Choosing Your Gift List Expert Advice from Prezola

Choosing what gifts to ask from your guests can be a daunting task, with endless product, honeymoon and cash contribution options available where do you start? Ali Beaven co-founder & creative director of Prezola.com shares her top tips, to help ensure a seamless wedding gift list experience!

1. Have a gift list
   It may sound obvious, but almost half of couples choose not to create a wedding gift list. And for your guests that presents a real problem. Family and friends will almost certainly want to buy a gift to commemorate your big day and the wedding gift list has been an established British tradition for centuries. Don’t be shy! It would be rude not to!
2. Consider your options
   There are now lots of gift list options to consider, so you don’t necessarily have to opt for the obvious. You could have a traditional single store gift list, a honeymoon fund or even ask for donations to your favourite charity. Or opt for a single gift list service which can combine all of these elements, like Prezola! Already living together is no longer an excuse!
3. Be ready on time
   Traditionally your wedding gift list should be ready as soon as your invitations are dispatched. So, plan ahead, do your research, try to stick to just one list and make sure your guests have all of the information they need as soon as they accept your invitation! Put it on your wedmin list!
4. Create your own heirlooms
   After the confetti has settled and the honeymoon tan is fading your wedding gifts can stay with you for the rest of your life. They will become your new family’s heirlooms, which is really special. Choose wisely and in twenty years time you could all still be using them!
5. Capture the moment
   Your wedding photos will always be very special to you, even as fashions change! Be sure to add bespoke photo albums and beautiful frames to your gift list so they can be protected and displayed forever!

1. Give guests plenty of choice
   People prefer to buy things that they like themselves. Some guests may have very traditional views while others will be happy to give cash contributions towards your honeymoon if that’s what you really want. Try to cater for everyone who might be buying you a gift.
2. Cater for all budgets
   No one knows your guest list better than you, and you’ll have a good idea of how much most people would like to spend. The national average is now over £60 on a wedding gift, which lots of couples underestimate. Try to add items at the top and bottom end of the budget and consider adding gift vouchers as a very flexible option; guests could buy £10 or £1000 worth!
3. Make it personal
   Your list should reflect you and your style. It should bring a smile to guests’ faces as they think “that is just perfect for them”. Don’t feel restricted by tradition and do add items that you’ll treasure forever. Make sure you can add a personal message to thank guests for looking at the list, and that they can add a gift message when they buy something!
4. Think about delivery options that work for you
   Do you want wedding gifts at the venue on the big day? While it used to be traditional to do so, you’ll need someone to take charge of getting them home securely. If you’d rather not have gifts at the wedding, look into services that can offer delivery to you at home all in one go after the wedding itself.
5. Thank you letters
   Finally, be sure to thank everyone who was kind enough to buy a gift. Sometimes this can be easier said than done unless you’re very organised when it comes to the unwrapping! Use a gift list service that keeps track of who bought which gift for you!