Summer wedding season is fast approaching and it's no surprise that newlyweds want only the best for their first home together, keeping their favourite home decor trends in mind when curating their gift registry. However, that leaves you and me with the hard part: figuring out the perfect wedding gift.
New research reveals that the most requested wedding gift is something that would oftentimes fly over your head but is a little luxury to celebrate: placemats from The White Company.
We'll be the first to rave about The White Company as a reliable homeware brand that's sure to tick all the boxes that will ensure a timeless and luxurious feeling home you'll love for a long time, so seeing the homeware brand's sought-after Whitewashed Rattan Round Placemat (£16) make the rankings is unsurprising, to say the least.
The top most requested wedding gifts in 2022
In 2022, The Wedding Shop reportedly saw over one million gifts added to couples' lists, many of which were gifts that elevated experiences at home, helping couples decorate and bring their dream living rooms, kitchens, and bedrooms to life.
Wedding planning experts at Hitched.co.uk delve into the gift list data to reveal the most popular wedding gifts couples are actually looking for from their friends and families.
The most requested item amongst newlyweds last year was the Whitewashed Rattan Round Placemat from The White Company, priced at £16.
The rattan placemat was added to over 3,700 wedding gift lists in 2022, and purchased by 851 guests, according to The Wedding Shop, with over £13,600 spent overall on this desirable dining table decorating idea. However, given that some people don't even document their purchases online, there's a chance that figure is even higher.
Taking the second, third, and fourth spot on the list as the most requested wedding gift are other dinnerware items from The White Company, namely the Jute Woven Placemat (£16), Portobello Cereal Bowl (£10), and Portobello Pasta Bowl (£14).
However, although these items from The White Company were among some of the most requested (as well as some of the most affordable items on many wedding gift lists), they weren't the most purchased by wedding guests.
Instead, guests opted to spend a little more on their gifts, picking up larger-scale appliances such as KitchenAid's Artisan Stand Mixer, which was purchased by over 600 guests in 2022, with a combined spend of more than £382,000. Coming in second and third of highest value gifts are Sage's Barista Express Coffee Machine and the Ooni Karu 12 Multi-Fuel Pizza Oven.
'Gift lists are such a great way for couples to communicate what gifts they would actually like to receive from their guests, and stops the issue of getting more than one of the same gift, too,' says Zoe Burke, leading wedding expert and editor of Hitched.
'It's great to see a range of affordable gifts on the lists this year too, especially as guests are now also faced with spending more than ever to just attend weddings with the ever-increasing cost of living really squeezing us in all the wrong places.'
So if you're short on time to put together the ideal wedding gift, you can rest assured that The White Company placemats will more or less have you sorted.
