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Is a nice bottle of Champagne an acceptable wedding gift?

post #1 of 30
6/22/08 at 11:11pm
Thread Starter 
I just got my first offical wedding invitation from a friend of mine and am wondering if giving a "consumable" is somehow a faux-pas? I think that as long as it is a decent bottle it is a classy gift and one that I would like to recieve but it seems against the practice of giving "homey" gifts. Thoughts?
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post #2 of 30
6/22/08 at 11:16pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by RedLantern View Post
I just got my first offical wedding invitation from a friend of mine and am wondering if giving a "consumable" is somehow a faux-pas? I think that as long as it is a decent bottle it is a classy gift and one that I would like to recieve but it seems against the practice of giving "homey" gifts. Thoughts?

Only one of my friends has gotten married so far so i haven't been to too many weddings... My thoughts as someone that enjoys good wine and wants to build a cellar, is that if I were given a very good bottle of wine or champagne that I could put away and drink in 10 years time on my anniversary, that it would be very much appreciated. If it's not going to be cellared then I would get something that's drinkable right away, or more likely a different gift, since they're not really wine people.
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post #3 of 30
6/22/08 at 11:30pm
^^^yes, it depends on the friends and if they are drinkers or not. I just came from a close friend's wedding this past Friday and about 99% of the guests just gave money. But I would think that the best gift would be cash so it can give them some relief from the wedding.
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post #4 of 30
6/22/08 at 11:50pm
For my wedding, some business associates gave us a recent vintage bottle of Dom Perignon Champagne in the classic presentation box. It was a nice gift and we kept it until our first anniversary and drank it with dinner at the Ahwahnee lodge in Yosemite. They had not be invited to the wedding but it was special that they acknowledged it is this way.

To some people, champagne might appear to be a bit too casual of a gift. I suppose it depends upon the couple, their knowledge and affection for champagne.

But another gift that we also got that we liked were gift certificates to restaurants. It was nice that we could look forward to going out to someplace special.

When I was younger and didn't have a lot of money, I used to get a silver picture frame. You pay a huge amount for the name Tiffany but there is something special about the "little blue box" even if it is only 4 x 6. If that is too much, most department stores will have a lesser known, but just as good brand for 1/2 to 1/3 the price. New brides can never get enough simple, elegant picture frames.

Good luck with whatever you decide.
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post #5 of 30
6/23/08 at 12:02am
Thread Starter 
PSG - Considering the things on their registry (towels, etc) I don't think Champagne will come off as too casual...thanks for all of the suggestions though!
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post #6 of 30
6/23/08 at 12:42am
What of, Champale of the, can ?
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post #7 of 30
6/23/08 at 1:52am
Quote:
Originally Posted by pocketsquareguy View Post

To some people, champagne might appear to be a bit too casual of a gift. I suppose it depends upon the couple, their knowledge and affection for champagne.


Exactly. In fact, this is the secret to buying ANY gift. The worst gift-givers are those who buy gifts based on what they like, not what the recipient likes. If the new couple* will appreciate a nice bottle of champagne as a gift, then by all means buy it. If they don't seem to care much about such things, then stick to the registry list.


*REMEMBER: You are buying a gift for two people. I absolutely hate it when people buy wedding gifts for the "couple" that are really just shit the bride wants. For the record, Mrs. Teacher hates it, too...she's very thoughtful.
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post #8 of 30
6/27/08 at 3:27pm
It is my standard gift, DOM, LRC, Bollinger, Le Grande Dame etc.- however I also include the silver champagne bucket. This way they have the very appropriate consumable, and the permanent gesture of celebration.
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post #9 of 30
6/27/08 at 3:58pm
In my case a very good bottle of champagne would be well received. As noted previously it depends on the couple.
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post #10 of 30
6/28/08 at 12:00am
another solution is to give a bottle with two glasses. This works with wine or champagne. And if they have a registry (and who doesn't) their preference for glassware should be listed.
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post #11 of 30
6/28/08 at 12:23am
How young are the couple, [and] are they just starting out?
If not, do they already "have everything"....?
These are the questions I ponder before submitting a gift.

I tend to be very pragmatic for young newlyweds - I remember a couple that just bought their first house and I purchased a complete set of powertools, saws, drills, sanders, screwdrivers and the like, including a fully stocked professional sized toolbox with every conceivable gadget enclosed.

They absolutely loved it, and twenty years later still talk about it.
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post #12 of 30
6/28/08 at 1:22am
A friend just got married a couple weeks. The couple had asked for cash only as gifts, but in addition to the cash that we gave them we also got them a pretty nice bottle of Ice Wine to put away and take out for a future celebration. It went over pretty well.
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post #13 of 30
6/28/08 at 2:31am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Crawford View Post
The couple had asked for cash only as gifts

Don't you just hate it when that happens? So impersonal. If they are thinking correctly and are inviting bona-fide friends that know their tastes, this should not be allowed. Such a thing smacks to me of a pair inviting guests by numbers, if only to exact enough to finance a downpayment on some godforsaken overpriced and mass-produced gluegunned styrofoam condo somewhere.

In that case, a few gift certificates from the Olive Garden or Swiss Chalet may be appropriate.
A bottle of IceWine is a nice punctuation point - as it speaks "you have good taste".
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post #14 of 30
6/28/08 at 3:34am
What about a set of crystal wine glasses?
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post #15 of 30
6/28/08 at 4:54am
no
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