Top Gifts

Evolution has delivered a must-have wedding gift list brimming with everything from the much-loved champagne flutes to Nintendo Wii Console's. Smile. You're in wedding gift heaven.

Forget the toaster. Most couples will already have that. And the pans, the bed sheets and possibly the plates. Today's gift list is more likely to read: Le Creuset Rectangular Dishes (from £16), Smartbox Gift Experiences for 2 (from £39.95), Hunter Original Tall Wellington Boots (from £69) and a Nintendo Wii Console (from £143.20).

No longer are toasters and cutlery at the top of the list as high tech gadgets creep into the top 20 wedding gifts for the new decade. Which means the wedding gift list is going to bring with it more than a few smiles from your husband-to-be. John Lewis did a study of over 1,000 Wedding Gift Lists to find some key trends on luxury electricals and home furnishings. While men are opting for the latest digital gadgets, women are sneaking in Hunter wellington boots and planning for parenthood with buggy requests from Bugaboo.

The silver photo frame that used to be top of the list has been superceded by the digital photo frame and, according to John Lewis, the UK’s most popular gift list provider, even the Nintendo Wii games console has now made it into the top 10.

It's not the only gift list craze of 2011. According to Debenhams one in ten couples are asking for charitable donations to be added to their wedding list, which is a threefold increase on last year. William and Kate are among the many who shunned the traditional gift list, instead asking guests to give charitable donations. There’s also been a rise in couples asking for gift vouchers and contributions to their honeymoons by using companies such as the aptly named HoneyMoney and MoneyMoon to organise gifts.

It's still important, of course, for guests to buy a couple something they can keep and hold on to for years to come. And traditional gifts such as champagne flutes and the like will always be a firm favourite.

‘Personalised keepsakes are lovely’, comments Confetti Features Editor, Kate Thompson. 'They’re much more thoughtful than a boring carriage clock or practical linens. Adding keepsakes that can be personalised to your gift list in the form of home or garden wares will ensure you are given extra special gifts from those dearest to you. My favourite wedding gift was a set of personalised mugs with brilliant and hilarious cartoons of my husband and I and our names on them. They’ve had pride of place on display in our kitchen ever since the wedding 10 years ago this summer.’

Plan Your Gift List

Simply make a list of everything you have both ever wanted and hope that someone you invite to your wedding will get it for you. Gift lists certainly make it easier for guests to know what you would like and they do protect against being given the same gift 100 times over.

Confetti Top 20 Wedding Gift Ideas
 

1. Pair of Champagne flutes 
2. Nintendo Wii Console (from £143.20)
3. Digital photo frame
4. Silver photo frame
5. Coffee maker
6. Garden accessories
7. Kitchen gadgets
8. Cutlery set
9. Nintendo Wii
10. Chinaware
11.  Glass vase
12. Crystal glass bowl
13. Wine cooler
14. Photo album
15. Personalised Champagne keepsake
16. Artwork
17. Stylish doormat
18. Gift experience
19. Honeymoon contribution
20. Gift vouchers