Destination Wedding Etiquette: What to Do with Gifts

Destination weddings present special challenges, such as what should guests do with gifts for the wedding couple. It is perfectly acceptable to send a large or valuable gift to the bride's parents' home or to the couple's home prior to the destination wedding trip. This way the couple won't have to worry about carrying a large number of gifts in their luggage, the possibility of theft, or fret about any customs concerns. Gifts of cash or gift certificates are usually carried to the wedding destination.

A good answer to what to do with a destination wedding gift is to purchase an item for the couple from their honeymoon registry. If the couple has used the services of a destination wedding specialist, it's very likely that they are registered for such a program. A honeymoon registry allows the wedding couple's family and friends to purchase a component of the honeymoon or wedding trip, such as a spa treatment, a special dinner for two, limousine transfers, or a watersports activity. Close to the wedding date, the couple gets a list of the registry gifts purchased for them and by whom.