When Do You Open Wedding Gifts

In the event of a wedding you might receive gifts one or two days before the wedding, during the wedding, and sometimes after the wedding. So many of our readers have asked a very common question regarding wedding gifts and that is; when is the best time to open the wedding gifts.

Well, there is no exact fixed time available to open your wedding gifts. It’s totally up to you to decide when you are unwrapping those incredibly generous presents. If you receive gifts before the wedding then you should immediately open the presents so you will have a head start on handwriting your thank you notes.        

And for the gifts that you have received on your wedding, you can wait and unwrap them after your honeymoon or you can unwrap them immediately before your honeymoon. Both options have their advantages. Let’s take a look at them.

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The Advantages of Unwrapping Gifts after Honeymoon

If you are leaving for your honeymoon within a few days of your wedding then you should wait until you come back from your honeymoon to unwrap the gifts. In fact, it’s not impolite to send the thank-you notes out a few weeks after the wedding. Moreover, it is wiser to write the thank you notes as soon as you have opened the gift boxes. So if you don’t have time to write the notes before the honeymoon, then don’t open those boxes. Moreover, opening the gifts after honeymoon gives you something to look forward to upon return, helping to stave off those dreaded post-wedding blues.

The Advantages of Unwrapping Gifts before Honeymoon

If you are going to your honeymoon for several weeks or months after your wedding then you should take some time to unwrap the gifts before the honeymoon. Moreover, if you are leaving for a week or two then you should try to unwrap the gifts before your honeymoon. This way you will be able to send the thank you cards quickly. Many newlyweds also benefit from using the monetary gifts they receive at the wedding. They can use this type of gift while they’re traveling. But if you are using the monetary gifts before opening other gifts then you should send the thank you notes.

The Do’s of Wedding Gift Opening

You can throw a wedding gift-opening party though it is not popular as the bridal shower or bachelorette party but it is gaining popularity. You can host this party following post-wedding brunch but if you only want your family members and close friends to attend the party then wait until most of your guests have left. So it will leave you the closest friends and family.

You can call for help when opening the gifts. Sometimes it might become difficult to open all the gifts by yourself so you can call the maid of honor or best man to help you open the gifts and keep track of them. They can write down who gave you what and can help you find specific addresses so you can give the gift giver a proper thank-you note.

If you have leftover wedding food and cake and don’t know what to do with them then you can serve the leftover at the gift-opening party! So the foods won’t go to waste and you can keep the celebration going a little longer.

The Don’ts of Wedding Gift Opening

Make sure you don’t open the cash and card gifts in the gift opening party. Because it is not proper to open cards and cash gifts in front of the other guests. Therefore, it is best to save these types of gifts for later. You can open them later in your room with your spouse privately.

If you don’t want to wait until the wedding is over to open the gifts; it’s ok. You can open them whenever you want. Many couples think that they have to wait for the wedding to over and then they can open their gifts. However, if you receive a gift in the mail before the wedding then open it. This way you can get a jumpstart on writing thank-you notes way before your wedding day.

Many couples think that the wedding reception is the best time to open the gifts, but that’s not true. Because the wedding is not like a birthday party where you can take the guest from the food and the dance floor to make them watch you open presents. What you can do is; invite your close friends and family members over to your home after your wedding has passed to open the gifts and reveal what each guest got you.

Final Thoughts

Finally, you can open the wedding gifts whenever you want but it is wiser to follow the wedding gift opening etiquettes. So follow the gift opening manners and open the gifts when you are free or according to your plans.

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