A family member of mine is getting married at the end of the summer. She is currently 18, but will turn 19 by the wedding. Her husband is military, I have not met him and do not know anything else really about him. We (my husband and I) do not really enjoy the company of this family member, but I feel that since we are close family that we should get her a decent gift. She has already registered at Bed Bath and Beyond, but I do not know if there is another store that she is planning on registering at.
The problem is many of the items she is asking for are items I cannot either afford or justify spending the money on. She wants platinum server ware, Kitchen aid appliances, and calphalon pots and pans. My mom loves to cook and she is married to a doctor, so she has a lot of nice cookware, and she said the items were nicer than what she has. There are some less expensive items on the list, but they are the not exciting/attractive items, like napkins and the such, and with these items she wants like 20 pieces. The bride had no interest in cooking a year ago, plus she is planning on moving across the country because her husband is going to be stationed in CA. This means that entertaining may be minimal.
I am unsure what to think about getting her. Is it ok to just go to Target and by a waffle iron instead of buying the one on the list for $200. Should we just not get her anything because we have a new baby and can’t justify salt and pepper shakers for $100. Should I just buy an item from the list that we can afford although it may look silly by itself.
I was hoping to do something other than money or gift card.
10 Responses to “Buying a gift from the registry.”
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
i would give her money or a gift card to BB&B. That way she could put say your gift with someone else’s and buy the waffle iron she wants or whatever.
Give a check or a gift card and call it a day. If she is relocating, cash is the better choice.
Good luck
You don’t have to pick something from the registry.
I would purchase a gift you can afford.
I like engraved or personalized gifts, because they often appear more expensive, and look special.
The following page may give you some ideas:
http://www.bridal-shower-ideas-for-you.com/personalized-bridal-shower-gifts.html
I would avoid buying different brands, because she will likely be upset at it anyways and she may end up with duplicates. Either give her a gift card there, give cash, buy a smaller quantity of what she is looking for, or buy her something useful on your own that is OK if she has duplicates of (towels in neutral colors are good).
I do not think it would look silly to just buy her a few napkins if she is asking for 20. It would look a bit odd to just buy 1, but 4-6 would count as a set in my mind.
NEVER feel like you need to give more than you can afford. It is a gift, it is supposed to be something nice that you do for someone. Some people just expect way too much just because they are getting married.
get them a visa gift card.
just in case she sees something at a diff store.
i got those for our house warming party and they worked out great.
plus since she’s moving across the country.she’ll never know what stores she’ll fall in love with.
A registry is just a suggestion. You don’t have to purchase off the registry. It is acceptable to purchase alternatives, However, since she will be moving soon, I suggest giving her a Bed, Bath, and Beyond gift card since she likes their products so much.
It is not okay to buy a cheaper version of what already on the registry at another store. If you do not want to get her something expensive, but this is all she has on her registry, make it easy (for the both of you) and buy her a gift card to this store or something similar.
Do not rationalize why she wants something, or why she doesn’t need something. I agree with you that sometimes registry items are ridiculous, but she’s the bride, and you do not have to buy anything you don’t want to. You don’t even have to get her a gift. Take the best route- a gift card.
Well being as that you said you don’t really care for her just give her a gift card in the amount that you can afford. That way she can combined any other gift cards or money to buy what she wants.
And all so being , that you are having a baby you can use that as an excuse not to go.
Is it possible that you could find one of the fancier items on her list at a discount store like Ross. I found a wonderful set of multicolored mixing bowls at Ross for 5 dollars, and later saw the same bowls at Crate and Barrel for 50.
You could also just get her one of the lesser exciting items on her list. Pair it with something she might not have thought she would need but you found useful when you were a newly wed. Or you could give her a more exciting silly gift to go along with it like a gag gift to make people laugh.
Then if none of that works, a gift card is the best way to go. If you got her the waffle iron she didn’t want, she would probably just return it for store credit anyway. Of course, since you don’t like her that much, it would be kind of funny to make her go through the trouble of returning.
How about something else altogether that is not on her list. Those items are suggestions, and you sure don’t have to abide by that. How about a Lenox picture frame. That makes a nice gift all by itself.