifts, don’t buy us a yacht,
The things that we need, we’ve already got.
Our home is quite compact, we may have to move
Then our storage and space will surely improve.

Don’t know how to word this but we’ll give it a shot.
Contributions are most welcome, we’ll go somewhere hot!
A honeymoon would be marvellous, to start off our life,
In our long winding journey, as new husband and wife!”

Now that I’ve stopped laughing…honestly, what would you think if you read that in your invitation?

My RSVP might look like this:

“You ask me for money
An ‘innocent’ plea
How about some manners?
And NO GIFT from me.”

There are some ways to offer “gentle encouragement” for money gifts…

- Set up a very short gift registry, primarily with gift certificates, for those who prefer to give a gift. When the registry fills up, guests will ask your family and close friends what to get…have them suggest that cash would be most appreciated. They can circulate the news for you, so you don’t look bad.

- Set up a honeymoon gift registry like Honeyfund so that your guests can help pay for your honeymoon.

- If you’ve got the guts for it, don’t set up a registry at all. Your lazy guests will write you a check. Of course, your cheap guests may practice a little re-gifting…

Got a tactful, subtle way to ask for wedding gifts of money? Leave me a comment.