Priest Gift

OutOfTheBlue612

I'm getting married in May. We are both very close to our Priest. I went through the RCIA process last year, so he will have done all my sacraments. We aren't required to give any money to the church for the wedding because we are members and it's a Newman Center. We are just supposed to give the priest a gift. I don't want to give him just money, because I know that he'll feel obligated to donate it. But, I do know that he is a huge fan of nice scotch. Apparently his brand of choice is rather expensive, so he rarely buys it. I was thinking that would be a good gift because it's something he would really enjoy and it's something he doesn't really buy for himself. But part of me thinks it's a bit odd and untraditional to buy him scotch in exchange for doing our wedding. Opinions?

agapecarrie

I think Scotch is a great idea, in addition to a stipend. Please don't do it instead of. Many priests count on the stipend for their living expenses.

mica178

I'd do the Scotch, and maybe a smaller monetary gift beside.  If you are concerned that he has to donate cash received, consider a gift card that he can use.

[Deleted User]

I think the Scotch is a great idea. I would also give him a donation or a gift card to a nice restaurant or store that he likes.

OutOfTheBlue612

Ok. The Scotch is ago. I'll probably do that and some money. What is a good amount? The church didn't really give any guidelines. Does $100 and a bottle of scotch sound like enough?

ootmother2

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/cultural-wedding-boards_catholic-weddings_priest-gift?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Cultural Wedding BoardsForum:615Discussion:4e01ca43-6a03-4ad1-a624-92a4c999f41ePost:52b4d5d0-0bda-4629-b3d9-c910c65e52aa">Re: Priest Gift</a>:
[QUOTE]Ok. The Scotch is ago. I'll probably do that and some money. What is a good amount? The church didn't really give any guidelines. Does $100 and a bottle of scotch sound like enough?
Posted by OutOfTheBlue612[/QUOTE]

yep

a bottle of JW Blue ;)

OutOfTheBlue612

I plan on asking the church ladies his preferred brand of Scotch. They know everything.

ellen73

Is he a diocesan priest or does he belong to an order?  You may want to consider giving a gift card for something consumable (restaurant, etc) if you actually want him to enjoy it if he is an order priest!  Depending on the order and their vows, he may have to turn in any monetary gifts.