Worst wedding presents ever....

[Swank]

We have an awful gift that has been making it's way through my family for the last 20 years.

My oldest cousin received this set of a cookie jar/salt and pepper shakers that are shaped like cats. Perhaps it wouldn't be bad if you were a cat lover, but the things are just hideous (think dollar store quality paint job). A few years later when her sister got married she gave it to her as a shower gift and labeled the box "The Ugly Cat"

I believe it has now been re-gifted to 11 cousins. Each time the giver writes a message on the box for the new recipient, so now the box is covered with notes. The joke is always how long you will have to keep it and who will wind up with it last. My one cousin married just two weeks before I did, so she made out pretty well. I had the thing in my attic for a few years.

My wife's family re-gifted a throw blanket that depicted cats playing poker (just like dogs playing poker but cheaper). It went around about a dozen times but we all got sick if it so it was buried with Grandma when she passed. After all she was the one who started it.

 

[ZephyrHawk]

This may come off sounding entitled and petty, because the gift was actually expensive and nice, but I suppose this thread's purpose is to be petty about gifts, so here goes.

We received a Waterford crystal compote bowl as a gift from a collection of 3 couples who are good friends of my parents. Now, you may think, 'Wow! Waterford! Awesome!', but it was, at best, a poorly thought out gift.

1. DH and I were then living in a one bedroom, fairly cruddy apartment on a college campus. Although I had dreams of one day being able to entertain with the nice china I registered for, where on earth was I going to put a large crystal vase-thingy until we were out of law school and able to purchase a real house?

2. What the heck is a compote bowl?!? I only know that's what it was because when I went to return it the sales lady told me. In case you don't want to google it, it's an almost completely useless serving item.

3. They got it from a different store than the one I was registered at. I could only return it for in-store credit. In retrospect, I got some nice glasses and a silverware chest out of it, but I could have gotten a lot more at my registry store using the completion discount they offered.

4. I'm not going to say the price, but divided bewtween the three couples who gave it as a joint gift, it was not all that much "per person". This did not concern me, but it bothered my parents who had attended the weddings of the children of all of these people (multiple children each) and spent more than that each time. I'm an only child.

5. Some of these people had known me all my life. I considered them my aunts and uncles (since all of my real ones were out of state). I'd like to think they knew me better than to get me a heavy, crystal thing-a-ma-jig I'd probably never use. I guess I was wrong.

So, judge me if you will for my worst gift story, but it's proof that the "worst" gifts aren't necessarily the cheap ones.

 

[CAStevens218]

I threw a bridal shower for my best friend last weekend, and her future mother in law announced that Aunt So-and-So couldn't make it, but she sent a gift. My friend proceeded to unwrap two rolls of tin foil.

Can't make this stuff up!

 

[wiigirl]

I threw a bridal shower for my best friend last weekend, and her future mother in law announced that Aunt So-and-So couldn't make it, but she sent a gift. My friend proceeded to unwrap two rolls of tin foil.

Can't make this stuff up!

 

[Conservative Hippie]

This may come off sounding entitled and petty, because the gift was actually expensive and nice, but I suppose this thread's purpose is to be petty about gifts, so here goes.

We received a Waterford crystal compote bowl as a gift from a collection of 3 couples who are good friends of my parents. Now, you may think, 'Wow! Waterford! Awesome!', but it was, at best, a poorly thought out gift.

1. DH and I were then living in a one bedroom, fairly cruddy apartment on a college campus. Although I had dreams of one day being able to entertain with the nice china I registered for, where on earth was I going to put a large crystal vase-thingy until we were out of law school and able to purchase a real house?

2. What the heck is a compote bowl?!? I only know that's what it was because when I went to return it the sales lady told me. In case you don't want to google it, it's an almost completely useless serving item.

3. They got it from a different store than the one I was registered at. I could only return it for in-store credit. In retrospect, I got some nice glasses and a silverware chest out of it, but I could have gotten a lot more at my registry store using the completion discount they offered.

4. I'm not going to say the price, but divided bewtween the three couples who gave it as a joint gift, it was not all that much "per person". This did not concern me, but it bothered my parents who had attended the weddings of the children of all of these people (multiple children each) and spent more than that each time. I'm an only child.

5. Some of these people had known me all my life. I considered them my aunts and uncles (since all of my real ones were out of state). I'd like to think they knew me better than to get me a heavy, crystal thing-a-ma-jig I'd probably never use. I guess I was wrong.

So, judge me if you will for my worst gift story, but it's proof that the "worst" gifts aren't necessarily the cheap ones.

I got a pair of crystal hurricane lamps and a crystal pineapple. But they were from a store I had registered at so I didn't have much trouble returning them and buying towels. But it was irritating 1) because just like you we were just starting out and needed basic home items like towels and sheets and silverware, not decorative crystal pineapples! 2) If you are going to buy something from a store a bride (or new mom) is registered at, why not just buy something off of her registry??? But I still think the weird girlfriends poem was my worst wedding gift.

 

[lynxstch]

My new MIL was dropped off on my doorstep the day after the wedding. The other family members said it was now my turn to take care of her. She ended up living with us for 6 years.

Yikes! In my book , YOU WIN

 

[ilovemk76]

I got a pair of crystal hurricane lamps and a crystal pineapple. But they were from a store I had registered at so I didn't have much trouble returning them and buying towels. But it was irritating 1) because just like you we were just starting out and needed basic home items like towels and sheets and silverware, not decorative crystal pineapples! 2) If you are going to buy something from a store a bride (or new mom) is registered at, why not just buy something off of her registry??? But I still think the weird girlfriends poem was my worst wedding gift.

But apparently they needed fine china so much more!

 

[TheAviator]

I don't know if it was the WORST, but it was certainly odd. A family of 5 was invited. They RSVP'd. We included them in our head count and paid for the caterer. They no-showed. Apparently they decided going to Carowinds would be a better use of their time that day (Carowinds is a Six-Flags-esque theme park). They gave us two park tix as a wedding gift a few days later.

Another one, from my MIL. Two HIDEOUS...I mean attrocious looking vases in this awful poop brown/gray color. Clearly the potter who made them had made a mistake when spinning them on the wheel and they had started to collapse. But the determined potter decided to call the two leaning/deformed vases a matched set of "hugging vases" (because when placed together one appears to lean towards the other). So MIL bought them as a wedding gift for us. I've displayed them on the buffet in my dining room since we married in 2005. In 2011 my MIL went through a series of insane moves that ultimately led to us cutting her out of our lives...among them, reclaiming the vases from my buffet while I wasn't home saying "You never use them." It's true, they've never held a flower, but I have always displayed them...for comedic value if nothing else. She also took the buffet itself. And the last can of Who-hash.

You consider theme park tickets a bad gift? I would take them

 

[TiggerTails57]

We got married in England. I had never been to the USA or met any of my new husband's family.

We decided to Honeymoon at WDW.

On landing we were greeted by my new FIL and my new BIL they had driven down from Alabama to 'join' us on our Honeymoon!!!

Not a great start........but, we are celebrating 30 years married today!!

 

[TheAviator]

My new MIL was dropped off on my doorstep the day after the wedding. The other family members said it was now my turn to take care of her. She ended up living with us for 6 years.

Wow ahhhhh righty then, I think you are the winner so far. I've heard of maybe inheriting pets, but MIL? weird wild stuff

 

[AmericangirlinFrance]

Our wedding gifts were all pretty good! I do have about 4 waffle irons I can't return, though. That was apparently the most popular gift item.

The weirdest gift we got was from a guy who sells Amway. It's some kind of Amway discount card, and we have to place the order with him. Ummm...yeah. Haven't gotten around to that yet!

 

[Jennasis]

You consider theme park tickets a bad gift? I would take them

I believe I specifically called the gift odd not bad

 

[liamsaunt]

Our worst wedding gift was a three-foot tall stuffed mouse dressed in a Christmas vest and green top hat. I guess it is the thought that counts!

 

[Jeafl]

Most of our wedding gifts were awesome, but two stand out in my memory. One was a large purple plastic porcupine with all these quills sticking out. The flyer that came with it showed it as an hors deouvre holder. I guess you were supposed to stick cheese cubes and fruit on the quills.

The other gift was a water stained cardboard box with 11 dusty blue glasses in it. It was sectioned off for 12, but one glass was missing. It looked like it had been in someone's garage or basement for years.

Both were from my husband's family, and both gifts were from really nice people. I held on to both of them for years, but eventually sold them at a garage sale. I will never forget how excited the lady was that bought the porcupine. She thought it was the best thing ever! . I guess there is a "lid for every pot" as my grandma would say.

 

[lovesmurfs]

From the bizarre side. DH's ex-girlfriend, while they were dating, made him a large block (blocks are 5" X 5") velvet quilt made up of the colors of his "aura." It's a great size and really warm, so we use it still 23 years later.

For our wedding gift, she mailed us an appraisal of the quilt ($1,500), which apparently has her signature inside one of the blocks. It was a little....

 

[hucifer]

A two-foot high concrete yellow lab. I suppose it was for decorative purposes, but we used it to keep our gate from flying open in high winds.

 

[SpecialK]

Not me - but a friend of mine who is the nicest, sweetest person on the face of the earth got two washcloths for a wedding present that had no card attached.

She was horrified that she was not sending a thank you note to the anonymous donor. But on the other hand she did not want to ask people that had not sent a present if they had sent the two wash clothes.

Talk about a rock and a hard place. She is so kind. She genuinely appreciated the gift but could not give the appropriate thanks. She is the last person on the face of the earth who expected anything so she did not want to put down the present.

The only reason that I even know about it is because she discreetly asked me if I had a clue who gave the present.

I thought I was the only one! My husband's cousin and his wife gave us four washcloths for a wedding gift.

Our most useless gift was a Waterford shamrock.

 

[tzolkin]

You consider theme park tickets a bad gift? I would take them

I think the point was that the couple had to pay for 5 wasted meals since the family decided that going to a theme park was more important than the wedding. To then give tickets to that park seems rather rude to me.

Had the family attended the wedding and given park tickets as a gift, that would have been fine.

 

[babyrich]

my worse gift was a non-gift. We were married on a Friday night and left for our honeymoon on Monday. On Saturday we went through our gifts for my in laws to make a deposit. My DH pointed out that my 3 aunts gave us empty cards... I told him I didnt expect anything from them cause all 3 were hurting financially, he accepted that. At the end, we noticed neither of my sisters even gave us a card. Nada from them

After our honeymoon we stopped by my sisters, she was pushing some papers around the table and a Hallmark bag fell off the table. She picked it up, looked in it and said... oh here... it was the card she intended to give us... not signed, receipt still in bag..... I told her keep it for her next wedding.

 

[curlyjbs]

Our "worst" gift actually turned out to be pretty great about 10 years later LOL. We received a rolling pin. Yep. a rolling pin. Best part? I didn't open the box until years later when I was baking christmas cookies with my girls.....

There were 500 one dollar bills taped together and wrapped around the rolling pin. Holy cow!!! What a day that was - and right before christmas too!!!

~C