COVID Wedding Planning – How to Plan Your Wedding Gift List

YES! Love always wins! You can register your wedding list whenever you want and start adding to it whenever it suits you. We recommend that you start adding presents to your gift list 6-9 months before your wedding date. This gives you plenty of time to think about what you want and what you need, and also plenty of time to have fun building your wedding list together and looking forward to the future.

We always recommend starting your gift list journey with an appointment with your wedding list advisor. You’ll be assigned your advisor when you register and we highly recommend booking in an appointment in our London Showroom, or a Virtual Appointment via Zoom if you can’t make it to London. Here you’ll receive tailored advice on brands and wedding presents based on your taste and requirements, and get to know your advisor who will be at your beck and call throughout your gift list journey.

You can also browse our extensive online showroom for endless inspiration and follow us on Instagram to be the first to know when new products or brands join the WPC family.

So, 2020 is out of the window and all eyes are on 2021! You may have started creating your wedding list, and you may have even had some presents purchased by your guests.

If you have already started building your wedding list but didn’t get a chance to share it with your wedding guests before postponing your wedding, then you have a few options to consider:

• Continue adding wedding presents to your gift list between now and your new wedding date.
• Pause adding presents until closer to your new wedding date. Your existing list will always be accessible whenever you’re ready.
• Preorder any presents that you really love, even if they haven’t been purchased by your guests. Pre-ordering is a great option to consider if you’re worried about any presents being discontinued between now and your new wedding date.
• We can make your wedding list private, meaning that no one can access it until you’re ready. For any eager beavers there will be a Notify Me link when they search for your name, where they can enter their email address. We’ll automatically send them a link to your list when you’re ready to reopen it.

If you created your wedding list and shared it with your guests before postponing your wedding, you may find that you have had some presents purchased, and others not purchased. Don’t fret if you feel a bit in limbo at this stage, this is where our commitment to flexibility steps in!

• If you want us to start ordering purchased presents, that’s no problem. Simply let us know what you want, and we’ll get it sorted.
• If you have a Fixed list and don’t want us to order purchased presents for you, again that’s no problem. Just let us know what you don’t want us to order and we’ll leave them be until you’re ready.
• Preorder any presents that you really love, even if they haven’t been purchased by your guests. Pre-ordering is a great option to consider if you’re worried about any presents being discontinued between now and your new wedding date.
• If you don’t want to do anything with your wedding list between now and your new wedding date, no problem. We won’t do anything until you tell us to. Your list will remain as it is and you can access it whenever you want to.
• If you want to stop your guests accessing your wedding list between now and your new wedding date, we can make your list private, meaning no one can access it until you’re ready. A handy Notify Me link will allow any guests searching for your list to enter their email address to be notified by us when you make your list public again.

This is currently a popular option with a lot of our couples. An intimate 30 guest wedding now, followed by a larger celebration later down the line once Covid restrictions are lifted. We LOVE the idea of this. Not only do you get to celebrate twice (and potentially wear your wedding dress twice?!), we think it’s wonderfully romantic. A small, intimate wedding with your nearest and dearest where you can talk to everyone and properly catch up, followed by a big blow out party later down the line where you can dance the night away, huddled together without a care in the world.

If you’re taking this route, we can help you make your wedding list appropriate for both your celebrations. The good news is that you do not need to create two lists to cater for your two guest lists!

• We recommend starting with a list that caters for your intimate wedding of 30 guests. The likelihood is that these 30 guests are your nearest family and best friends, so it wouldn’t be wrong to assume that these are the guests that will be considering the more special presents on your wedding list.
• More than ever, we are finding that guests are preferring to buy tangible wedding presents that you will love and use forever. You know your guests better than anyone, so think about this when creating your wedding list. They want to buy you a wedding present. They want to spoil you. They want to mark this special occasion with a wedding present you will remember forever. Creating a wedding list is by far the easiest way for your guests to know they are buying you something you truly love.
• After your intimate ceremony, you don’t need to close your wedding list. You can continue to add to your list as you plan for your larger celebration. If you don’t want anyone to access your list at this point, we can make it private for you, meaning no one can access it until you’re ready. A handy Notify Me link will allow any guests searching for your list to enter their email address to be notified by us when you make your list public again.

• If, after your first celebration, you would like us to order any presents purchased we can do this for you. You can choose to have them delivered right away or we can store them free of charge for you until you’re ready. We can even order presents that haven’t been purchased yet, you can preorder these.
• If you don’t want us to order anything until your second celebration has taken place that’s not a problem.
• As your second celebration approaches, we suggest that you review your wedding gift list to make sure you have enough presents to cater for your guests. Remember, your guests want to buy you a wedding present and you’re not forcing anyone to do anything by having a wedding list. Just make sure you have a good range of price points to cater for all budgets. Our Wedding List Advisors are unrivalled in their expertise – lean on them for any help and advice!
• After your second celebration, you can let us know what you would and wouldn’t like us to order for you. Remember, flexibility is at the heart of everything we do. Call us or email us we will work around you.

You’re not alone if you’re not sure what to do about your wedding reception. What’s important is that you know that you want to get married as soon as possible! So, if you’re planning a small, intimate wedding with 30 guests, in line with Covid restrictions, with no immediate plans for a party later down the line that’s no problem. We can help you create a wedding gift list to suit your wedding party size that you will love and cherish, and that your guests will also love.

• Our dedicated Wedding List Advisors can support you as you create your wedding list, either online via a Virtual Appointment or in person in our London Showroom.
• If you decide to have a wedding party later down the line we can always reopen your wedding list for you where you’ll be able to add presents for your guests to purchase.

No matter what kind of Covid wedding you’re having, we are here to support you every step of the way.

When it comes to letting your guests know about your wedding gift list, we understand there’s an element of etiquette to consider here.

We offer complimentary insert cards which you can pop into invitations. These politely and discreetly let your guests know that you have a wedding list with us, should they wish to buy you a wedding present. We can also help you with wording for your wedding invitation information sheets. We’ve been doing this for over 25 years, so we know a thing or two about it!

If you have a wedding website, you can have a personalised link to your wedding list that you can simply pop into your website. Easy.

Without sounding like a broken record, remember that your guests will want to buy you a wedding present and they will be incredibly grateful for the direction a wedding gift list gives them. We can offer you guidance and expertise when it comes to building a wedding list to cater for all budgets, our Wedding List Advisors are the best in the field when it comes to this.

As a general rule of thumb, we recommend you allow for 2-3 presents per guest or couple. You want your guests to have plenty of options to choose something that has a special meaning to both you and them.

The most important thing to consider is that you have a good range of price points to cater for all budgets.

Our Wedding List Advisors can support you every step of the way with this.

This really comes down to personal preference. Some couples like to write a thank you letter as soon as guest purchases a wedding present from their wedding list, others prefer to wait until after their wedding. Others like to wait until they have received the present itself.

There are pros and cons to all options!

We personally like to write a thank you letter after the wedding. That means you can reminisce on the wonderful day whilst also thanking for your wonderful present!

However you choose to do it, the handy Thank You manager within your wedding list dashboard will keep track of all the presents purchased by your guests and the messages they left you. You can even add your own notes to each guest to remind you of anything you want to include in their note. You can tick them off as you, or download as a spreadsheet to share with your partner.