[Jo Jo]

I'm getting married later in the year (hmmm... maybe. I'm quite tempted to call the whole thing off at the moment - it's all too stressful!!)

But, assuming I don't call it off, the plan is to get married in September and come to NZ in October.

Now, we were going to have our wedding list at John Lewis in London, but that poses a logistical difficulty because we are planning to ship our stuff to NZ a few weeks before we fly (probably at the beginning of September) so if we have a gift list in London we won't receive the gifts before we ship our stuff, and will have to make alternative arrangements for the gifts. Plus, we would be liable for duty on the gifts (although that's not too much of a problem as we would be able to claim back the VAT on them, apparently). And I wonder about the sense of getting things like china in the UK that we won't be able to replace in NZ if broken.

So... we are considering setting up a gift list online in NZ, but we have no idea who to do it with. I have been googling to get ideas, but as I don't know any of the shops I just don't have any idea which to choose.

Ideally, I want somewhere that has a wide range of products, and that sells good quality goods at reasonable prices. And also somewhere where I can handle the whole thing online (obviously, going into a shop to set it up just isn't an option!) What I really want is the equivalent of John Lewis in NZ.

Does anyone have any recommendations?

[zardell]

Does anyone have any recommendations?



Yeah....just get the cash !!!!.................:laugh

Embarrassing maybe, but seriously, getting the cash would be a much more simple option all round.

These people are your family and friends, so I'm sure they will understand and will probably be grateful for an alternative suggestion for a gift.

They are probably getting stressed wondering what to buy you anyway............

Julie

xx

[KerryS]

There isn't really anywhere that is an equivalent to John Lewis (I wish!), but friends have had gift lists at Nest (a bit like Habitat), Smith and Caugheys (a small dept store) and Living & Giving.
I'm not sure if any of them operate an online gift list though.

[Jo Jo]

Re cash - I wish I could just ask for that! I have sounded that option out with a few of my friends, though, and have received a resounding NO from all of them.

[Jo Jo]

There isn't really anywhere that is an equivalent to John Lewis (I wish!), but friends have had gift lists at Nest (a bit like Habitat), Smith and Caugheys (a small dept store) and Living & Giving.
I'm not sure if any of them operate an online gift list though.

I've seen Nest online, and also Living and Giving - both look good, so nice to hear that others have used them. I'll check out Smith and Caugheys. Thanks!

[sizzlingbadger]

How about travel vouchers or could family and friends club together and book accommodation or a holiday say later this year or next year for you in NZ ?

The only other way is gift vouchers from here but again that could be awkward for you as well.

:uhoh

[Tia Maria]

I have quite a good list of online places, so if you know the kind of things you want (crockery, furniture, travel vouchers, books, baby stuff etc), I can hunt through went I get a minute I find which do a registry service.

But for now this one sprung to mind:

www.stoffels.co.nz

Where are you heading to in NZ?

Cheers

Tia

[nippa&pippa]

Honestly, we asked for cash for our wedding presents because we wrote a letter, went with invitations, explained our situations (already live together for 8 years before got married, so already got everything!!) and to explain what we really like to buy, ie kenwood chef mixer which cost me £400 :nice1 , orb fish tank again at £200 and very good cooking equipments of pans and pots at good quality at £400 a set. In the end, majority of them did gave us cash/cheque and very few gave presents (Glass wall clock, hmmmm???).

Why not try write a letter and explain, I am sure they will change their mind after realise the situations.

[Happyfeet]

There isn't really anywhere that is an equivalent to John Lewis (I wish!), but friends have had gift lists at Nest (a bit like Habitat), Smith and Caugheys (a small dept store) and Living & Giving.
I'm not sure if any of them operate an online gift list though.

I would agree with these ones. There is also another one you can try as well called Stevens. You could also try Farmers as well where the range would be much larger and lots more choice. I dont actually know whether they do an online registry but it might be worth checking out.

www.stevens.co.nz
www.farmers.co.nz

Good luck

[Jo Jo]

I have quite a good list of online places, so if you know the kind of things you want (crockery, furniture, travel vouchers, books, baby stuff etc), I can hunt through went I get a minute I find which do a registry service.

But for now this one sprung to mind:

www.stoffels.co.nz

Where are you heading to in NZ?

Cheers

Tia


Thanks for the link, and for the offer - you may live to regret it. I am hiring you as my personal shopper as of now!

We are moving to Whitianga in the Coromandel - my boyfriend has family there.

[Jo Jo]

I would agree with these ones. There is also another one you can try as well called Stevens. You could also try Farmers as well where the range would be much larger and lots more choice. I dont actually know whether they do an online registry but it might be worth checking out.

www.stevens.co.nz
www.farmers.co.nz

Good luck

Thanks for these tips as well -I am now compiling another spreadsheet comparing and contrasting all the various offerings from all these companies, and making a list of pros and cons for each store!

[Jo Jo]

Honestly, we asked for cash for our wedding presents because we wrote a letter, went with invitations, explained our situations (already live together for 8 years before got married, so already got everything!!) and to explain what we really like to buy, ie kenwood chef mixer which cost me £400 :nice1 , orb fish tank again at £200 and very good cooking equipments of pans and pots at good quality at £400 a set. In the end, majority of them did gave us cash/cheque and very few gave presents (Glass wall clock, hmmmm???).

Why not try write a letter and explain, I am sure they will change their mind after realise the situations.


Oh, I wish this would work! Most of my friends wouldn't mind at all, it's more my relatives that would be snippy about it. And as they are all so cross that I am leaving the country, I don't want to add fuel to the fire!

[wanderingoregonian]

We did a middle ground thing... we already had a furnished flat and knew we were going to NZ after atleast 1 other move (and definetely didn't want ant appliances we could not plug in when we got here). In our invitations we said something about in leiu of gifts, please considering honouring our new commitment by donating to a charity of your choosing... some gave to our favorite charities, some to their own, some gave cash, and a few gave really meaningful gifts. All my mom's friends chipped in and bought me a really nice kichen mixer... we ended up have a lovely mix, and didn't double our shipping budget:)

Other friends registered with a travel agency.. guests then gave to pay for their honeymoon, and some organized with the travel agent to pay and arrange for special splurges like flowers in the room and things like that.

Other friends knew that anything different than what their guests were expectating was just not going to work for their family and friends!

We've also been to weddings where the bride and groom didn't register at all... they just left the giving up to the guests. Sure they got a few presents that didn't fit them, but no more than the aveage couple. Weddings are full of etiquette surprises... when we got married some folks commented that they thought it was rude to register, others thought it was rude to mention the registry, and some thought it was bizarre not to be registered!

my experiences might not fit your situation, but thought I'd share in case others were in a similar boat. Any chance of listing a NZ address so people could have the option of mailing gifts directly to NZ? what fun to have presents arriving after you get here!

best of luck with all the wedding plan!

[Jo Jo]

wanderingoregonian (and anyone else I forgot to thank) - thanks for all the helpful info. It's an etiquette minefield!

We have now decided to go with the John Lewis option and having it shipped over - the deciding factor for us was the expectations of my older relatives, and that ruled out having a gift list overseas (or any solely web-based list), charitable donations, travel vouchers or asking for cash!

[Andy-Dee]

Just so you know - our relative getting married this June has two options

1. List with John Lewis - for those relatives who need a tradional approach to the gift thing

2. Holiday / Honeymmon account with Trailfinders - for those who know what you really want is help with the cost of getting to NZ and know that you have most gift suggestions already

Good Luck.

[Sarah & Alex]

We were in a simular situation last year... We emigrated to NZ in August (me) September (OH) and got married in November (Sydney ... before you ask - it was where we got engaged).

As we had all our family flying across, we didn't want them to be carrying gifts (mainly as we would have no room left in our suitcase!!).

What we did was ask for the cash instead of any gifts ... provided bank account details for deposits. This was great as the exchange rate means that you can get more for your money and exactly what you want/need. We hardly shipped anything, so this really did go towards a "new House" set up for us ... washing machine, sofa etc .. it was great to have every new.

Good Luck

[Tia Maria]

I came across this and thought it might be useful for others wanting a NZ online wedding list:

www.theperfectgift.co.nz

Cheers

Tia