Wedding Gift List - Best Buys & Biggest Regrets

In a bid to help you lovely lot, we thought we'd share the team's advice on their wedding gift lists. What items they have found useful over the years and what they really wished they had asked for. Hopefully this will help you to create a balanced list that contains treats, items for your home and some fabulous experiences to start married life on a high.

Charlotte

The one thing that suffered due to planning a wedding in 5 months, was undoubtedly the gift list. We panicked and simply put together a honeymoon fund where as in hindsight, there are lots of timeless items that would have been a much more useful investment. Possibly my biggest regret is not asking for a) good quality luggage, as we’ve been through numerous budget options over the years that have essentially cost us a small fortune in falling apart and needing to be replaced and b) a Kitchen Aid Mixer. Because not only would one look lovely on my kitchen counter, I have always fancied myself as quite the cake baker.

Lottie

The one thing I use over and over again are my Le Creuset casserole pots. 8 years on and they still get regular use for everything from winter casseroles and warming soups to sautéed veg. Basically they are the best and I wish we had asked for a few more. The only other thing I wish we’d really asked for was a decent dinner service and cutlery set. It seems quite a boring standard thing and at the time we got married wasn’t a priority and I wasn’t really sure people would want to buy one plate or one bowl. Fast forward 8 years and we have just spent a large sum of money on buying the exact same set we were eyeing up back then and it is so worth it. I’ve decided you don’t need a ‘best’ set like your parents had but one nice set sure beats those chipped Ikea ones that I used to have.

Lauren

Our friends and family were uber generous with contributions to our honeymoon so in terms of presents we had very few to actually unwrap. My absolutely favourite was a jokey present from my bridesmaid, a pair of Mr and Mrs mugs. Nearly six years on we still use them everyday despite the novelty of being a 'Mrs' wearing off. We were overwhelmed with the generosity so I wouldn't say I wished we'd requested any other gifts. However, we did safari with a lovely couple who were spending their first day post-honeymoon unwrapping all their gorgeous gifts from their Wedding Shop Gift List. I have to say I was a bit envious as that seemed a lovely way to beat the after-wedding blues!

Laura

Both Dan and I felt a little uncomfortable asking guests for any kind of gift, but after much pressure from lovely friends and family we realised we had to give the subject a little more thought. As we had set up home years prior to our wedding we really didn’t need anything you may find on a traditional wedding list, so instead we asked for contributions to our honeymoon. We were able to break everything down, so people could pick anything for us, from cocktails on the beach to a day climbing waterfalls, and it was lovely to think of our loved ones and their generosity at different points and experiences during our honeymoon. We did get a few gifts, my favourite was probably a picnic hamper which sounds RIDICULOUS, but it is a super gorgeous proper luxury wicker one with all the lovely plates and glasses and cutlery. We have used that loads and love it!

Lorna

Rob & I didn’t actually have a wedding gift list, and didn’t receive many gifts. We were showered with lots of money though and overwhelmed by peoples generosity. A fund collection service, as offered by The Wedding Shop would have been really useful! One gift we did receive was a bottle of champagne which was so lovely to enjoy whilst we opened our wedding cards and reminisced about the day. In hindsight perhaps our family home could have done with a few new items. We’ve been together 11 years before we actually said I do, and our china was definitely looking a bit tired. It would have been truly lovely to have received an item from everybody that we could treasure. I definitely miss the old traditions of having a ‘bottom drawer,' where women used to have a collection of items they’d store in preparation for when they’d move in with their new husband. Table Linen, china, cutlery, etc. My Nan was gifted a gorgeous Clarice Cliff Tea Set for her 21st birthday by her parents, to put in her ‘bottom drawer’ before she was married, which is now a treasured family heirloom. And if you'd like more Wedding Gift List inspiration, then head to The Wedding Shop Portal on RMW where you'll find lots of lists to spark your imagination.