Cathy Classics by Cathy Guisewite for August 11, 2013

No, I think she’s shopping for a friend’s wedding. lol

I know someone who complained that they didn’t get enough cash for wedding gifts to pay for the reception they hosted for the guests who attended.

So ridiculous! I’m going through my mom’s dining room and it’s fun to see the nice gifts that she got for her wedding. When did weddings change from wishing the new couple well to a “gimme” fest? Good morning, Cathy clan! summerdog – that’s so sad! I’ve read so many times about couples who complain about the money they’ve spent on a reception and how a gift should be either cash or worth a certain amount. Pathetic! Either have a wedding that you can afford or don’t complain at all!I enjoyed my wedding because it was the only time that the loved ones from my entire life were in the same place at the same time. How fun! We had a wedding that we could afford and it was perfect!

While I think it’s outrageous for people to expect to be given the cash to cover the cost of their wedding (look, that money is spent and GONE, so deal with it!), I have absolutely no problem giving cash instead of a gift. I got a whole lot of useless stuff for my wedding, and I could have bought a few nice, practical things with the cash equivalent. I have no problem with being asked for cash in lieu of gifts either. That’s been going on for at least the last 30 years, and it makes everybody’s life a whole lot easier as far as I’m concerned so it should really just be an accepted practice!

The only trouble with the weddings I’ve attended (and given a cash gift to) is that the marriages don’t last! Every wedding I have gone to in the past 10 years has ended up in divorce except the last two, and that was only 2 years ago. Give them a few more years….

Maybe Cathy should just send a card with her best wishes. It’d be cheaper, at least.

HI, MOM. Happy Sunday, Clan.

Who is this couple anyhow? Are they also friends with the Kennedys, Rockefellers, and Carnegies?!? Wanting expensive stuff like this, especially when it sounds like it would never be used, is ridiculous and greedy. While a reasonably priced gift registry is extremely useful in helping new couples get started if they don’t already have the basic essentials, I’m guessing that a “want” list like this is pretty much out MOST peoples’ price range these days [I know it is mine!] so why on earth would you even ask for any of it?!? If it were me, I’d skip the event first before I’d buy an expensive gift I couldn’t afford and nothing off the list would be “acceptable” [even if it was similar] because it wouldn’t cost enough to cover my plate of food at the reception!

lightenup is absolutely right: just have a wedding you can afford and try to be happy with it! You can go on the cheap for a lot of things wedding-related and it can STILL be nice. Going into debt up to your eyeballs for just one day out of your life is stupid and irresponsible. If you’re going to spend a lot of money you don’t have, then do it on something more tangible than one huge, expensive party — like on a HOUSE, for heaven’s sake! At least at the end of the day, that will give you something to show for all the money you’ve spent and that will actually last longer than just one single day. That’s what my husband and I did almost 25 years ago and we’ve never regretted it since. [By the way, we didn’t even have a wedding gift registry. People could give us whatever they wanted and if they didn’t want to give anything at all, that was fine too; we just wanted them there with us to share in our happiness and for no other reason. Even though it was a very small wedding and reception, I’d say a good time was still had by all that day — especially us — and given that we’re still just as happily married today as we were back then, I think we made a very wise decision when it came to the way we did things.]

Hi, rgcviper!

Hello and Happy Sunday fellow “Cathy” clan. Hope everyone had a really nice weekend!

My wife and I still have and use many of the gifts we received on our wedding day – and that was over 36 years ago and we also did not have a registry! But I have been to weddings that were essentially cash grabs – did not give a gift at one and that was for a very close friend. He did understand – he wasn’t too pleased with the greed his bride was showing! Their marriage lasted 10 years – to the day. Funny – they renewed their vows on their 10th anniversary (complete with reception and more cash grab stuff) and split the next day.

We were married 45 years ago (in a few days’ time), and we had only twenty people there, almost all family. Gifts were things like sheets and blankets, a dinner service and a tablecloth. All practical things and no duplicates. There was no wedding list – those hadn’t been invented!

But – that was a different world. I think I prefer mine to the modern grab-fest.

Just get a gift card! that solves everything.hello cathy clan!