Speeches and gifts - erm, HELP!

Sammyjay, I don't know what I'm going to do because my MIL2B isn't really involved in the wedding as she lives in Canada whereas my Mum is helping loads (money and making things).

I'd got the impression that it's only people who help that you give presents to during the speeches. We have planned to get my mum something but possibly not floers probably something she can keep, and my best friend a little something too, and brother who is helping with making our favours. I'm getting all of my bridesmaids a necklace to say thank you but we will not give these out at the speeches, probably before we leave the house.x

We are planning on gifts for parents, bridesmaids, best man, ushers and readers, but won't be presenting them during the speeches as we want to keep the speeches short - we're just going to put them in people's places at the tables, but will thank everyone. It also won't be flowers for the mums, but things that are a bit more personal.

Personally I am pretty riled that we have to buy my MIL2B anything as she has been nothing but a pain the backside, lol, while my parents have done loads. But couldn't really get her nothing and my parents a lovely gift!

WSS!

I got my mum a 'beautitful mum' journal that I think will mean more to her than flowers. Not sure about the rest of the bridal party, but we will prob do it the morning of the wedding, or the morning after depending on who stays over at our venue. My OH is determined to keep the speeches as short as possible!

I'm also in the keeping speeches short camp. I want to get some lovely gifts for everyone who's helped us but I imagine it'll be boring for everyone else. Not sure how much help others are getting but we've got a lot of volunteers and helpers and guess we'd be there for hours thanking everyone.

It depends on what you want to do and who you want to thank!

I have been to weddings where mums, BMs, best man and ushers have all got gifts (and anyone else who has helped). I have been to one where the presents were given to all of the usual people AND the nieces and nephews, the nieces were flower girls, the nephews were little more than babies and were thanked for being "page boys" even though they weren't- I suppose the B and G didn't want to leave them out AND then bride gave the groom a present at this point (a season ticket for his football team- yes it must have cost £1k)! A tad ostentatious in my opinion, the present giving went on for aaaaaages.

I have been to weddings where there have been no gifts given during the speeches, but mums etc have been thanked.

As OH's family are over the top when it comes to giving out presents- he is one of 4 and the other weddings have so far been expensive and showy (the ostentatious present-giving wedding as mentioned above was one of his brothers), we are taking a stand and not giving out any gifts during the speeches. It is a bit of a can of worms anyway, if I give mums a present then I would want to give step-mum one too as I wouldn't want her feeling left out, ditto my gran (then my step-gran). Therefore, I will give any presents to mums and BMs on the morning of the wedding. They will be thanked in the speeches, but we won't be giving them their presents then.

We are givin gifts in the morning me to my mum and dad and oh to his as we have got cuff links for the dads we want them to wear them on the day

We gave our gifts the night before, at the rehearsal and on the morning of the wedding interflora delivered bouquets to our mums.......

Personally, we will not be giving out gifts during the speeches. We need to keep our speeches short due to the timings and although I will of course get my H2B to thank the important people, we don't think we need to make a big display of handing out presents. That's just what works for us of course, others will want to do it and also if you need to stretch the speeches out for your timings then it could work well.

I think we will buy our parents photo albums with our wedding photos in, so we won't actually give them a present until well after the wedding day. Bridesmaids will already have their jewellery and I have bought them little notebooks as a token gift... may just give those to them on a separate day as it's just another thing to carry around etc.