- If the couple has created a wedding registry, use it as a shopping list and guide. A wedding registry including bedsheets and a comforter tells you what colors the couple decorated their bedroom. Choose to buy the pre-selected bedroom decor from the list, or use the color cues to purchase a coordinating piece of wall art for the bedroom. When in doubt, stick to the list of items the couple pre-selected. Then you know the gift will match, fit or coordinate with the couple's pre-existing household items.
- A wedding gift should celebrate the couple's newly formed union, help them set up their home together or further their common dreams. While dollar amounts vary widely across cultures and regions, a guest should spend what they can afford. Wedding gifts usually range from $25 to $150 from a non-parent wedding guest. Generally, a co-worker or acquaintance spends the least of all guests going to a wedding. Friends and relatives will spend more, and immediate family members of the bride and groom tend to purchase the most costly gifts.
- No, a consolidated effort often leads to creative gifts or high-ticket items the couple may not expect. Consider making a weekend-getaway basket. Each friend can pay for one segment of the weekend --- a gift card to a special restaurant, the hotel fee, pairs of plush robes and slippers, a bottle of vintage wine to share or tickets to a concert --- to round out the thoughtful gift. Or plan a group shopping trip to select a new digital camera, camcorder or television for the couple. Just make sure everyone in the group signs the card included with the gift.
- Mailing wedding gifts before or after the wedding date shows you care about the couple. At the latest, mail the gift within two months after the wedding, advises The Knot. Although the couple will happily accept gifts anytime after formally announcing the engagement, a timely gift makes it easier for the newlyweds to keep track of the thank-you notes sent, and keep stationary in stock.
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