Wedding Gifts
Wedding gift lists take a lot of thought, and we don’t mean just deciding which saucepans to go for! You also need to think about what type of list to go with.
The natural choice these days is an online wedding gift list.
It’s the accessibility and flexibility of online wedding gift lists that make them so popular with couples. Most people have access to the internet these days, so access to your wedding gift list shouldn’t be a problem. People can look at them anytime 24/7, they can see what is available at any point and it can be really easy to process the transaction. So what are the benefits of online wedding gift lists? And what should your wedding gift list do for you? It’s time to put none other than John Lewis to the test. We spoke to them to see what they can do.
The traditional online wedding gift list
The John Lewis wedding gift list gives users access to their huge range of items - list holders will be able to choose wedding gifts from nearly 350,000 lines. If it’s household items you’re after, much like Debenhams, a store like John Lewis has a lot to offer if you’re willing to pay that little extra.
We dug a little deeper and here are a few features of their wedding gift list service:
- Couples are able to register and compile their wedding gift list on-line
- The service is free of charge with no extra costs to list holders or guests
- When you set up your wedding gift list, brides and grooms will be given inserts to include in their invitations detailing information about the list
- Guests can purchase the wedding gift online, in-store or by phone
- List holders can receive regular updates and also view progress of their wedding gift list online
Lunch hour ‘Listers’
So what about the fun part - choosing your wedding gifts - what if you’re really busy?
Planning the wedding needs to be as straightforward as possible for the “Executive” bride-to-be. However, those who rely on their lunch hour to make key decisions about their big day and beyond can be reassured by research from John Lewis which shows that a dream wedding gift list can be compiled in as little as 45 minutes.
The average couple spends four hours compiling a wedding gift list with the hand-held scanner that is provided for brides and grooms who register with a John Lewis Gift List. However, advisors on the shop floor see many couples take less time because they have either lived together or own their own homes.
Kerry McCulloch, Head of Gift List at John Lewis, reckons: “Those who already have their basics can take less time assembling the kit they need for married life. This gives our “Executive” Brides a chance to go straight for the luxury and fun items they really want.
“Most of our ‘Lunch Hour Listers’ don’t get a chance to buy a sandwich on a normal working day let alone plan their wedding, however we have now made it convenient and easy to compile a wedding gift list in a lunch hour!”
Top tips for compiling your wedding gift list:
- Be prepared: Why not register your wedding gift list on-line, surf the website for ideas or make a wish list before you arrive in the shop - are you desperate to upgrade the scratched saucepans to top of the range cookware or your clapped out TV to a flat screen? Or perhaps you have always dreamed of that top of the range BBQ set for the summer?
- Bring your fiancé: If you are both in work mode and/ or on a deadline, you’ll both be set to make quick and effective decisions that would normally seem impossible on a weekend
- Grab a scanner: Zapping in codes to scan your kit for domestic bliss is quick and hugely satisfying. Many brides have used this device to keep grooms “busy” during the selection process!
- Ask for help: If you know what you want before you hit the shops ask staff to help you to navigate in the relevant department
- Enjoy yourself: Remember - it’s your wedding! A limited time frame will let you enjoy being impulsive. For you wedding gift list - snorkel sets, pogo sticks and champagne buckets are all within your reach as a ‘Lunch Hour Lister’, if you want!