Did you buy your parents a gift if they didn’t help contribute to the wedding?

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Hell yeahFor those who financed their weddings themselves (AKA no parental financial help, or help from anyone other than you and your beloved), how did you go about gift-getting for your parents? Did you even give gifts to your parents? If so, was it something sentimental, bought, or otherwise?

I have no plans on buying any of our collective parents anything for the wedding. I'll probably gift them something with our portrait on it afterwards, but according to one article read, we're not required to buy our parents anything since they did not financially contribute to the wedding at all (they do have to travel there but everyone else has to also).

I'm curious to get some other input on this issue!
-Caroline

If they have been helpful in particular ways or if you want to recognize their contribution to your life (great parents are worth thanking!) then some gesture might be nice. No, you don't have to give them a gift. But it is a nice thing to do. It doesn't have to be super expensive. It could even be just a nice dinner together. We're always a fan of any opportunity to give gifts, but usually tend toward sentimental gifts that are high on emotional impact, low on cost.

But as we always say when it comes to etiquette — everyone's got an opinion, so let's hear 'em!

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