There’s no doubt that planning a wedding is stressful, but there are enjoyable elements along the way too. One of these has to be drawing up the wedding gift list, because who doesn’t love presents?!
To help you explore options for items to go on that special gift list, and to offer advice on how to compile a list that’s easily accessible to all your guests, we’re introducing you to our new fabulous Sponsor The Wedding Shop.
Doing just as its name suggests, The Wedding Shop is an easy to use gift list service that offers an unbelievable amount of choice, expert advice and a personal service.
Whether couples set up their list online, or at one of the company’s showrooms, they can choose from an amazing array of traditional gifts, such as homeware and electric goods, or select a range of funds for anything from honeymoons and home renovations to cookery courses. Excited? Us too!
We’ll hand you over to the experts themselves now to inspire you further…
When was The Wedding Shop set up and what does it bring to the wedding industry?
the wedding shop says:
The Wedding Shop is the UK and Ireland’s leading and longest established independent wedding list company. We were founded in 1990 with the goal of providing the best and most adaptable wedding list offering delivered with outstanding customer service. We now have showrooms in Chelsea, Selfridges and Dublin and a head office in Barnes, South West London. In the past 26 years we have advised and managed the lists of tens of thousands of couples. The company remains family owned.Why would you encourage brides and grooms to set up an online wedding gift list?
Research tells us that wedding guests prefer to be given guidance on what to buy as a wedding gift. Not only does it make the process easier for guests, it ensures that they are spending their money on something that is genuinely useful and desirable to the couple.
What sets The Wedding Shop apart from other wedding gift list websites?
In 2015 we launched the first truly unlimited wedding lift service available, meaning our couples can choose a gift from literally anywhere and we will include that within their list, with no fees. This gives them complete freedom from the restrictions traditionally placed upon them by wedding list services.
Something we are very proud to have innovated is the establishment of a separate Trust Account to hold the pledged monies required to complete lists for couples. This ensures that no matter what happens to The Wedding Shop, each and every list will be honoured in full. We believe this is remains unique to The Wedding Shop.
Is it simple to set up a gift list with The Wedding Shop? What is the process?
Very! Simply visit www.weddingshop.com to complete a simple form. This stores your details, your partner’s details and allows you to go on and personalise your very own wedding list page or start adding items right away. Alternatively, you can visit one of our showrooms.
What are the different gift list options available through The Wedding Shop?
We categorise our products either by room (bedroom, bathroom, kitchen), by product category (kitchenware, home & décor, travel & luggage) or by brand. We also have ready-made ‘Starter Collections’ that include list suggestions for ‘Setting Up Home’, ‘City Living’ and ‘Country Escape’ to make things even easier for couples. Aside from traditional gifts we offer a wide range of funds for anything from honeymoons to home renovations, cookery courses and driving lessons!
What type of feedback do you receive from couples who choose to create a wedding gift list through The Wedding Shop?
We’re very lucky in that we have received some lovely feedback from our couples, offering kind words and often constructive feedback as to how we could improve the service going forward.
In particular couples love our enormous range of products, the flexibility and, most of all, the personal service they receive. It can be daunting with so much choice out there so our couples also appreciate that our personal advisors are always on hand to help, whether they build their list in one of our showrooms or online.
Interestingly, we’ve recently invested in attitudinal market research to discover how wedding guests perceive the whole notion of wedding gifts. This has given us some fantastic insights into the psychology of gifting and how we can use this to improve our service further.
In what ways does The Wedding Shop offer expert advice and inspiration to its wedding couples?
As well as a newly revamped website, we have showrooms in Chelsea and Selfridges in London and a brand new showroom in Dublin. Our Wedding List Advisors are highly trained and knowledgably, and their role is purely to guide couples through the process. We also have a team on hand to answer questions by telephone and an online chat function built into our website.
Aside from this we have an Inspiration section on our website, with gift guides, starter collections and lists already curated by our expert team.
What are the benefits of couples setting up their gift list with The Wedding Shop and what rewards can they enjoy following the wedding?
We love keeping in touch with our couples so offer them lifetime 10% discount should they return to us to replace broken items, add to a collection of just fancy treating themselves!
We also have a fantastic referral scheme – when couples recommend a friend to The Wedding Shop they and their friend receives £50.
What advice would you offer to couples when deciding what type of gifts/contributions they would like from their guests?
Anne-Marie Jenkins, managing director at The Wedding Shop, says:
Vary the price points: It is very important to include a good range of price points on your list allowing for every guest’s budget.
Give guests plenty of choice: Create a list that is slightly bigger than you would expect to receive.
Think to the future: Take a little bit of time to yourselves before compiling your list and deciding exactly what you need and what you would really love.
Visit a showroom: It’s always worth visiting the showroom of your gift list company if you can.
Memorable Experiences: Why not let your guests contribute to cookery classes, theatre tickets or even a castaway experience on a private island for your honeymoon? Allow a guest to create a memory that you will both treasure forever.
How can Brides Up North readers find out more about/get in touch with The Wedding Shop?
Visit the website www.weddingshop.com, email us at customercare@weddingshop.com, or ring 0207 384 8400.
