Mary Killen Mary Killen

Dear Mary | 5 September 2013

issue 07 September 2013

Q. In response to correspondence re. wedding gifts: there is no need for a couple to have a list at John Lewis, and then translate gifts bought into vouchers — they should simply ask for John Lewis vouchers in the first place. This will save them the inconvenience of flogging around the store and, in their exhaustion, wildly listing things they will never use. Alternatively, stipulate an expensive item such as a Turkish carpet and suggest a donation to go towards that. The Turkish carpet option was requested at two weddings I have recently attended, and it did not strike a wrong note as we all knew where our money was going and that the couple would have a valuable item they could cherish for the rest of their lives.
— J.P., Pimlico

A. Thank you for your valued refinements. The expensive item solution works best when contributions can be ‘blind’, i.e. no one but the recipient knows the size of the individual donations.

Q.

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