David Jones Photographed by Deyan Photography
Image courtesy of David Jones.
David Jones Photographed by Deyan Photography
Image courtesy of David Jones
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gift giving
Giving a gift to a bridal couple is a form of saying 'I care and am so glad you've both found happiness...' Because of their affection, your friends and family will want to make just the right choice of present. But it's not easy when there's a chance they'll give you something you already have or you mightn't like.
compiling your gift list
It's an excellent idea to compile a gift list so that people can choose something you really want and you avoid duplications. Nobody wants to receive four toasters! Naturally, there will be some of your friends who'll want to buy you something that they've already thought of and keep it a surprise. But you'll find most of your guests will ask you what you would like and would prefer to consult a gift list.
You can go about arranging your gift list in two different ways. You can either leave the list with your mother or bridesmaid for her to look after or you can use a bridal registry service in one or more stores.
Giving the list to your mum or friend involves quite a lot of work.
Placing a list with one or more stores is much easier. Many stores have a bridal registry and have pre-prepared lists so you don't forget anything. It's very simple. You visit the store soon after you're engaged and a wedding consultant helps you to choose the gifts you'd like to receive. You decide which brands, patterns and designs you'd like, making sure there's a wide price range to choose from. This service is free of charge and you'll find the store consultant will be a great help in co-ordinating your homeware.
Bridal registries are terrific for building up your dinner service. Although very costly as a whole set, guests can buy separate pieces or a single place setting. The same applies to glassware - you choose the brand and pattern, then guests can buy various types of glasses in that range so that you have a matching set.
If you and your fiancé already have most of the items you need around the house this is a great opportunity to acquire the luxury goods you'd probably never buy for yourself - like beautiful glassware, embroidered towel sets or special bed linen. You should list more items than the number of guests so that there is plenty to choose from. Otherwise the last people to examine the list are very restricted.
When you send out your wedding invitations, an elegant card is included to inform guests of your registry. Guests only have to visit the store (or even phone) to choose a gift that is guaranteed to please you. They can also take advantage of gift-wrapping and delivery services. If you like, the store can keep all the gifts in storage for you and deliver en masse at a convenient time. The registry can also send you a list of the gifts and their purchasers to help with writing thankyou cards.
Besides being incredibly convenient, listing with a bridal registry means guests know their gift will be appreciated, which adds to the pleasure of giving on such a special occasion. And you get exactly what you want ... so everybody wins!
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