When delivering wedding gifts before a wedding, the gifts are traditionally sent to the home address of the mother of the bride. This allows gift givers an established residence where gifts will be sure to reach the couple. If the bride and groom are living together before the wedding, and the mother of the bride lives a great distance from the couple, an alternative plan is to send gifts directly to the future bride and groom.

On the Other: After the Wedding

Gifts sent after the wedding should be sent to directly to the bride and groom at their residence. When the bride and groom are moving in together after the wedding, having to worry about moving and potentially damaging wedding gifts is prevented when the gifts are delivered directly to their place of intended residence.

Bottom Line

Although sending wedding gifts to the mother of the bride before a wedding is traditional, it is not necessarily practical. By doing so, you place a burden on the mother of the bride to transport the gifts from her residence to the home of the bride and groom. The far more convenient and practical choice is to send gifts to the residence of the bride and groom after the wedding. Most newlyweds do not open gifts until several days after their wedding anyway, so you should not worry about belated gift giving.

Source:

1-800-flowers.com: Wedding Gift Etiquette

Proper Manners: Wedding Gift Procedures

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Wedding Gift Guide