05/11/2018

7 Real Couples Reveal their Top Tips for Creating the Best Wedding Gift List

So, you’ve decided to have a gift list? Good choice! Your guests will want to gift you something special to mark the big day, but where do you even start when creating your list? How do you decide what to include, how many products do you add and what do you do if you’re having a destination wedding?

We asked seven real couples who have been-there and done it for their top gifting tips, and the things that they wish they’d known before they created their lists!

With their advice, tips and inspiring gift list ideas, we guarantee that you’ll have the a gift list that will be the envy of others!

“Give guests enough time to review your gift list”

CHARLOTTE & LEWIS

Our top tip would be to make sure that your guests have plenty of time to review your list, I know that you’re told to send your invites only a couple of months before the day, but why wait if you know the details?

We had a number of guests purchasing from our gift list from the period running up to the wedding, which we didn’t think would happen. I made sure to choose a variety of gifts at different price points. As we had already lived together for several years, we already had all the essentials.

The Wedding Shop gave us the best of both worlds, and we were able to list gifts but also experiences for our honeymoon such as dinner for two, and elephant trekking.

Our Most-Loved Gift - A Dualit hand mixer – I absolutely love to bake and this was something that I would never have purchased myself. After our mini-moon in Italy we both learnt to use it!

Special Memory from our Wedding Day - As we walked up from Spring Cottage to the venue, Kingscote Barn, the sun just came out from behind the clouds and I remember being so happy! My maid of honour walked down the aisle first with our Cockerpoo Harper, who was rocking a floral garland around her neck – instantly everyone was in awe of her and she probably stole the show! I was sobbing by the time I got to Lewis at the end of the aisle. It was very hard to say my vows when I had such a lump in my throat but I got through it as I had Lewis by my side.

“Create your list, with variety in mind”

Freya & David

Make sure to include a variety of items on your list, both with you and your partner in mind.

We found that our guests seemed to have a type of item that they wanted to gift, so it’s important to include a range of different products and prices to please everyone.

Whether it’s something useful for around the home like pots and pans, or an experience of a delicious meal at a 5-star restaurant in London – list it all! You want your guests to feel like they have plenty of choice when picking what gift to treat you to.

Our Most-Loved Gift - Can we pick two? We absolutely adore our Nespresso coffee machine and it makes those Sunday mornings relaxing on the sofa even better. We also really love our ‘Happily Ever After’ door mat which reminds us of our honeymoon in Disney.

Special Memory from our Wedding Day - We absolutely adored how much time we spent outside on our wedding day. Our ceremony was outside on the lawns, and after months spent worrying about it raining on our big day, we had a day of beautiful sunshine and had our dream ceremony outside surrounded by the beautiful countryside.

“Don’t feel guilty – enjoy the process and visit a showroom as a couple...”

Claire & Scott

When we started to create our gift list, I initially felt awkward about including those luxuries that we wouldn’t normally purchase ourselves. However, from the start our guests insisted that they really wanted to give us extra-special items that we could cherish for years to come.

Our top tip would be to visit a Wedding Shop showroom as a couple. Nicola in the Edinburgh showroom was our personal gift-guru, and she played a big part in inspiring us throughout our gifting journey. She provided excellent expert guidance, understood our needs as a couple and introduced us to wonderful new brands that we would otherwise have not heard of. The showroom was a valuable experience, and it was so helpful seeing all the products in real-life before adding them to our list.

Creating our gift-list in a showroom was really special, and marked the start of our married life together.

Our Most-Loved Gift - The Blue Bobble Jug– I’m absolutely obsessed with its gorgeous colour, and it gives me so much pleasure every time that I use it!

“Be prepared to adjust if your circumstances change”

Deborah and Chris

When we first started to build our gift list we were living in a small apartment and space was at a premium. Shortly before our wedding we moved into a larger house, and our gift list requirements changed.

Opting for a gift-list service that made it so easy to swap and change items was a great decision. It was easy to select different items and delete products that would no longer fit in with the look and feel of our new house.

Whilst it’s nice to get practical items for your home, the joy of a gift is that it’s something that you wouldn’t usually buy. For example, we added a few lanterns and breakfast trays to our list and these remain some of our favourite items.

Our Most-Loved Gift - My husband and I would both pick different items! Chris would choose the Nespresso machine, which I love but it wouldn’t be my absolute favourite. Having lived in Denmark, I have always been a great admirer of Georg Jensen’s Homeware. When we started our list, I knew I wanted to include a beautiful Georg Jensen candleholder as one of my extra special items.

When this gift was purchased from our gift-list I just couldn’t figure out where to style it within our then small flat. It turns out that the candleholder is the very thing that prompted us to purchase our house! Every time I look at the candle stick, it makes me smile and reminds me of moving into our new home.

“Make a Gift List Even If You’re Having a Destination Wedding”

Nikki and Martin

We made the decision to have a destination wedding in Tuscany, and had friends and family joining us from around the world. We really didn’t expect any gifts from our guests as we appreciated the expense of travelling to the wedding, but we were pleasantly surprised when they started asking about our gift-list!

We loved the personalised service that The Wedding Shop offered. The variety of products allowed us to be diverse with our price points. We also chose to combine gifts with experiences too, which gave us something to look forward to after our wedding day.

Our Most-Loved Gift - Both Martin and I love the Bloom & Wild subscription that we were kindly gifted. We received our first bunch when we returned from our minimoon, it’s just so special to receive something so beautiful every month and helps to keep our post-wedding feelings alive! We look forward to every single bunch!

“Cover All Price Points – You’ll Cherish Every Gift”

Amy and Olly

Our top tip for creating your wedding list would be to cover a range of price points within your list. Also try to include items that are special and sentimental, so that your friends and family have a lot of choice and can choose something lovely – whatever their budget. We also included higher ticket items for our close family members who had already expressed that they wanted to buy us something extra special.

Our Gift-Guru advised us to include a few additional extras for our honeymoon, so we chose to add a new camera and some suitcases which really helped us to capture and create our amazing memories.

Our Most-Loved Gift - Definitely the White Company Fine Memories Photograph Frame with 15 Apertures. We always take a photo on every trip we go on, so this was just perfect for us. We are planning on populating this with a few polaroid's from the wedding day.

“Start early, building your gift list will be much more fun that way!”

Charlotte & Josh

Our top tip when creating your list is to start early. This will give you enough time to think about what items you really want and will stop you making any impulsive additions to your list that you might later regret! Try to include items that you will enjoy together for many years to come, and those little luxuries that you wouldn’t necessary purchase yourself.

Our Most-Loved Gift - We absolutely love all of our gifts, but one of our absolute favourites is the croquet set. We look forward to many happy summers together playing croquet and sipping Pimm's in the garden!

Special Memory from our Wedding Day - By midnight on my wedding day my dad had a blue glitterbeard and was shoulder surfing across the dance floor. It was the perfect end to the perfect day.

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