We are going to a baby shower soon where no gift wrapping has been requested. We will “wrap” our gift in something like a baby blanket or towel.
You could wrap a gift in a beach towel…that would fit their honeymoon theme.
We have been to several weddings where the only gift requests were for the honeymoon.
Honeymoon experiences, such as dinner, delta gift cards. A $275 yeti cooler.
If there is a gift to be brought and the only physical gifts are quite pricey, the gift is to be unwrapped and brought with only a paper tag.
Plus a recipe
My mil just called, she’s confused about the gift giving also
Well, I guess you just walk by the table, drop a few 20’s 
and put your initials on the bills!! 
That’s what it feels like.
Just my thoughts as my D1 will be having a shower in December (when she is with fiance’s family for the holidays) and another shower next spring here at home. I told D1 that “older” people would like to get an actual gift for the shower versus just money. D1 and fiance do have some things they would like for their home and are going to create a registry at Crate and Barrel and Target. They are going to New Zealand for their honeymoon and are going to ask for experience type gifts for their wedding.
As far as bringing gifts unwrapped. I have been to several showers where they asked not to wrap gifts or give cards as they didn’t want all the paper waste. The last baby shower I went to I bought a special book and wrote in it who it was from. I wrapped the gifts in receiving blankets to follow what was asked for.
When pricier items are on the registry, it can work to give a group gift. (I once was in charge of a group gift for a baby shower. Would have liked to get something big, but without a registry for guidance ended up getting multiple small things. It was at Target, so I suppose the mom could have done an exchange.)
Call me a cranky old lady.
a little bit of paper waste when all the guests are driving their big old gas guzzling cars to the event, seems like a small thing.
I don’t like showers but if I’m going to go, it’ would be nice for it not to feel like a cash grab. Unwrap the gifts.
DD2 and BF have been a couple for 4 years, and currently do not work in the same city. As soon as BF gets his career job in the city DD2 is (and she did a planned move there for them), the engagement and wedding will happen within a year. They are 27 and 26 now. We are getting to know BF w/o DD2 because he secured a good job in our area, and is saving money by living with us (he is no trouble and we are enjoying him/getting to know him better). I had wondered if he is as committed to DD2 as she is to him, and now I know, yes he is! He is a great choice. DD1 (4 years younger than SIL) married at 23, and now they have 4 children (DD1 is 29 and SIL is 33). Although DH and I married young, we were married 15 years when DD1 was born. DDs are 25 months apart in age.
“Experience type gifts for their wedding” and going to New Zealand. I would not know where to start.
On the 3 weddings we went to last year (consecutive weekends in different states, a total 3800 car travel for us) we gave same amount of cash to all, as well as practical kitchen type gifts that every young couple can use, as well as a special book. One couple used the cash to help with patio furnishings (they had previously built a new home), one couple - the cash was helpful in their budget. The third couple is trying to conceive, and had a delayed cruise. The first two already had babies (the second couple had twin boys!). Praying for the 3rd couple! The twin boys just got a nice selection of baby clothes sent to us from Kohl’s, including two newborn outfits that are getting used next week when they attend a wedding.
The nephew’s wedding in April, ditto on the gift. They went to Italy for their honeymoon and used the cash towards their honeymoon costs. They already have a house.
Stating no cards and prefer no gift wrap. Uh, are they not using any paper products with the shower either?
I do like the idea of ‘wrap’ with baby blanket for baby shower, kitchen towels or bath towels for wedding shower - and I like the beach towel idea but who knows if they ‘need’ those. Nice kitchen or bath towels will typically get used at some point. So just have a small square pinned to the gift with ID of who it is from.
The wedding website will have links to experience gifts people can give. This is very common among D1 and her fiance’s friends. D1 went to a friend’s wedding last year and gave the couple a special dinner they requested on their honeymoon in France. Cash gifts are always good too then they couple can use them as they like.
We gave our kids their big gift (money toward wedding fund) after they were engaged. But at wedding weekend we gave them a card with some Euros… said “open now”…. told them to do something special while on the honeymoon in Paris.
So out of curiosity - how long is it taking to get thank you’s for all these gifts - if you’re getting thank you’s at all? We sent nephew wedding gifts in late March (wedding was June 3) and have heard nothing back. Brother mentioned how much they liked them, and bride tweeted picture of something they made with the gifts - but no direct acknowledgement. I know my sister-in-law raised nephew correctly!
We sent a gift early April for a late April wedding, no thank you yet.
If you’re “wrapping” a shower/wedding gift I’ll make the suggestion of a nice Turkish towel/beach towel. They are thinner so your gift doesn’t look bulky and they are also popular with the younger crowd.
Something like this
EPHESUS TOWELS Turkish Beach Towel - Turkish Cotton - 39x71 inch Oversized - Turkish Towel for Beach, Bath, Pool, Gym, Yoga - Prewashed, Lightweight, Quick Dry (Anthracite, New Sultan Pack 1) https://a.co/d/6ew8gde
We attended a wedding in early April and I sent a gift the week of the wedding and we have already received a thank you card.
My sister is tapping her toes impatiently over some thank yous. She’s not received one for a baby gift sent in June and mostly just wants to know the gift was received (as we’ve experienced incorrect and mis-delivered items).
For a wedding gift where the wedding isn’t until Labor Day, she received a text from the bride saying she’d send a formal note later but just wanted my sister to let her know they’d received it. This wedding is a ‘two-fer’ for my sister as the father of the bride is a long time friend and godfather to my nephew (even I’ve known the bride for 27 years) and the groom is one of my nephew’s best friends from grade school, high school, and college. Assume the couple will send out formal notes after the wedding to keep it straight on the notes for gifts received through the summer and at/near the wedding and to thank the people for coming to the wedding.
What’s amusing to me is that my new niece-in-law tweets every day about all the games she is playing. So I know what she is doing with her time! Nephew is presumably very busy job searching.
I wonder if the tweet is their way of saying thank you 
Honeymoon experiences can be an alternative to giving cash as a wedding gift.
I guess I wonder who wants to throw these wedding showers? The bride? The brides mother?
I guess if there is a sparse “registry”, it would seem that you want cash. It doesn’t feel like I want a shower also, which to cranky old me, feels like a celebration to give physical gifts.
I sent niece a portacrib and asked whether they had received it because Amazon said it was delivered. She apologized and said she had received it. I told her that was all I was concerned about.