Top of the wedding gift list…

By March 3, 2016Oracle's Blog

…according to John Lewis, is a trendy juice maker, closely followed by a slow cooker and the George Foreman grill. Other popular items include mini football tables, tents and dumbbells.

So it’s goodbye to the trusty toaster, farewell to that dinner set and adieu bright, shining new saucepans.

What’s the new trend all about? Well, in the olden days when your grandparents and great-grandparents were tying the knot, they were also setting up house together for the first time. You’ve undoubtedly already done it, so you simply don’t need sheets and towels, can openers and fish slices, wastepaper baskets, beds and dining tables.

Today’s gift list is less a way of furnishing a home from scratch and more a way for couples to add a bit of luxury and play to their hobbies or individual passions.

Whatever you put on your gift list, include a a complete price range from the very inexpensive to the stratospheric, so guests can buy according to their budgets. If you have everything you need and you find asking for gym equipment or a hot air balloon ride just a little pretentious, consider asking guests to donate to a charity. You can usually set up your own page for donations or the charity will do it for you.

It’s also becoming more acceptable (though not universally)  to ask for cash, usually – and at least allegedly – to go towards the honeymoon. Like the charity donation, this presents guests with a bit of a headache – judging the ‘right’ amount is never easy.

So, if you’re a guest, what’s your yardstick? For us, it’s at least as much as it’s costing the couple (or their parents) to have you there. You can probably get away with a bit less if you’re a couple, but in that case anything less than three figures just won’t cut it.