There question of how much to spend on wedding gifts will have different answers in different countries. Since the author is in the United States, we will address the question from the standpoint of U.S. etiquette.

The Myth about Wedding Gifts and How Much to Spend

With wedding gifts, how much to spend is often decided by a myth that arose some years ago. The myth says you should spend as much on a gift as the bridal couple will spend on your reception meal.

Even if this were true, which it is not, it raises inconvenient questions.

* How can you know before the reception how much is to be spent per person on the reception meal?
* Does this equate to the couple buying their own wedding gifts?
* If a couple is unable to afford a costly, catered reception meal, are they less worthy of nice wedding gifts?
* If only one member of a married couple attends the reception, should they give a wedding gift half as costly as that of a couple that attends the reception together?
* Are guests to be thought “cheap” if they fail to meet the cost (unknown to them) of their reception meals?

Talk of wedding gifts and how much to spend must address those questions and more. If the bridal couple plans a destination wedding, and each guest must pay air fare and hotel bills as well as provide a wedding gift, will the burden be too great? If the bride and groom opt for a casual wedding, are they opting for cheap wedding gifts?

The Truth about Wedding Gifts and How Much to Spend

The truth about wedding gifts and how much to spend on them is much different from the myth. Emily Post states that etiquette has no rule on the matter. Guests should decide how much to spend based on their affection for the bride and groom guide. They should also avoid the temptation to spend more than they can afford.

If your budget - and you should have one - sets aside $25 monthly for gifts or miscellaneous items, the wedding gift should come from that amount. Be aware that if you decide to save your “gift money” for four months to give a $100 wedding gift, you will have only eight months of “gift money” for your other gifts, such as birthdays, Christmas, and anniversaries.

Swallow Your Pride

One reason for discussions on wedding gifts and how much to spend on them is pride. Far too often, we tend to worry about looking cheap in front of other guests. The groomsmen might scoff at your gift. Bridesmaids might gossip about how much less monetary value your gift had than Mrs. So-and-So’s gift. That is not what counts. You are not, or should not, be giving a wedding gift to win points or show yourself to be better than others. Weddings are not Olympic competitions.

Select a gift that will remind the bride and groom of your friendship. If you cannot afford to spend as you would like, have a garage sale to raise money. Or forego new clothing and use “clothing money” from your budget.

Helpful Tip

Follow standard etiquette, and send the wedding gift to the bride’s home. Do not deliver it in person or take it to the wedding. If wedding gifts are carried to the wedding, the bridal couple should open them at home in private. Heed etiquette, and no one will see wedding gifts at the wedding.

Need holiday cards for pet lovers? You should have no trouble finding them! With just a little effort, you can find Akita holiday cards for those large Japanese dogs. A brief search can turn up Beagle holiday cards for a cute little hunting dog. You can buy holiday cards for Pit Bulls and Chihuahua. So where do you get them?

Dog Lover Boxed Holiday Cards

Dog boxed holiday cards turn up in the oddest places. We found Dachshund dog boxed holiday cards on a website selling calendars. We discovered they had many kinds of cards.

Guide Dog Holiday Cards

Guide dog holiday cards are available, too. Guide dog holiday cards offer pictures such as these:

* A guide dog lying among other gifts - the greatest gift
* A guide dog in a gift-wrapped box - the gift of second sight
* A guide dog leading its owner from a holiday-decked home

Guide dog holiday cards are available from the Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind, and their purchase helps the Foundation’s work.

Pet Charity Holiday Cards

Pet charity holiday cards also are popular. To find them, visit places such as these:

* Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA)
* Dogalogue has a good selection of pet charity holiday cards
* Pop Arf is another good place

Free Printable Christmas Holiday Cards of Dogs

Free printable Christmas holiday cards of dogs can often be found on breed websites. Can’t find exactly the right free printable Christmas holiday cards of dogs? Simply create your own with a computer and printer. Avery, supplier of card stock for printable cards, offers templates free of charge.

Cat Holiday Cards

Cat lovers are not left out when it comes to sending holiday cards. Visit cat breed websites or pet charity sites to quickly find cat cards. Curiosities Greeting Cards is an amusing place to look at cat cards. They offer greeting cards featuring cats for birthdays, holidays, or any occasion.

Free Animated Holiday Cards of Cats and Dogs

Free animated holiday cards of cats and dogs are available on many of the free e-card sites. Action Cat offers free animated holiday cards of both cats and dogs, despite the site’s name. Blue Mountain also offers free animated holiday cards of cats, dogs, and other pets.

We review Blue Mountain on this website. To read that review, click here or on the Blue Mountain button at the top of this page. To visit Blue Mountain RIGHT NOW, click here. You will be taken directly to that site.

Helpful Tip

Holiday cards are not limited to one holiday. The calendar is filled with holidays, and stores are filled with cards for pet lovers.

Need some ideas on corporate gifts? Not too thrilled with sending another bouquet of flowers or fruit baskets? You’ve given wine products for three years in a row?

When you need some ideas on corporate gifts, set aside a few minutes to think of the person or persons who will be receiving the gift. What do you know about them? What could you find out in a few minutes of research?

Thoughtful and Personal

When you need some ideas on corporate gifts, the ideas you need are those that will show thoughtfulness. They will be personal to the extent that they strike a chord with the recipient.

For example, if a corporate gift is going to a person who loves golf, key the gift to that interest. If you know the recipient’s alma mater, order a memorable corporate gift that is linked to that school. They may or may not be promotional. The promotional effect is gained in business by being thoughtful and personal.

Ideas for Corporate Gifts

When you need some ideas on corporate gifts, you may have to order baskets your way. Think along these lines:

1. Golf: Find a place that will make up a basket filled with golf merchandise: balls, tees, joke book, 7-in-1 golf tool kit, golf towel, etc. Your corporate gift might be packed in a basket, or in a golf driving range bucket.

2. Alma Mater: Corporate gifts for loyal alumni - or those who identify with a particular university sports team - can feature that school. They are a great choice for hard-to-buy-for executives you want to impress. Assemble a package or basket containing items featuring the team logo: bleacher cushion, mug, bumper sticker, sweat shirt, etc.

3. Cocoa Addict: You’ve noticed that at every meeting, the intended recipient of the corporate gift simply must have at least one, and often two large mugs of hot cocoa. Assemble a custom-made basket for the cocoa addict. Buy a very large mug, packets of premium grade cocoa, coasters, and a container of biscotti. Include a single fine napkin, monogrammed if budget allows.

4. Coffee/Tea Addicts: Create a corporate gift similar to that for the cocoa addict above.

5. Incentives: Sometimes, corporate gifts are actually incentives. Incentives are rapidly increasing in popularity in every area of corporate life. Vacations, cameras, electronic equipment, and more that were once reserved as awards for the sales department are now being used to spur productivity in every department. A trip to an upscale resort and a new digital camera are rewards worth earning.

Helpful Tip

When you need some ideas on corporate gifts, think first of tailoring every corporate gift to the interests of the recipient.