A Letter from Lindsay and Travis
Dear Guests,
Gifts are a difficult topic to discuss when considering a wedding. Most guides to wedding etiquette insist that any mention of gift-giving is taboo. Meanwhile, the thoughts and opinions on the purpose and decorum of wedding gift-giving are wildly divergent. Wedding gifts remain unspeakable for wedding organizers while simultaneously becoming an entire industry for businesses.
As a couple, we feel that our guests are too important to leave our thoughts on wedding gifts unspoken. We cherish you as friends and family, and we value your time and effort. Ambiguity on gift giving seems a disservice to our guests on such an important day of our lives.
Initially, it cannot be overstated that your attendance at our wedding festivities is the greatest gift we could ask for. Both of us have been blessed with large families and even larger circles of friends, such that each and every invitation was a careful and deliberate decision. No material possession can compare to your involvement in our lives on this weekend and throughout our new life together. No additional gift is necessary.
That said, if you would enjoy bringing a gift to our wedding we have several options to help you make that decision. We have created several wedding registries that list items that fit perfectly into our life plan together.
However, experienced wedding goers will quickly note that the registries are not particularly large. (Our Bed, Bath and Beyond, at-least-three-gifts-for-every-guest registry consultant wouldn't approve!) But the registry size is a reflection of where we are in our lives. Unlike some newly wed couples, we're downsizing--rather than upsizing--our material possessions as we start our life together. After our wedding we'll be living in a fiscally sound studio apartment equivalent in Manhattan, Kansas, such that Travis can finish his degree. After Travis completes his degree, we are moving to Boston, Massachusetts, where Lindsay will pursue graduate school studying museum education.
As you can imagine, with studio apartments and a big cross-country move in our near future, there are just not many new material possessions that we need at this point in our life. As we pursue our hopes and dreams together, a materially conservative life filled with the love of our friends and family is what will serve us best as we bide our time to finish Travis's degree, conquer student loans, and save for the big move to Boston!
Thank you for everything,
Lindsay Dowell & Travis Bradshaw