Latest news with #giftregistry
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Would you want toilet rolls and kitchen towels as a wedding gift?
THEY may not be the sort of gifts that would send the recipients into throes of ecstasy, but at least they're going to be of use. Bypassing the usual crystal wine glasses, fine china tea sets and his and hers jewellery, Tesco has launched a wedding gift registry featuring everyday items like loo roll, bin bags and shower gel. The supermarket chain's Really Useful Stuff bundle also includes toothpaste, kitchen towel, antibacterial hand wash and shampoo. If you ask me it's a great idea. Unlike many wedding presents these items won't end up at the back of a cupboard for years, but will go straight into everyday use. Wedding gifts are problematic, both for the couple on the receiving end and for friends and family. When I got married we invited only a handful of guests, all close family, who asked what we wanted. Our presents included a microwave oven, a duvet cover, a lovely glass vase (also still in use) and a gorgeous wooden salad bowl, all, bar the oven, still in use today. My now sister-in-law, who had been living in China, gave us a pot of Chinese rice wine, traditionally drunk by the bride and groom to bring good luck. We were delighted with everything. But had we had a big wedding with a large number of guests, I can say for certain we would have stipulated no gifts, to avoid accumulating 18 sets of bath towels, 13 toasters and ten personalised chopping boards. As a guest, choosing a present, especially if you're not familiar with the couple's lifestyle, can be tricky. It's not only about what to buy, but how much to spend. You don't want to break the bank, but neither do you want to appear a cheapskate. Most couples already own a toaster when they tie the knot. Picture: Pixabay This sort of dilemma is perhaps even worse with wedding lists. These place people in a quandary. I've been to a few weddings where people's names are flagged up beside the gift they have chosen, so everyone knows who has opted for the set of three tea towels as opposed to the 13-piece Ultimate Le Creuset Cookware set. We were once invited to a wedding, prior to which the John Lewis gift list contained numerous ludicrously expensive items such as a sofa and a dishwasher. It was a morning suit affair too, so I was thankful that we managed to come up with a fictitious trip to Tasmania that sadly clashed with the date. We sent a gift voucher based on what we could afford. Wedding lists, and indeed presents generally, are intended to equip the happy couple for their new start in life, but nowadays most couples have already been living together for some while - as my partner and I had for more 12 years - so their household needs have already been met before tying the knot. Research carried out for Tesco found that many couples are ditching items typically associated with wish lists, like fine china and furniture, in favour of more practical goods. Cost increases mean the average couple now takes a year to pay off their wedding, which could be behind their desire to receive household essentials rather than luxuries. I like the traditional Greek wedding idea of pinning money on the bride and groom's clothing or throwing it towards them as they dance. It's a fun was of giving, with no way of anyone - guests or newlyweds - knowing how much anyone has donated. We recently attended a lovely wedding, at which there was no obligation to give anything, but if we so wished we could donate towards the couple's honeymoon, which we were happy to do. I wonder, does anyone still stock up their 'bottom drawer'- traditionally the place that a young, unmarried woman would put things - mostly household items like towels and tablecloths - to use once she was married?
Times
20-05-2025
- Business
- Times
Least romantic wedding list? Tesco offers tea bags and loo roll
Toilet roll, tea bags and toothpaste may not be high on many wedding lists but that has not stopped Tesco unveiling a new gift registry service offering newlyweds the chance to stock up on everyday essentials. Britain's biggest supermarket chain said that many engaged couples no longer wanted traditional gifts, such as fine china and furniture, and instead asked for products that would 'usually be part of their weekly shop'. Tesco believes that one of the main reasons people prefer shampoo over silverware and chocolate over crockery is that most couples now live together before they get married and so already own most household items. It added that the high cost of getting married meant that many couples now wanted to recoup their expenses afterwards
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Baby Shower Guest Shocked After Being Told People Have to Pay to Attend: ‘I Might Be a Bit Out of Touch'
A Mumsnet user shared that her friend — a mother-to-be — is making guests pay to attend her baby shower at a teahouse 'It'll still be open to the public so they're not paying to hire it out or anything,' the baby shower guest explained At the venue, the paying guests will be served foodA woman wants her baby shower guests to make it rain cash at the party. One of the baby shower guests shared on the community forum Mumsnet that the mom-to-be is making friends and family pay roughly $13 each to attend her baby shower at a teahouse that will still be open to the public. 'I might be a bit out of touch here,' she wrote. 'My baby shower was 8 years ago now, but I just feel that it's a bit cheeky [to have guests pay] 😬.' Guests learned about the unexpected fee after they had already RSVP'd and bought very specific gifts for the baby shower. 'We had a ridiculous gift list — everything very particular — with actual links to websites,' the pregnant woman's friend recalled. 'We all had to say what we were buying so it could be crossed off the main list. Whatever. I chose something and that was that.' 'Just had a message to say that food will be [$13] each and we need to pay cash on arrival,' she continued. 'I mean, it's been a month or so since people RSVPd and 'chose' their gift. And so now with this payment surprise thrown in, it would seem a little off to turn around and cancel.' She noted that no one has called out the host for the demand, adding that the teahouse is owned by a family member of the mom-to-be. 'It'll still be open to the public so they're not paying to hire it out or anything,' she explained. 'The mom-to-be is a lovely friend so, of course, I will still go and have a nice time. BUT am I being unreasonable to find it all a bit cheeky and annoyed that it wasn't mentioned to start with?' is now available in the Apple App Store! Download it now for the most binge-worthy celeb content, exclusive video clips, astrology updates and more! Many Mumsnet users replied that it's normal to be expected to pitch in for food if the baby shower isn't at someone's house or backyard. 'Well obviously if they're having the shower at a venue where you'd pay for food, you'd be, er, paying for the food 🤦♀️,' one person commented. Other readers agreed, with one user responding, 'It's also expected to pay your space if it's something like an afternoon tea or a dinner, but if it's a BBQ in someone's garden then not so much.' However, one person pointed out that she 'can understand it's a bit of a gray area as the family owns the tearooms.' Read the original article on People
