Requesting Cash Gifts at Weddings

Hi, just engaged and looking at wedding costs - which are a bit frightening! We'd like to do a traditional wedding ceremony at home (not really interested in travelling abroad) and with two large extended familes and friends, our numbers could be 200-250, easily.

It looks like we'd have to wait quite a while before getting married if we were to wait until we had saved the money ourselves. Also, as we already have our own home, we don't have a need for typical wedding gifts or a gift registery.

So...I was just wondering what people's opinions are on asking for cash-only gifts, which was suggested to us as a very viable option? I remember an old episode of an Eddie Hobbs show once where he basically maintained that couples should invite as many guests as possible, kindly request a preference for cash gifts & basically let the wedding pay for itself.

If anyone has done this...or plans on doing this...I would love to hear from them, just to get some general advice regarding how it went down with guests, how successful it was, etc.

Thanks

If you go onto www.weddingsonline.ie and put up this query there you will get more of an idea. I know the topic has come up there before so you'll get lots of answers. I thought that most people were giving cash as gifts now, personally thats what I find easiest as you don't have to be wrecking your head trying to think what to buy. Best of luck whenever you decide to have your big day.

Thanks Ash, I've posted there, so hopefully will get some reponses.

DON'T put it in writing on the invitations. DO spread the word through family and friends. I've seen notes in invites asking for money and it's vugar in the extreme.

In general this will work, you will get some gifts anyway as some people just won't give cash, they want you to have something to remember.