Wedding Gifts as Memory Creators

I will admit, I don’t usually put much thought into wedding gifts. My philosophy is “either buy from the registry or give cash.”

That’s what people usually really need when they are starting out.

But, the other day, my friend and former running partner, Robyn, sent me a note to challenge this belief.

“I keep thinking of you and NFO, because you gave us some lovely trays as a wedding gift, "to serve each other." 

We use them all the time and, lately, our younger daughter has taken to using them to surprise someone in the family with breakfast in bed.  With reciprocation, this has generated quite a few different breakfasts in bed for different members of the family, all on the trays that you gave to us. 

It is nice to see Hilary's delight at giving the simple gift of a cup of coffee and a bowl of Cheerios on a tray, or receiving breakfast on a tray herself.  Anyways, this new "tradition" that Hilary has started for our family struck me as very much in the spirit of the gift that you gave to us, so I thought that you might like to hear about it.”

Now, it’s possible that these were on Robyn’s wedding registry, but obviously the note that accompanied it (undoubtedly written by the NFO) lodged itself in Robyn’s mind…and though we haven’t seen each other in a LONG time, still serves as a bond.

Maybe towels aren’t the way to go?

What is your wedding gift philosophy?

Gift Hall of Fame Entrant...

A quick backstory for some of our newer readers.

Our primary social activity is having friends join us for lunch on the Sabbath (Saturday). To minimize hassle and maximize efficiency, we invite people over up to 6 months in advance. (Here's the strategy document explaining it.)

That craziness is mine, but the NFO has her own set of rules, including the requirement that people not bring gifts to our home.

For a while, this worked, but popular opinion was such that we had to modify that position a bit, because folks said they "wanted" to bring a gift.  Fine. The NFO still didn't want them to bring things to contribute to the meal, but I was perfectly happy to begin outsourcing the procurement of highly utilitarian items to our friends.

One of the side "benefits," if you can call it that, is a mild sense of competition among our guests to bring something memorable.  Some of the classics are listed here and others have been mentioned on the blog over time.

For example, the Lustmans gave us WD-40, the Lowensteins, a fire extinguisher.Others have 'flipped the script' on us as well.

Well, this weekend, we have a new entrant. Arguably, one of the most unique ever.

Longtime readers will know of my love of Purell, documented both here and on the Igniting the Revolution blog.

So, needless to say I was PUMPED UP to receive a wall-mountable Purell dispenser (with refills!) from Adam and Ayelet Schorr. It now hangs proudly in my front hall. Yes, you can walk into my house and immediately make your hands germ free.

But, as the saying goes, 'wait, there's more.'

Adam's sense of humor is, well, uh, sort of like mine...insofar as he kind of gets the joke, so he also brought one solitary rose with a note for the NFO (pictured) that read:

"Anytime you want to ditch Jer and run away to Mexico with me, just say the word."

His daughter was mortified. Not sure how the NFO really felt about it, but me? I freakin' loved it.

Definitely memorable. Definitely remarkable.

Also, for background, here is the requirements document and Conditions of Acceptance…(here) as well as acceptable gift items. (yes, more than a “bit” of gumption on this one), if you are ever invited.