LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM — (Marketwire) — 05/28/12 — A year on from Will and Kate-s special day and as the wedding season hots up, has taken its yearly look in to the gifts couples would like to receive on their big day.
According to the research from first direct, there-s no change at the top of the list with most prospective newlyweds (31%) still preferring to ask for money or vouchers as a their wedding gift. However, couples are now giving their guests more choice and would rather they gave a gift of their own choosing (20%) or nothing (19%).
In the survey of 2,015 people, the biggest changes were the number of couples no longer having a gift list or registry service (down 9%) and those who didn-t know what they wanted (up 11%). This may be a reflection of the numbers of people living together before they walked up the aisle, 57% of couples surveyed in 2011.
Wedding gifts couples would ask for 2012 versus 2011:
It seems that the last year has brought about change in the perception of giving cash as a gift. In 2011, whilst most couples would prefer to receive cash, guests were less keen on giving it (21%). However in 2012 cash is top of the list of gifts people would prefer to give (33%).
Wedding gifts people would rather give 2012 versus 2011:
People still feel embarrassed about the size of their gift and would rather the couple didn-t know how much they-d spent (34% in both 2011 and 2012). And, whilst twenty two per cent of guests in 2011 disliked being told what to give as a gift, in 2012 28% found it positively rude. Interestingly, and maybe a reflection of the difficulties young couples face in getting on the housing ladder, the number who think that giving money towards a is a good idea as a wedding gift has risen from 18% to 21%.
Richard Tolchard, Senior Mortgage Product Manager commented:
“It seems that cash is King these days and a great way to create a nest egg at the start of your married life.
“It-s also interesting to see that a fifth of guests now consider giving money towards a mortgage as a good idea. By offsetting their wedding cash against their mortgage newlywed homeowners could save money, knock years off their mortgage term and have access to vital funds if they need them.”
Regional Findings
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