My niece is getting married and I plan to buy her a dozen wine glasses. She has listed two styles (same brand, one each for white and red) on her registry. I was going to buy 12 of a single style but now I am wondering: is it important these days to have separate white and red glasses - i.e. would it be better to get her six of each in case someone doesn't buy her the other ones?
I love weddings - I've had a couple myself - but jeez Louise, has gift-giving ever been more of a minefield? It's not that I can't see how things reached this point: there was the toaster glut of the 1960s followed by the handmade pottery mountain of the 1970s and the Alessi lemon-squeezer overload of the 1980s. Something had to change. Yet some of us can't help taking umbrage at invitations requesting cash in lieu of presents. Others come from cultures in which a fat envelope of folding stuff is de rigueur - anything else would be rude.
Things can turn from fraught to farcical at warp speed: earlier this year a Canadian bride sent a text to one of her wedding guests berating her for her choice of gift - "weddings are to make money for your future … people haven't gave gifts since like 50 years ago!" - sparking an online war of words that found an international audience.
You need not lose any sleep over the white-v-red glass issue. Although manufacturers of high-end glasses suggest we'll enjoy our wine more if we have a different-shaped glass for every tipple, few of us have the funds or cupboard space to stock multiples of a dozen different stems. For most households, an all-purpose wine glass - supplemented by a set of champagne flutes - will suffice. Buying a dozen of one style is probably the way to go. That way the newlyweds will have plenty of matching ones, even if they break a couple.
If you haven't done so already, visit your niece's nominated shop to see which of the two glass styles she has selected looks to be the most adaptable. Choose a glass that is roomy enough to let any wine get plenty of air when a decent pour adds up to about one-third full, with at least a slight inward curve at the lip to retain aromas. Or just choose the one that takes your fancy.
Since your niece and her intended presumably like both styles, your gift is unlikely to end up on eBay any time soon. If the bride is as thoughtful as you are, you'll get a handwritten thank-you note, which has got to be an improvement on an incendiary SMS.