More wedding, baby shower hosts say
In an uncertain economy, more brides and grooms and parents are exempting their guests from buying gifts.
Americans are aware of high inflation and rising job losses – so when hosts say their friends are having enough, they likely mean it.
“More and more hosts are recognizing the financial pressures their attendees can be under and saying, ‘Just because I want this $1,000 stroller for my new baby, doesn’t mean my friends have to.’ want to go for it,” Wall Street Journal consumer trends reporter Rachel Wolff told CBS News. “So hosts are trying to be a little more savvy about giving people more options.”
Some people celebrating their special day go out of their way to assure guests that the “no gifts” request is genuine.
“These days, you actually have a presence,” Wolff said. For example, engaged couples are mindful that their friends and family are “paying for more expensive flights, hotels, possibly childcare to be here.” “
Some couples even fear that in the current economic climate, guests won’t be able to attend their expensive weddings, and are hoping that eliminating gifts will help ease the financial burden of paying for airfare, lodging, and more. Sometimes it is spent on clothing.
According to a survey of 1,000 people by wedding planning site The Knot, guests spent $160 on wedding gifts in 2022.
Gift intervention
According to social planning website Evite, 33,000 invitations sent through the platform this year called for guests to arrive empty-handed — up 18 percent from the same period in 2022.
Some event planners are deploying assistants at event entrances to collect gifts from people who don’t follow the rules, Wolfe said.
Changing norms around marriage are also driving the no-gifting trend. “It used to be that people were helping a married couple settle into a new home,” Wolff said. “They were helping them build a house together. But now, with so many people living together before marriage, they already have a blender and dish towels so they need more of those things. do not have.”