Dear Cheryl,

Hi!

My son is getting married soon, and we have yet to meet the bride’s parents. We’ll meet them for the first time at the rehearsal dinner the night before the wedding.

Is giving the bride’s parents a gift at the rehearsal dinner or on the wedding day customary?

Thanks,

Dana

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Hi Dana,

It is rarely “wrong” to give someone a gift, but it might be awkward in this case. It’s not customary for the groom’s parents to give the bride’s parents a gift at either the rehearsal dinner or the wedding.

Traditionally, the groom’s parents host and pay for the rehearsal dinner. I don’t recommend a gift to the bride’s parents if you are hosting the dinner, but a gift might be nice if the bride’s parents are hosting (paying for) the rehearsal dinner.

However, please consider this – Is the wedding in their home town? Keeping track of and transporting a gift might be a burden if the wedding occurs at a destination where the bride’s parents don’t reside. However, a host/hostess gift would be in order if invited to their home.

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If you have questions or comments about gift giving, bridal showers, baby showers, or wedding etiquette, please comment below or email AskCheryl@RegistryFinder.com.

Cheryl Seidel is the founder and President of RegistryFinder.com, an intuitive search engine that helps gift givers quickly and easily find online registries for weddings, baby showers, graduations, and more.