My first bridal shower is this weekend. We started receiving gifts a couple of weeks ago. We’ve been stacking them on the dining room table at my parent’s house. Very movie like, I know! A few people told me to open them, but I feel like it will be weird if I’ve opened someone’s gift that is attending the shower. Yes or no?
Did you save your gifts to open all at once or did you open them as they arrived? Is it different for shower gifts than wedding gifts? *I’m thinking the answer is yes! People attend showers to watch you open gifts. You are not going to open your wedding gifts at your wedding.
Would love to hear your thoughts on the subject!
image via lone-star photography
{ 15 comments… read them below or add one }
Are y’all going to have present opening time at the shower? If so, then wait. But I definitely opened presents that arrived at my house as they came!
I just figured that the people that were coming to showers would bring the gifts to the shower. And I think everyone did.
I was a cheater. I checked the registry online and I opened presents when they came to my house. But you know me. I don’t like surprises!
I had 3 showers and only for one of them did I get the presents sent in advance. For those, I waited till the shower to open them. For the wedding gifts, we opened envelopes when we arrived at our wedding night hotel room. Presents were opened the next day.
.-= Natalie´s last blog ..Wednesday 5.19 aka Lilly Day =-.
I opened the presents that came to my parent’s house before the wedding when they came. I didn’t wait, and it allowed me to get a massive head start on thank you notes. I had most of my thank you notes written, addressed and ready to mail when I got home from my honeymoon because I had taken care of them as the gifts had arrived.
But then, at my showers, every one brought a gift and nobody mailed their shower presents… I’ve never heard of such a thing! I say if they mail it to you before hand, they’re basically asking you to open them. Besides, you’ll get a lot brought to the wedding anyway, so you’ll have all those to look forward to after you’re married.
.-= Stefanie´s last blog ..palm trees & toucans =-.
I got married last summer, and if I knew the gift was for the shower, I waited (but if you know the person cannot attend the shower, I think it’s fair game to open). If it’s just a regular wedding gift, I’d open it! I think that people like to receive thank you notes as quickly as possible. It’s a nice way to confirm that you have indeed received the setting/blender/mixer/pot/pan/etc. and that you love it to pieces
.-= EmilyB´s last blog ..Dear Mother Nature: =-.
sadly, I didn’t have a bridal shower, my wedding was literally 4 months of planning from proposal to the BIG day, and we didn’t have a chance to do any of the fun “before” stuff. I did however open every wedding gift that came to the house, before the wedding, so I could start on Thank You cards early!
Typically though, I send gifts in the mail only if I won’t be able to make it, otherwise I bring a gift to the showers I’ve gone to. So if it was me, I’d probably be opening them as they came!
.-= April´s last blog ..Simple Monogram Graphic Tutorial =-.
I opened presents as they came to my parent’s house. If the present was for my shower, and that person wasn’t going to be able attend I opened it. I wanted to get as many thank you notes done as possible, so I wouldn’t have a ton waiting for me when I got back from the honeymoon.
I opened all my presents at my showers, but at the same time it was hard at the come and go ones because you are juggling visiting with guests and opening presents while people watch. Enjoy this fun, special time!
I opened the wedding gifts as they came! Like others have said, it allowed me to get some thank-yous out before the wedding. Sadly, I didn’t get to display them Father-of-the-Bride style since we were moving 2 weeks prior to the wedding – they all stayed wrapped safe in their boxes!
I was on the same page as Erin – I figured if people were giving shower gifts, they’d bring them to the shower (especially since my bridal shower wasn’t in Dallas and our gifts were sent to my Dallas apartment).
.-= Kate´s last blog ..PPT: Networking Edition =-.
Here are my thoughts for what they’re worth. I think it is completely acceptable to open wedding gifts as you receive them. (It helps with efficient thank you note writing too!) Same goes for shower gifts sent in advance, unless the sender will be in attendance at your shower, in which case I would open their gift in front of them. ENJOY your shower! The time leading up to your wedding is the best!
Showers are the most fun! However, I was warned that when it came time for the present opening that my body temperature would rise a zillion degrees and I’d sweat like crazy. It happened – and I’m not someone who is easily embarassed at all. I asked other friends, and it seems to happen to us all! I don’t know what it is about the shower spotlight, but be warned….and have so much fun!
I would definitely open the wedding gifts as they come. I think most people will assume you are opening them and therefore will be on the lookout for a thank you note. Plus some people send certain gifts early so that you get them before the big day. One of my favorite parts of Father of the Bride is all of the opened gifts on her parents’ dining room table all displayed – opening them as they come is half the fun!
For shower gifts, I waited until the day of the shower and my mom brought them along for me to open there (I actually didn’t know people had sent shower gifts that couldn’t come so it was a fun surprise). Have a great time at your shower!
Since we eloped, we opted to not have showers/parties. THANKFULLY! I hate everyone watching me!! We did have a few people that expected us to open our gifts in front of everyone at our reception, which I thought was strange. NO WAY! I was too busy dancing!
.-= Officially Mrs.´s last blog ..I took the midnight train… =-.
Here, shower presents are opened at the shower if you are doing the pass and look thing (which I did not, because it makes me horribly uncomfortable), or after if not opening. I opened wedding presents as they came in and displayed on our dining room table, because people wanted to look at them (especially since I got married at my parents’ home). Some people have a “sip and see” for the wedding gifts, but that’s pretty old fashioned (and a little showy, IMHO).
.-= Samma´s last blog ..Take Me Out! =-.
My girlfriends from out of town that were coming to the shower shipped them so that they didn’t have to carry them in their suitcases. I waited on those. I opened the rest as they came.
A little bit off topic, but my MIL got seriously upset that I did not take all of the presents and set them up on tables at my mother’s house for people to come and see. Apparently where she grew up (tiny NC town called Buies Creek), the mother of the bride set up card tables with table cloths over them and all of the presents were put on display. Then the bride’s friends and friends of the family would come over and see all of the presents in the weeks leading up to the wedding. She says, and I’m not sure I believe her, that this is the reason that it’s still a tradition in the south to give presents rather than money.
Anyway, I didn’t do it for obvious reasons, but it’s still an interesting story!
Same thing happened to me that I Do Declare described. When it came time to open in front of all my guests I was just totally flushed from all the attention. I think I was almost more nervous then for some reason then even on the big day.
One of my best friends predicted that someone would have gifted me with lingerie. I laughed it off since that wasn’t the theme and said that I didn’t think that would happen with the women that were invited. She was right. And it came from my MIL to be and her mother (GMIL). Nice.
.-= Laura´s last blog ..A Cape Cod Wedding =-.
For wedding gifts, I think you canopen them as they arrive. thismakes life much easier for writing notes and also lets the gift giver know that you’ve received it. If you wait until the wedding to open some might worry it didn’t arrive.
For shower gifts, I’m not sure. I didn’t have any shower gifts arrive early. But, like Emily above says, if you know it’s meant for the shower I would wait. Generally, that’s the whole point of a shower.
Have fun opening them up!