CONFESSIONS OF A FAT GIRL

Etiquette Rules To Follow When Buying Wedding Gifts

Disclosure: The following is a sponsored post.

At every wedding you attend, you will have to answer the question: which gift should I give? To find the answer to this question, you should follow these tips:

Buy From The Wedding Registry

You should not get too creative. Most brides prefer the gifts that come from their registry list. To see whether the couple is registered, you should look online. You might find that the couple has a website that leads to their wedding registry.

Retailers make shopping easier by allowing the guests to have access to registries online. Because the couple chooses a registry for a reason, you cannot go wrong when you pick an item from it. You don’t need to feel bad about making an online purchase as many brides buy their  dress online; retailers will efficiently gift wrap and  ship your gift to the address on the registry.

Entertaining, Bed and Bath Gifts are Necessary

Unlike in previous years, modern couples prefer to have a modern twist on traditional gifts. However, the best gifts still hail from the kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, and dining departments. If you are looking for deluxe bed and bath gifts, you should opt for gifts that give the couple a hotel-like environment every time they wake up.

For instance, you can buy a trio of gifts that will provide your desired theme: a thick down blanket, a set of very soft pillows, and high thread-count towels. In terms of entertainment, items for everyday use are interesting to most brides, so you should gift stainless flatware and dish sets that can be used on multiple occasions.

Even if they have been living together, most couples use their wedding as an excuse to upgrade their kitchen with top-quality appliances. For this reason, you cannot go wrong with cookware and gadgets that not only improve the aesthetic appeal of a kitchen but also make working in it easier.

Do Not Spend Less Than Fifty Dollars

Whatever you do, do not use the price-per-plate to determine how much you should spend on your wedding gift. Just as you would not spend less money on your best friend’s gift because she was having a casual wedding, you should not be a miser when buying wedding gifts. You should let your relation to the person who is getting married guide the amount. Ss a guest, you should keep your budget in mind when buying a gift, but fifty dollars is the going minimum amount for gifts these days.

Buy Gifts Within Two Months

Two out of three couples that have tied the knot are yet to receive all their wedding gifts. Thanks to the convenience that online shopping affords us, such a delay is not acceptable. You should try to send your gifts within 2 months of the wedding.

No matter how excited you are to show your gift to the bride and groom, you should not bring it to their wedding. Nobody wants to lug a gift around on the happiest day of their lives: you should consider shipping the gift directly to their house.

Give a Big Group Gift

Most couples prefer to receive big group gifts that make sense and have been purchased by a group of friends. In most cases, the couple would not be able to afford such gifts on their own.

Has the couple registered an item that is too expensive for one person to afford?

You should reach out to a few guests and chip in to buy this gift. Moreover, the members of the bridal party can pool their resources together and buy the present of the couple’s dreams.

Cancelled Weddings

When you give a wedding gift, for instance, a wedding portrait painting, you should not expect to get it back. According to the owner of Instapainting, the bride and groom should be courteous enough to give it back if they cancel their wedding but you should not hold your breath.

FIVE QUESTIONS WITH: ADVEKIT

Disclosure/Disclaimer: I want to say right up front that this is not a sponsored post. I took this on purely because it's a tool I believe in and a cause I am passionate about. 

How do we reconcile the importance of mental health awareness with the stigmas attached to its challenges?

There is still such a stigma in this country attached to mental health issues and my friends, we gotta cut that shit out. There is such a lack of support for a community of people out there who desperately need it. And we have to stop making assumptions. People experience symptoms of mental illnesses differently—and some engage in potentially dangerous or risky behaviors to avoid or cover up symptoms of a potential mental health problem. When we engage in prevention and early identification, we can help reduce the burden of mental illness by identifying symptoms and warning signs early—and provide effective treatment. Simply having a sounding board is clutch here. A professional listener. 

But it's a conundrum to find someone, right? No one wants to ask out loud "can anyone refer me to a good shrink?" No one wants to attach themselves to that round of judgement. And believe it or not, there's not really a place online to find someone to talk to. I mean, there are 800 numbers and databases, but nothing with a personal touch, which is so needed in this space. You can call your insurance and ask for help, but, well, I don't know about you, but I hate having that conversation with a corporate representative. My personal life is none of their business.

So enter ADVEKIT, a mental health platform that assists people in matching with the right therapist suited to their needs. The previous ways of searching through directory listings for a professionals were exhausting and overwhelming. Advekit is a cost-free website that makes it easy and convenient to find support when you need it. You can punch in a few pivotal facts about yourself and the site shoots back recommended professionals to help. You can limit your search by insurance needs, by your specific mental health need, by geography... This is the kind of thing you read about and think, "WHY HASN'T ANYONE INVENTED THIS YET????"

 

 

I love it. It's like Yelp for your brain. This is needed and I wanted to get further details from the founders, Alison and Arielle. They have the chops, by the way -- Alison is a licensed Psychotherapist and Arielle is an Educator and Financial Consultant.

 

 

1. What specifically inspired you to create Advekit?
Alison: As a licensed therapist, I’m frequently approached by friends and family and asked the best way of finding a therapist. The process of finding professional help can be overwhelming and exhausting – often leading people to give up on their search. We created Advekit as a solution to these tedious alternatives, and our hope is that as many people as possible find the help that they deserve in a simple and straight-forward way.

2. Why do you think mental health professionals would be interested in Advekit?
Arielle: Many mental health professionals have a difficult time marketing themselves and showcasing their unique strengths, especially in saturated areas like L.A. We have found that listing your practice on directories is not the most effective way of reaching the public, as you can often get lost amongst the masses. Advekit matches people with three therapists best suited to their needs. The therapists who are part of our pilot group love that we are focused on showcasing their experience and strengths, and that we are matching them with people who are more likely to be a good fit.

3. Which areas is Advekit currently serving?
Alison: Advekit is currently live in the Los Angeles area, with plans to expand to other major cities within the next 12 months. We are encouraging people to send us feedback via our website if there is a specific city they would like to see us expand to next.

4. What has been your greatest challenge in creating the platform so far?
Arielle: We want every person visiting our site to know that you can search for a therapist completely anonymously and for free. Our goal is to make mental health treatment more accessible and we’d like everyone to feel comfortable looking for the help they need and deserve. We welcome feedback and people sharing their experiences with us – but there is no requirement to sign-up or give out your personal information.

5. What is your long term goal with Advekit?
Alison: Our long term goal is to aid in the mission of de-stigmatizing mental health. As lofty of a statement as that may be, we truly believe that if we can simplify one’s access to mental health treatment, then more people will be encouraged to seek the help that they need. I entered into the mental health profession so that I could support as many people as possible with their internal struggles. I find it to be extremely unfair that mental health has a stigma around it that makes people feel ashamed and embarrassed on top of their suffering. In addition, we have plans to create an interactive experience on our website, which allows for individuals to correspond and support each other through our platform. Keep an eye out for this in the near future!

 

For even more great, helpful information, take a look at Advekit's FAQ as well. It is really well assembled.I should tell you I am not a medical professional and if you are seeking help, please talking to someone. hough. Take advantage of this great, free service!