How to Return Engagement Gifts
Weddings can be exciting, but sometimes they must be called off. Even with all the emotion and grief that comes with a broken engagement, wedding guests should be notified, and engagement gifts should be returned. How you choose to handle specifics is obviously up to you, but following these general guidelines and proper etiquette may help ease the awkward circumstances.
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Instructions
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Assess the situation. Confirm that the engagement is, indeed, called off and that both parties are not willing to reconcile. You don't want to have to go through the awkward hassle of returning engagement gifts only to send out, a week later, new "Save the Date" wedding announcements.
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Locate each engagement gift that you and your fiancé received. Print a card regretfully announcing the wedding has been canceled. Add a handwritten thank-you note expressing your appreciation for the thoughtful present.
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Determine what packaging and postage will be needed to return each present. Follow through accordingly, abiding by postal requirements and including the thank-you card before sealing each package.
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Mail your engagement presents back to the givers. If a gift cannot be feasibly returned through the mail, decide what method will be best for the return, given the particular circumstances. Make sure you follow through accordingly.
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Tips & Warnings
Send your announcement of the broken engagement to everyone who received a "Save the Date" card or an engagement party invitation. Even if those individuals have not yet sent you a present, they should be notified that the wedding has been canceled.
The thank-you note is no time to air dirty laundry. Keep the note respectful and polite regarding all parties involved. Regardless of what happened, the note should express a mutual decision to call off the wedding.
