Wedding Gift Question

I have a wedding tomorrow evening and I was all prepared to write out a check when I remembered a few people on here talking about difficulties cashing the check depending on the names it was made out to. What should I do - how do I write out the names to cause the least amount of aggrevation?

Re: Wedding Gift Question

It may be cheesy but can you write it to cash? Thats what I have done in the past or made it out to just one of the people to guarentee it is ok...

Re: Wedding Gift Question

I usually write Bob and Jane Smith. I've never heard of a problem....

Re: Wedding Gift Question

I am actually a little worried about this myself, since I am not planning on changing my name. Is it safe to assume that the FH is not changing his name and make it out to him? Making it out to cash also makes me nervous, b/c I know of a couple who had checks go missing at the reception.

Re: Wedding Gift Question

well, if y ou make it out to mr and mrs. so and so, then at least one of those people can cash it, correct? so the groom should be keeping his name and it wouldn't be a problem for him to cash a check.
we didn't have any problems.

Re: Wedding Gift Question

I also typically write the check out to the bride and groom using the bride's first name and the groom's first and last name (John and Mary Smith).

Re: Wedding Gift Question

We had no problems with this at all. The bank understands that it's a wedding.

I would say do not write it to cash-- we JUST had a situation with one of DH's friends where we wrote out a check to cash (we didn't know how to spell the name and we were in a rush) and the janitor of the catering hall stole our card, and cashed the check.
Because the MORON wrote his name, we were able to stop it, and get the idiot fired, but we now know never to write out a check to cash ever again!

Re: Wedding Gift Question

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Posted by newbie

I also typically write the check out to the bride and groom using the bride's first name and the groom's first and last name (John and Mary Smith).

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Thanks! Everyone. I think we'll do as suggested above with both first names and the husband's last name. I was afraid to write it out to cash - FH says at that point we might as well give cash. THanks for all of your help with this.

Re: Wedding Gift Question

I bank with Fleet (checking and savings account in my name) and was told that if the wedding checks are made payable to both of us - we need to open a joint account in order to deposit the checks.

I originally thought that if the checks were made payable to both of us and we both endorsed them - I would be able to deposit them in my account.

Re: Wedding Gift Question

What I did was write it out to 'Mary Smith or John Doe' instead of writing 'and' that way either one of them could cash it before the whole name change thing.

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The 'or' thing is a good idea. I was told by my bank, where FH recentky opened our joint account that if it's written out to 'and' we both have to endorse it. The 'or' might make that whole process easier... Since I'm not changing my name and I want people to know that, I want to put in 'at home' cards with the invite. they do that in some part of the world, it just tells the guests when the couple will be back from the honeymoon and their new address. I'm using it primarily so that I can write

Mr. John Doe and Mrs. Jane Smith will be...


So people realize I'm not taking his name

Re: Wedding Gift Question

I always write Mr. & Mrs. ______ and I have never had anyone tell me they had a problem.

Re: Wedding Gift Question

it was a pain in the a$$ signing the checks. wash mutual wouldn't let us deposit any that had my first name and new last name until we changed my name on the account. it was such a production. also it was a pain to have both of us sign it! so from now on, i'm always wrting the check out to only the guy even if it's my girlfriend getting married.

Re: Wedding Gift Question

The 'or' sounds good! I like that idea. Anyone have experience with that?