Busting Myths Around Wedding Gift Lists

Many of your guests will want to get you a wedding gift. Not only because it’s a tradition, but your guests will want to thank you in some way for your hospitality in inviting them to your special day. 

From honeymoon funds to group gifting and charity donations, online wedding gift lists are brilliant for ensuring your guests know exactly what you and your partner would appreciate as a gift. There are lots of myths and misconceptions about wedding gift lists out there and we’re here to bust them with our partners at Prezola!

Myth 1: My guests will think I’m rude asking for gifts.

It’s absolutely not rude to have a wedding gift list. Giving the wedding couple a gift on their big day is a long-standing wedding tradition and many of your guests will expect or want to give you a gift as a celebration of your marriage. It’s more about ensuring that you notify your guests of the gift list without coming across as rude or presumptuous. But, notifying your guests graciously about your gift list is easier than you think. 

Start by ensuring your guests know you are not expecting a gift, especially if they aren’t in a position to give one. You can do this by writing something at the bottom of your invites, or on a separate card, along the lines of: “Your presence on our big day is the best present you could give us, but if you would like to gift us something special we have a wedding gift list with … ”.

Myth 2: Gift lists are about things. We already live together and don’t need more stuff.

While items for the home is one of the more traditional forms of gift lists, it’s not your only option. Gone are the days where gift lists only had to include bedding, toasters and cutlery. Today, you can use your gift list for a variety of options including honeymoon funds, experiences, charity donations, group gifting and even monthly gin or florist subscriptions!

Check out wedding gift list sites like Prezola to see the full range of options for your wedding gift list.

Myth 3: If we say we don’t want anything, guests won’t bring us gifts.

Giving wedding gifts is a tradition, so, even if you tell your guests that you don’t want them to bring you a gift, you’ll likely see some of them arriving with presents in hand. Wedding gift lists ensure that anyone who does want to bring a gift knows that it will be something you want or need. In our opinion, that’s a much better option than receiving something that will ultimately end up at the back of a cupboard.

Myth 4: We are trying to be more eco-friendly. A wedding gift list isn’t very sustainable.

We fully appreciate the thinking here. Accumulating more ‘things’ in general isn’t very eco-conscious. But, did you know that you can actually use your gift list as a way of making positive changes to live a more eco-friendly lifestyle? Gift list brands such as Prezola are exceptional for this, working with ethical and eco-conscious brands and offering products that help you to reduce waste and improve your carbon footprint. Whether you are investing in a smart home system or simply making small swaps to avoid single-use plastic, this is absolutely possible with online gift list. So, if being more sustainable in your daily life is important to you, your wedding gift list can assist you with this.

Read more about how your gift list can help you lead a more environmentally-friendly lifestyle.

Myth 5: If online gift lists are free, there must be a catch?!

Again, false! Wedding gift list brands work in the same way as any other retailer. They work directly with the brands they stock to negotiate a purchase price and sell the products to customers at the RRP. For honeymoon funds and other monetary gift lists, they simply charge a very small transfer fee, usually around 2%, to cover their costs. On a £1,000 gift list, that equates to around £20. Simple as that!

Myth 6: The money my guests donate isn’t secure online, it’s safer to ask for cash or gift cards.

Gift listing websites are far more secure than your guests bringing cash or gift card donations with them on the day of the wedding. For example, any money and gifts given by your guests on Prezola is secured into a ring-fenced trust account, keeping it completely safe.

When guests bring monetary gifts and gift cards to your wedding, there is always the risk of theft and, unfortunately, it’s very difficult to prove what each individual person has given for an insurance claim. Your guests have been very generous in giving you a gift, and so not only will they be secure on an online gift listing site, but you will have peace of mind on your big day too.

Myth 7: We don’t want to put pressure on guests who can’t afford to buy a gift.

A very valid concern. However, as long as you follow the tips from Myth 1 they shouldn’t feel pressurised. Of course, there’s always going to be guests who want to buy you something even if their budget is small. So, the solution is to consider all budgets in your gift list and/or allow for group gifting on all items.

Group gifting allows your guests to contribute towards an item instead of paying for all of it themselves. You can literally put a sofa on your gift list and all your guests can contribute what they can towards it. This way, those who have a smaller budget can still contribute to something you really want and need. This is especially great for the more high-value items on your list. Prezola offers couples the opportunity to allow group gifting on all items.

Myth 8: There’s a lot of admin involved in creating a gift list.

We totally understand. You have enough wedmin on your plate and don’t want to worry about keeping track of what every individual has gifted. Again though, this is why online gift list sites like Prezola are fantastic. They handle all of that for you, keeping track of who has given what so you don’t have to! All you need to do is the fun part, creating the gift list, redeeming the gifts and thanking your guests.

Don’t forget your early wedding gift...

We work in partnership with Prezola, and they’re offering Guides for Brides couples an exclusive welcome gift! Simply use the code “GFBPREZ” to get £50 credit to spend on products on Prezola. You will qualify once your guests spend £200 on products on your gift list (T&Cs apply). 

Find out how Prezola’s wedding gift lists work and get started on your wedding gift list today. 

P.s. You can also listen to our podcast episode about this topic.