Wedding guide – selecting wedding presents

Wedding guide – selecting wedding presents

How do you imagine your wedding celebration? Is it a glamorous ball hall with silver on tables or is it more like a cocktail party? Maybe you would like a casual looking catering and a lot of enthusiastic wedding guests who dance national folk dances? And what about decorations? A modern minimalism, gold glittering fiesta or pink flitting fairytale? Do you feel overwhelmed with ideas and feelings? Do not worry, this is completely normal!

How to inform about a wedding presents list? 
Although it is not very common to announce the wedding present list on the invitations itself you still could, together with the invitation, send a message stating where the wedding present list is open (a non intrusive title and a list of shops on a nice paper would be enough). If you are inventive or you have a sense of humour you can even write something funny and in this way you will avoid the sense of embarrassment. And another way to do it, is through a “messenger”. Your wedding agency will be the first one to contact your guests who will check what do you need and in this way they will get the information on the list of wedding presents and where they can find it. The word about it will spread very quickly.

What to choose? 
Maybe she would be surprised by fancy plates by Jamie Olivier and for him maybe a Home Cinema or something that “guys know about”, but whatever it is it should be something that both of them can enjoy in, or something that is absolutely necessary for them. Although, here you should not be a slave of the traditional or “common” wedding presents, because if you are rarely cooking at home it is not necessary to have “high-tech-pans” on your list. Unusual ideas can be linked to your hobby, sport or even to the honeymoon. Maybe when your guests “join their forces” they could realise your long unrealised dream. Although you should keep on your mind the future because what is now a caprice does not mean it will be useful in your life together (maybe you should give those pans a second thought)

When to start? 
It is never too early. Couples that organise lists of wedding presents in the last moment can later regret, or they can simply forget something very important. Give yourself some time and take a walk through shops while you are still not under pressure of organising the wedding, because then you are not going to have enough time to see everything you would like to see and to make sensible decisions. This is also very important for guests because it also enables them to plan their budget in advance.

Getting started? 
Make a list and take into consideration a wide price range so that guests can chose according to their possibilities. Also make possible for them to do different choices by mixing different presents on your list: traditional things for older relatives and modern and crazy stuff for your friends or colleagues from work. More things do not mean that you are greedy, rather you are just giving a bigger choice to your guests. Your list should not be repulsive, rather it has to be desirable so that guest can buy things easily. Take care that the products you have chosen are not related to seasonal changes i.e. that in the moment of shopping your guest can still find them in shops.

What kind of shops or department stores to choose? 
One is too little, but ten is too much. The optimal number would be somewhere between 2 and 4 because in this way you are still going to give your guests a decent choice, larger price range and bigger flexibility. We advise you to select thematically by departments: one store should be for the technical equipment, home appliances or a vehicle showroom, other for bedrooms and decoration etc. In this way you are going to avoid possible omissions and also that same articles can be found in few different shops.

Also ask you friends, a “recently married” couple, which had already their first experience, because maybe they have a very useful advice for you. When selecting the shops or department stores we would recommend you Shopping centre Merkur and Solidum, Wedgwood and Viva, just check the following: is the shopping your list easy for your guests, which system do they use (internet shopping), can they fax or e-mail your list to your wedding guests, has the store­/department store different locations, how and can your wedding guests buy the presents for your wedding if they are from another city, how quickly are they removing the articles from your wedding list, can you get a discount on the articles from the wedding list which nobody has bought but you still badly need them, for how long the list will remain open for the guests that are buying last minute, and do they have the possibility to deliver the wedding presents to your address.

After you have chosen your store arrange an appointment with a professional which will help you to make a list and insure that everything is under control (do not let your good intentioned mothers drag you through shops because this is only going to distract you from what you intended to do). After you defined everything do not forget to take a written confirmation of everything you have chosen and arranged there. Carefully check each single item so to make possible corrections on time and to avoid unpleasant surprises. After your wedding, just check if the list is closed.

And in the end be sophisticated. “Thank you” cards or words; it doesn’t mater just do not forget to make your guests know how much you appreciate their wedding presents which delighted you so much. This is a small sign of appreciation for their effort in making your small sweet wishes come true.

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