As a fairly recent newlywed, I have to say, when in doubt, give a gift card! I’ve had so much fun using the gift cards I recieved to pick up fun seasonal items, take advantage of sales, and buy the registry essentials I didn’t receive!

I know some couples prefer cash or a check, but both the good thing and the bad thing about money is how fungible it is. I feel like it’s really easy to say “I’m going to put this money towards a honeymoon/buy something nice with it”, but if the couple is as broke and practical as we are, there’s a good chance your gift will either go into savings or end up being used to help pay the electric bill. While those are both very good uses of money, I also know they probably are NOT what the gift giver had in mind!

On the other hand, I can’t very well put that $30 Pier 1 giftcard into my retirement account, so it’s guaranteed to buy me something I love (and that’s probably going to be a lot more interesting than the pizza cutter I felt pressured into registering for)! For very large gifts, money is still great, because say, $300 is a serious chunk of change that can be used for something big and important. But for smaller gifts, a gift card to Target, Pier 1, or HomeGoods is a great way of making sure your gift is used for something wonderful and gift-y!