"No gifts" in the Wording of a Destination Wedding Invitation.
"No gifts" in the Wording of a Destination Wedding Invitation.
Many of our brides and grooms have asked us "How can we tell our guests that we don't want a gift, since their presence at our destination wedding is more than enough?"
Well, we always answer: Certainly not writing it!
You see, it is never proper to include any kind of information about gifts in the wording of a wedding invitation. It is never appropriate to mention it at all! Some traditions just never go out of style!
Etiquette is always essential, but with a bit of thoughtfulness and common courtesy you can let your guest know what you desire and at the same time prevent hurting or insulting your guests, or creating any kind of awkward situations.
The best way to tell people what you would like is by word of mouth. Instead of writing “No, gifts, please” on the destination wedding invitations, you can tell your family and friends about your wishes. It's a good idea for you to inform your parents, siblings, attendants and those close to you what you would like. If you would rather not receive any gift, then “Your presence is our present” is a good phrase to use, and you can invite the people close to you to pass this message along to anyone who asks them what you would like.
Of course, remember that there is no dictating to your guests what they must give you;it is their choice. If you are asked directly, then always be honest and polite and say exactly what your wish is. You can always add “But whatever you decide will be terrific, thank you for thinking of us!” at the end, and that will leave the person comfortable and free to decide what he/she will prefer to do.
However, some people just don’t like the idea of not giving a gift, or just don’t like giving money, and that’s something that you have to keep in mind. What we usually advice our couples to do is to share a small list of registry sources, or if they are opening a wedding website, then to propose this registry information there.
Now days, more are more and more brides and grooms are creating websites (or social networking group pages) for their destination wedding. It really can be a fun and very practical way to keep families and friends updates, and it is an excellent way to give information out. In this website, a wedding gift registry information can easily be introduced. Just make sure that it is not on the front page of the site. The proper way to include this content is to provide a link to a subsequent page, and then here write what your real desire or wish is, and at the same time expose another option, so that your guests are free to chose.
