Whether you are the host or the guest of a wedding, the question of the gift to the bride and groom is often thorny. A list or no list? A personal or collective gift? How much? Tips and testimonials to not make an odd.
“One person has not offered us anything for our wedding, so far I have not figured out why, maybe it’s silly, but it hurt the friendship I had for that person. “recalls Suzanne, 41, with a touch of bitterness. Indeed, when it comes to wedding gifts, neither the bridegroom nor the guests are safe from a misstep.
The evolutions of the wedding list
Especially since traditions have been changing for 40 years. “First of all, there was the bride’s trousseau , supposed to endow the young woman with the essentials to found a home”, explains Marina Marcous, co-author of the Great Book of Marriage (Eyrolles edition).
Then the gifts became an opportunity to please the couple while remaining useful to their installation, for example by offering dishes, small furniture or decorative items. This is the purpose of wedding lists in department stores (Printemps or Galeries Lafayette and BHV via 1001 lists), still relevant. However, “couples marry more and more late -35 years for women, 37 years for men according to INSEE – and are often already well established. The content of the lists has diversified to offer gifts less conventional, closer to the desires of the bride and groom: cultural subscriptions, well-being box, wine, paintings … “, develops Virginie Mention, wedding planner. Lists centered on the honeymoon are also popular, such as Voyageurs du Monde or Relais & Châteaux. Not to mention the traditional urns where to slip envelopes on the night of the party.
READ ALSO >> Administrative procedures to be carried out after the wedding
Thanks to digital, these solutions have become dematerialized. Online services like Zankyou (which also works in partnership with Printemps for a mixed list, shopping and kitty), Mille Mercis Mariage, Ameliste offer guests to make a financial donation and / or choose a gift on a wish list
Read more: Wedding gift: mistakes to avoid
For some, a classic Pot joint and the case is played in a few clicks. These sites often take a small percentage of the amounts paid. A text written by the bride and groom makes it possible to know what the money collected will be used for.