Did anyone here have a " show of presents"? Maybe only in Scotland?

We were married in 1965 in West Yorkshire and the wedding presents were displayed, with gift cards, in my Mum's front room after our reception. Guests were all invited to come back to view them.

There was a distinct lack of variety in the gifts - 17 pyrex casseroles and 6 cut glass vases! What we really needed were pans, towels and bed linen but hey ho, we managed with an old pan given by Mum and one I bought in the market. I got sheets and towels from Kays catalogue and paid it off weekly. I was 21 and DH 22 and all our money had gone to scrape together a deposit to buy a cottage. Very happy days. No regrets.

My experience is similar to paddyann - traditional Scottish show of presents that came from everywhere and from people we hadn't seen for years and something from every neighbour. Only problem - we lived in a 1 bedroom flat and every night for about a fortnight before the wedding everything got shifted around so I could get to bed! Mam and Dad slept in a bed-settee in the living room back then so I could have a bedroom once I reached about 10 or so.

I bought myself a set of Pyrex plates and a couple of casserole dishes, all with that pattern, from an offer in a magazine just before I got married.
I expect a lot of homes had them.

My wedding in 1970 was a very small registry office affair so I didn't have many the show of presents, but my sister had a very traditional church wedding in Manchester two years later and her (very many!!) presents were all on show for a couple of weeks beforehand in my mum's boxroom.
My list of wedding presents consisted of:
kitchen weighing scales,
glass pyrex nest of clear glass mixing bowls,
a set of pyrex crockery (pattern as in photo - very modern) and a Margeurite Patten cookery book that I still use regularly. (Did you spot the theme?)

Think it's Scottish as we normally give gifts before. We had one - the elders in the family expected it. Never heard of it recently though!

I dont think anyone ever compared,mind you 40 odd years ago people were a lot less materialistic.The folk who gave tea towels and towels were no different to the ones who bought a bed or a suite of furniture .They were all given with the best intentions and what folk could afford .I still have several of my wedding presents in use , a blender that has been used most days and when the kids were small several times daily and a lovely vase from my mums neighbour ,then theres the chess set bought with money from mums next door neighbour that was "meant" to buy a fridge freezer..lol.We've had several f/f over the years but only one chess set .Theres a variety of things still that remind me of the people who bought them ,even the lamp that only came out of a cupboard when the Aunt who bought it visited and my ironing board a sturdy heavyweight thing that's as good as the day it was given

We got married in Central Scotland but didn't have a show of presents, partly because most guests were coming from some distance away and partly because I was away at university until about a week before the wedding, but mostly because neither my mother (who was from elsewhere) not I had ever heard of such a thing. Our DCs got married in the NE and Central Scotland, and again, there was no show of presents. They all had hen/stag weekends in this country, involving friends and the appropriate parents, but we didn't have anything of the sort in the mid-70s - couldn't have afforded it anyway!

I seem to remember that my parents put out the presents at our wedding reception. This was my first marriage, in Northumberland.
When I married my present husband, nearly 40 years ago, we didn't get any presents - it was a very quiet affair.
I don't really like the idea, especially if the donor is shown on the gift. People will start comparing.

In Wales presents were always given before the wedding day, presents were displayed and glasses of sherry given to callers, and advice given to the bride , I loved it

When I was a child we were always told it was an exclusively Scottish custom and I distinctly remember being taken to a show of presents where everything was laid out in the spare bedroom, as the house only had a living room and no front room or sitting room. The funny thing is, I cannot remember who the bride was. In my mind's eye I see the show of presents being held in the house of a great-aunt whose only daughter married when I was three, so I don't think it can be her show of presents, I remember.
Glad to know that the custom pertains in Yorkshire too.

Here in Denmark, it does not exist, traditionally the bride and groom spent half the wedding reception opening presents that are displayed for the rest of the formal dinner party, but the royal family holds a show of presents that have been sent in advance. At the normal level of society we all turn up, both at weddings, christenings and confirmations burdened with presents. DH and I were accompanied by a teddy on rockers at one grand-nephew's baptism!

mcem thats us weegies for you....lol.Its traditional in my part of the country Stansgran we usued to spend hours making roses from tissues to decorate both the fancy hat and the potty which was disguised as allsorts of things from ars ,boats ,baby's prams floral baskets.All good fun and didn't cost us a fortune

When I first came to Durham on a Friday night at going home time there might be a bride leaving work decorated with strips of paper pinned to her and a decorated hat. Very much more individual than the hen night sashes and bunny ears.

In 1969 we had the present showing. Tea and cake plus a wee sherry but no serious drinking! Lots of 'advice' on how to deal with men plus a few horrific tales of childbirth.
All gifts were given before the wedding and the first time I attended a wedding in England I thought it awkward and unwieldy that gifts were transported around on the day itself.
Paddy the shenanigans involving dressing up and parading the bride around were seen here as very 'downmarket' and my parents would most certainly have disapproved (though I'd no wish to do it!)
No hen night of course but a meal in a Chinese restaurant with 6 friends the night before - again much to mother's disapproval!

Auntieflo Thank you for your good wishes and no apology needed as my Birthday is today,

Never heard of this I wonder if it's regional I married in the 60 s and again in the 80 s and didn't have any pre show.
I do remember people having a table at the wedding reception as SueDonin has described

1970s
usa> gifts were sent in the weeks before the wedding and put on show either at the reception or the parents home before the wedding and after(usually a smaller reception a day or two after the honeymoon.)
sister was married in 1999 and they had them on show at the reception.
we eloped and went to norway.

I haven't heard of anyone having a show of presents in recent times. A row of gift vouchers from John Lewis wouldn't be very exciting!

The tradition I recall of my childhood was that the wedding presents would be displayed on a table at the wedding reception for people to view.

No, never heard of this 'showing' thing.

We had wedding presents on the day itself....modest stuff by todays standards.

Still have the show of presents here in NE Scotland......dd2 had one in 2001. It's a big thing -best china, the works. sometimes individual sugar cubes have been decorated with tiny icing flowers in the wedding colour! I've also seen the wedding dress on display in a glass case with a red rope barrier around it at one of these do's.

You didn't have to have anything to show off in DF's family to be accused of showing off. I can remember excitedly telling my D(?)GM that I had passed a music exam. She looked at me and without smiling said: 'Your trumpeter will not die of overwork.'

I wonder how a modern 'show' would look. All cheques or the tickets for the honeymoon paid for by the guests?

In my youth I helped out at several friends' and relatives' shows of presents. This was always a couple of weeks before the wedding, in the 'front room' of the bride's parents' house. After a few of these dos, I escaped left the country and when I came back for my sister's wedding, there was no question of a show of presents, so the custom must have died out in those few years.

Not much "showing off" involved with our display of presents, M0nica. Our highlights were the traditional two toasters and several toast racks, more than one set of nylon sheets, a plastic clothes airer, a pottery bowl with a crying onion on it, and a shocking pink and orange flowered plastic laundry basket instead of the wicker one we hoped for "because you won't want everybody to be able to see your dirty smalls through the gaps".

At our smallish wedding our presents were given to us at the reception where we displayed them. However, one couple of guests came in to the church service with an ironing board, having travelled by train and taxi!

Daddima, yes, but I had completely forgotten about it. Our presents were unwrapped and put on display in my parent's front room. As I'm nearly the same vintage as Annsixty, this will be 56 years ago this September.
Annsixty, I apologise for missing your birthday recently, ?

We had a quiet wedding with minimal fuss so few wedding presents, which quite suited us, as we were moving into a small rented flat and would be saving for a house, we didn't want ltos of things for the flat that might not suit the house we bought later.

Anyway, DF's family would have deeply disapproved of the 'showing off' involved in a display of presents.