With more couples choosing to live together before they get married, the traditional wedding gift list is often redundant. The average UK wedding now costs more than ÂŁ27,000, so who wants an extra toaster, new kettle or spare bread-maker when what you really need is some help with funding your honeymoon?
Itâs fair to say that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle probably arenât staring at their bank accounts in desperation having run over budget on flowers or chair covers, but the pair have recently requested that the public make donations to charities of their choice, rather than send traditional presents. And for the six couples featuring in âNot The Royal Weddingâ, HuffPost UKâs series following the journeys of people also getting married on 19 May, traditional gift lists wonât be playing a part either.
Shailesh Patel and Monica Chauhan are having two weddings this summer: a civil ceremony in May followed by a Indian wedding later in the year. The pair are not having a gift list, although money is traditionally given at Hindu weddings as a form of blessing. âAs cliche as it sounds, the best present for us is having our friends and family around us on the big day,â Monica says.
Childhood sweethearts Dafydd Thomas and Ceri Evans have also decided to go for the fuss-free option. A traditional gift list would feel âtoo awkwardâ they say. âWe thought about it and decided we donât want to do one,â the groom-to-be says. âIf people ask, we tell them if thereâs anything specific, but for the rest of them weâve just left it to see what they do.â
Agreeing with Dafydd, Julie Spencer says she and her partner Gary Miller have decided not to organise a list, and instead have told their guests âtheir presence at the wedding is enoughâ. If family and friends do wish to give the couple a gift, theyâve said money towards their honeymoon âwould be usefulâ.
Jo Want and Will Tarran, who are busy organising their festival-style wedding in Cambridge, have combined the modern approach of asking for honeymoon contributions with the style of a more traditional list. The couple have created an account on the gifting website Patchworkit, which allows guests to pay towards specific things via Paypal. Friends and family can choose options ranging from a ÂŁ5 âa beer on the beachâ to a ÂŁ58 helicopter ride.
After months of wedding planning, our couples are looking forward to their honeymoons. In fact, blogging on HuffPost UK, travel planner Irina Vishnevskaya says for some couples, the honeymoon is even more important than the wedding.
âWeddings are about parents, about grandparents, and about showing your friends a good time,â she says. âWhatâs great about honeymoons is that itâs really, truly, actually just about the two of you.â
To get that quality couple time, Dafydd and Ceri are heading to Playa del Carmen in Mexico, a destination recommended by Ceriâs parents, who have visited the destination twice.
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Julie and Gary will be flying to Kuala Lumpur for four days before flying to Bali for a 10 day holiday. They are most excited about travelling business class for the first time and âexperiencing amazing places together as husband and wifeâ.
The couple are not keen on sunbathing so will have an active two weeks, although theyâve not got specific plans. âWe will find anything that makes us buzz,â Julie jokes.
By contrast, avid explorers Jo and Will have fully planned their honeymoon. Like 15% of couples, according to Hitchedâs 2017 wedding survey, they are planning to enjoy a mini-moon, before heading off to their proper post-wedding holiday. Theyâre starting off in a campervan in the Cotswolds and the Brecon Beacons before their main trip, which begins in Disneyland Paris âsomething Joâs always wanted to doâ. Theyâll then fly to the French island La RĂŠunion. âWeâre not so keen on relaxing beach holidays, so RĂŠunion is a great option for a bit of beach sunshine, but with volcanoes, jungles, canyons and plenty of other exciting stuff,â Will says.
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Shailesh and Monica are much less organised, having yet to pick a honeymoon destination, although theyâre leaning towards âthe floating huts in the crystal clear waters in the Maldivesâ â for the last two years, the south Asian island has been found the most popular honeymoon destination by Tourism company Kuoni Travel.
âGiven the amount of time and effort itâs taking me and Monica to plan two weddings, we just want a break somewhere relaxing where we donât have to lift a finger,â Shailesh says.
Which sounds amazing! Weâll be catching up with them along the rest of our âNot The Royal Weddingâ couples next week, when weâll be discussing handmade touches that are making their weddings unique.