With the majority of couples living together before they get married, the traditional wedding list gifts – glassware, china and kitchenware items – are increasingly becoming outmoded, with many couples choosing social gifting in its place.
Instead of a material gift for the happy couple, there is a growing trend for the bride and bridegroom, usually in their early 30s, to ask their friends and family to do something kind for the planet or for another human being.
According to a recent article in The Times, this could involve using a recyclable coffee cup, clearing up waste on a beach, being kind to a homeless or elderly person, or going vegetarian for two days a week.
The trend has prompted wedding list company Prezola to become one of the first to offer social gifting in response to requests from couples.
“The couple asking you, in honour of their marriage, to change your behaviour in some way, such as by doing something charitable – don’t buy me a gift but buy yourself a re-usable coffee cup – that’s the kind of thing we’re beginning to see,” Prezola’s chief executive Dom Beavon told Times journalist Greg Hurst.
* To see some housewares wedding gifts that are still bestsellers, see Progressive Housewares’ What’s Cooking for weddings and special occasions (page 66-67 of the January/February issue).
Top: Millennial couples marrying in their ‘30s are asking for friends and family to gift themselves or others who are less fortunate.
