Guest Post - Gift-Giving Etiquette: Dos and Don’ts of Wedding Presents

Weddings are a wonderful celebration of love and unity and an opportunity to shower the happy couple with presents that will make their life more comfortable and beautiful. But, what is the acceptable gift for such an occasion?

Do follow the registry

Registries exist for a reason. Most couples need the basics for their new life together, so buying from the registry will ensure they really get what they want. Sure, buying towels might not be super exciting and original, but that’s something that will get used a lot and really make their lives easier. Sticking to the registry is your safest bet.

Do personalized gifts

In recent years, personalized and customized gifts have become increasingly popular for weddings. A wine gift basket filled with various types of wine and gourmet snacks is a practical and sentimental gift that the couple can enjoy on special occasions or save for a future milestone, such as their first anniversary. Other ideas for customized gifts can include monogrammed towels or linens, custom-made jewelry, or a piece of artwork featuring the couple's initials or a special quote. These gifts show the couple that you have put thought and effort into selecting a gift that is meaningful and unique to them. Keep in mind that customized gifts may take longer to produce, so order them well before the wedding to ensure that they arrive on time. As with any gift, it's the thought counts, and the couple is sure to appreciate the personalized touch that a customized gift brings.

Do cash out

In many cases, couples prefer cash, so there’s no shame in stuffing an envelope and gifting it to the newlyweds. However, some cultural exceptions might exist, so if you’re unsure, check with the couple or their family members and friends. Cash is especially attractive to younger couples who are just starting their lives together and need the money for student loans or getting a place to live. Couples like that will survive without a new toaster, but money might be something they really need. If cold cash is a bit too impersonal for you, you can opt for personalized gift cards that allow your couple to shop in millions of stores around the world and online. Just choose your design or upload an image and the newlyweds will get the personalized card in the mail.

Do ship it

Bringing gifts to the wedding can be tricky, both for you and the wedding party. You will need to carry the gift with you and the bridesmaids, or couple’s family, will have to make sure all the gifts reach the newlyweds in one piece after they get back from the honeymoon. So, instead, choose to ship the gift to the bride and groom’s home. This will spare you all the hustle and skip the middleman. It's better to ship it off directly, especially when it's something valuable like a diamond ring, designer piece necklace, or pearl earrings like Mikimoto pearl earrings to avoid damaging or worse, losing the gift on the way.

Don’t wait too long

Even though there’s an old tradition that states that wedding guests have a year to give the couple a gift. However, it’s better to leave that old belief in the past and give your present on time. Even sending your gift a bit before the wedding is completely acceptable. A couple of months delay is something you can get away with, but anything longer than that is considered rude.

Don’t underspend

Underspending is just a trait of bad taste. The amount of money people usually spend on the gift depends on the closeness to the couple and location of the wedding. Most people agree that spending between $50 and $75 is a good number for an acquaintance, $75 to $125 is a good amount for a friend while close relatives usually go $125 and above. If it’s a destination wedding, you can spend less, but if you’re bringing a plus one, spend a bit more.

Don’t hesitate to go with a group gift

If you’re planning on getting your couple something big, it’s more than okay to group up. However, make sure to check whether newlyweds need that item. If they already have a washing machine, getting another one will be a complete waste of money. But, if that’s something you know they need, it’s an amazing group gift idea the couple will know how to cherish.

Sticking to this guide will ensure your couple is satisfied with their gift and that you don’t embarrass yourself. Now that you know your gift won’t flunk, you can relax and get wild on the dance floor!

Author Bio: Amelia Atkins is an author at Smooth Decorator and a fresh architecture student. The love for architecture and design runs in her family and she knew what she wanted to do from a very young age. You can often find her with a notepad in hand, just looking at the clouds, dreaming about the next skyscraper. Twitter / Facebook.

Interview - Connecticut Cookie Company

A recurring theme at House to Home Organizing is a desire to move away from stuff and towards experiences. One can hardly think of a more enjoyable experience than eating a warm cookie. We spoke with Andrea of the Connecticut Cookie Company to learn more these local sweet treats.

What is your background, how did you get started?

Well, I've been designing in the fashion industry for over twenty years.  Baking was my "therapy" when I designed for Abercrombie a.k.a. "Aberzombie" when I was there a while ago.  Growing up (in Cincinnati, Ohio), my mom baked a lot using the vanilla extract from my grandma's hometown in Indiana. I was more interested in decorating cookies rather than baking when I was a kid. 

Cookies are in the title, what kinds and do you have non-cookie items?

Sure! First off, the foundation of the business is our pure vanilla extract. A 75+ year old recipe.  We also have: cake pops, edible cookie dough, coffee, tea, espresso, cupcakes, GIANT chocolate chip cookies, cakes and our signature "Quick fix brittle" (almond toffee britlle with Belgian Dark Chocolate Sea salt with graham cracker). Also, around Thanksgiving we have pies. Everything is made from scratch using our CT Cookie vanilla extract. 

You are based in Fairfield, where can people buy your cookies?

Our cookie shop is location at 2385 Black Rock Turnpike in Fairfield. We're across the street from Trader Joe's and next to Lenox Jewelers. Two miles off the Merritt Parkway; five miles off 95. Our cookies can also be ordered on our web site:  CTCOCO.com.  You can see what we're up to on instagram.

Does anyone ever ask about custom orders?

Oh yes, we do A LOT of custom cookie orders for showers, weddings, graduations, corporate - you name it! We've done custom cakes and cupcakes for a few catering events. I would say the best custom order we've had to date was (sad story) one of our customers was dying from cancer. She loved our oatmeal raisin cookies (she even said they were to die for! ha.) she planned her funeral gathering around our cookies and had cookies and milk in her memory. Which we all thought was amazing! 

What do you suggest for someone with special dietary restrictions?

We do bake gluten free cookies, cake pops, brownies and edible dough.  Our facility does contain nuts.

I'm sure people are jealous that you get to work with cookies all day, what is it really like?

Ha, people do say that. We work nonstop and when customers come into the shop saying "it smells so great in here!" that makes it all worthwhile. 

What are some of your most popular items?

Chocolate chip cookies, our pure vanilla extract, edible cookie dough, quick fix brittle, cake pops and sugar cookies. 

Interview - Hoardable Hotsauce

As organizers we are always steering our clients towards experiences and consumables as gifts instead of stuff. We spoke with the folks at Connecticut's own Hoardable Hotsauce for obvious reasons.

As Professional Organizers we are very interested in the name. What is the origin?

Well the truth is we wish there was a great story behind the name but all we have is as its told, while tasting the test batches at their origin someone said “this stuff is so good you can hoard it” when another replied “well I agree, it sure is hoardable” and just like that, Hoardable Hot Sauce got its name.

Are your sauces made in Connecticut and what is the relationship with the source of the ingredients?

We are fully made in Connecticut. We purchase all of our produce from local organic farms. We personally cut and mix the produce along with our co packers who cook and bottle our product all at their FDA facility, which is also located in Ct.

The must ask questions for hot sauce, which one is the hottest and just how hot is it?

Our hottest sauce is named “Cruel & Unusual Punishment” While the name deems it the hottest of our three sauces it is not a heat level that one might think. We use a Bhut Jolokia Ghost pepper that rates 1.2 million heat units on the Scoville scale; however we cut the heat with other ingredients to ensure we do not over power our fans.  It is important to us that we are not the gimmicky hot sauce that you use once and it then sits in your cupboard because it’s too hot to use. Our flavor is what is most important and we want you to taste the food that you are eating while enjoying the heat as an added kick. Use a lot of it, come back for more!      

For people unaccustomed to hot sauce what is the best way to ease into the heat?

For the beginner we always recommend our Red Pepper Mix. This is our Mild sauce which we refer to as a liquid salsa, or our utility sauce.  It is made with sweet red Bell Peppers, red Jalapeños, Garlic, Onions, Carrots, Sea Salt and Vinegar. It does not bring much heat but is full of flavor. It compliments anything from Chicken to Pizza and even goes great on Eggs.          

Any interesting or fun adventures with the sauces since they hit the market

Since we have hit the market it has been a great ride. We have had a lot of fun learning, growing, and brining this product to market in such a diverse arena.  We recently partnered with a subscription service “Fuego Box” which is headquartered in California.  We were asked to have our “Cruel & Unusual Punishment” sauce featured in their box of the month club. Not only was it flattering to be chosen by their team but we were never ready for the “YouTube” fan base that they had reviewing the sauces. The video reviews while positive certainly brought certain levity when they were pleasantly surprised by the heat of the Bhut Jolokia Ghost pepper.

Interview - Lisa Goldman, One Hope Cause Entrepreneur

We recently met Lisa at an event and found her story interesting especially since we are always advising clients to move towards experiences instead of aquiring stuff.

Can you describe what One Hope is and how the charity works?

OneHope was founded in 2007.  The vineyard is in Napa Valley California and out wine is created in collaboration with Robert Mondavi Jr. All orders are shipped via UPS and take approximately 1 week to deliver. We have a collection of award winning wines, gifts, and other gourmet products, with every item providing a built-in donation to very meaningful cause partners. Each wine varietal is linked to a charity that is carefully vetted and then supports. Some examples of our causes are Autism, childhood hunger, veteran support, pet adoptions, LGBTQ crisis lines, cancer treatment clinical trials etc.  

When someone makes a purchase they are giving back. In addition to selling directly from my business page, I also hold in-home or in-office wine tasting events. The host or hostess of the event can choose a charity that is close to them. 50% of the profits are donated to the partner causes and 15% of half and full case sales from wine tasting events go to the host/hostess' choice.  These events are a fun way to try new wines, learn about the different varietals, and raise money for local charities. To date the OneHope foundation has given over $1.7 million to nonprofits.

OneHope wine also has corporate gifting options we can have your company's name or logo branded onto a beautiful wood gift box.

How did you first get involved with One Hope?

I am a special education teacher working for birth to three. I was just looking for something to do where I can meet some new people and maybe make some extra money. I heard about a direct sales wine company, I researched it and found out about OneHope.  Once I heard about the fundraising aspect of the company I was hooked. 

What are some of the tastings events you have run?

I have done several in- home wine tasting events, happy hour events at realtor offices, online events, bridal shows and networking events.

As Organizers we are always striving to move from stuff to experiences, how have people responded to your business?

People absolutely love the idea of getting their friends or coworkers together for a fun night of wine tasting. Once they hear about the fundraising aspect of it they are blown away.

Which wine is your favorite?

My personal favorite wine is our Sparkling Brut and our Pinot Noir.  And I'm in love with all of our glitter bottles. They are very special. They make fantastic gifts!