Cash or Check?

[shortbun]

For a wedding gift? We've given cash lately but this couple is going to be gone for a long time and are leaving the day after they get married.
If I write a check, to whom do I make it payable? I usually make it payable to just one of them so they don't have to have a joint account and have two endorsements. Is that what you do?

 

[MrsToad]

I always make it payable to both of them and often use the Mr. and Mrs. John Smith format, if I know they will have the same name. Even if they haven't set up a joint account yet, I believe that if both endorse it properly, the check can be deposited into either of their accounts. I hope I haven't been making it harder for couples.

As an aside, I actually loved receiving checks in the Mr. & Mrs. John Smith format after we got married - it contributed to the "married" feeling.

 

[Gigi22]

From experience, give them cash. My niece and her future (now ex-) husband put our check somewhere for about 3 months and only cashed it just days before it went 'stale'. After which, I only give her gift cards. If she keeps a gift card for too long, it is her problem, not mine.

 

[Disneys#1fan]

I am a teller at our local bank and I would suggest making it payable to Mr. OR Mrs. that way either can cash the check or deposit it into their account. When it is made payable to both using "AND" both have to be present to cash or deposit into an account not bearing both names because only one signature can be verified. Using OR makes it a whole lot easier.

 

[shortbun]

I am a teller at our local bank and I would suggest making it payable to Mr. OR Mrs. that way either can cash the check or deposit it into their account. When it is made payable to both using "AND" both have to be present to cash or deposit into an account not bearing both names because only one signature can be verified. Using OR makes it a whole lot easier.

Good. this is exactly the info I was looking for. I'm just going to make it payable to the bride and in her maiden name so there's no confusion. She's my connection anyway. She will be changing her name but not until she gets home. All so complicated. I didn't change my name and it made the legal transactions so much easier.

 

[JustRZ]

Cash, especially since they are leaving right away for their honeymoon. It's financially irresponsible, but many couples I know 'count' on the monetary gifts they receive at their wedding to fill in the gaps with their honeymoon.

 

[alice99]

I always write a check.

With a check, I can look at my account and be sure it's cleared.

If the envelope happens to get lost, with cash in it, the cash is gone forever.

 

[shoney]

I always write a check.

With a check, I can look at my account and be sure it's cleared.

If the envelope happens to get lost, with cash in it, the cash is gone forever.

I've even heard of instances where the help at the wedding was stealing envelopes! too much chaos on that day and too many envelopes to keep track of!

 

[okeydokey]

I always write Name One Or Name Two on gift checks if I am not sure who will be cashing it. I think a check is more secure from theft.

 

[Shanna-like-Banana]

I second if you are going to write a check either use OR in between the 2 names or if you are writing the check to the bride, use her maiden name.

It usually takes a few weeks to get everything organized and offical for your name change.

I know I had to hold on to a few checks for about a month before I could deposit them, due to them being written in my married name, which took a few weeks to finalize

 

[sissy_ib]

I got married this year and my DHs bank would not cash or deposit a check written to both of us since I was not on his account. I did not call my bank to change my name until we got our marriage certificate back about three weeks later thinking they may need it so I had a few checks in my wallet with my married name during that time.

 

[bumbershoot]

Good. this is exactly the info I was looking for. I'm just going to make it payable to the bride and in her maiden name so there's no confusion. She's my connection anyway. She will be changing her name but not until she gets home. All so complicated. I didn't change my name and it made the legal transactions so much easier.

FWIW, neither DH nor I changed our names, but we went to the bank we were with at the time, and they were happy to take a copy of our marriage license/certificate (it's the same thing when marrying in Oregon, just with extra signatures once you've been married) for our file, so they could cash a check to any variation of our last names. We had some friends who hyphenated us from the moment we started dating, b/c our names are "fun" together, then there was MIL who refused to believe I'd keep my name (even though it's traditional in her culture of birth to not change names), etc etc. It worked out just fine, no problems at all.

And even now, my stepdad seems to REFUSE to understand that DH and I have our own last names, and DS is hyphenated, and sends a check to DS twice a year, made out to me in a long variety of last names. I've signed my own name to every check, no matter what last name stepdad has used, and it has never been a problem.

Oh, and we're not with the same bank anymore, we never offered up our marriage certificate, and it's still been TOTALLY fine.



Now, since this couple is leaving immediately after, if you think they won't have access to depositing their checks, why not send them their gift BEFORE the wedding? At our wedding there were many people who had sent gifts ahead of time; our gift table was small to begin with (since it was a "destination" for everyone...we had to drive 3 hours, as did hubby's family and our friends, and my family flew in from all over the country), and there were only a *few* gifts brought. Everyone else sent the gifts well ahead of time. Made things MUCH more convenient. Why the need to bring the gift TO the wedding, when you know they are leaving?

 

[disneymom2003]

I always write a check.

With a check, I can look at my account and be sure it's cleared.

If the envelope happens to get lost, with cash in it, the cash is gone forever.

I so agree. With cash or gift card someone could walk off with it. Not so with a check