Setting up a Wedding Gift List
To have a wedding gift list, or not to have a gift list?
Some people prefer not to have a gift list, as they are worried that wedding guests may think that they are rude, or presumptious. I know that personally if I am invited to someone's wedding I am always relieved to find out that they have a gift list. It can often be hard to buy a wedding present, as there is always the chance that you will buy something that the couple have already, or buy the same thing as someone else. A gift list takes away the guessing and means that you can be sure you are buying something that is wanted (even if it is something boring like pots and pans!).
So with that in mind, Stuart and I decided to have a gift list. We chose John Lewis because
a) There is a good selection of products to choose from
b) People can buy online, by telephone or in store in Edinburgh or Glasgow
c) They don't charge guests for delivery (unlike Debenhams)
We imagined that doing the gift list thing would be an enjoyable experience, but it was actually more difficult than we expected. For couples that are buying a place together for the first time and haven't already furnished and accessorised their home it should be quite easy, but since we have had our house together for over a year now, we actually have most of the things we need.
We spent an hour and a half or so, wandering about in John Lewis with a scanner, choosing the gifts, bumping into lots of other couples doing the same thing, as we went round the store. Unfortunately the scanner didn't work very reliably so we had to type in the numbers a lot. Sometimes when we thought of something that we needed e.g. a knife block & knives, we couldn't always find one that we liked and some of the things we found didn't have any numbers or barcodes on them. So, it wasn't as fun as we thought it would be and we only managed to add about 15 things on to our list during that time! It looks like we will be back again (and maybe again after that).
One good thing is that you can go back as many times as you like, or you can add things to your list and review your list on the John Lewis website. The gift list "goes live" 6 weeks before the wedding and you can still add and remove anything after the gift list is live.
Labels: wedding gift list
Itinerary for our South Africa Honeymoon
It's been a while now since I booked the honeymoon in South Africa, but I feel the need to remind myself of it, with this long so called Scottish summer that we are having right now!
I thought it might be helpful for anyone else who is planning a South Africa Honeymoon to have a look at our itinerary, including all the hotels that we plan on staying in, the costs etc. The South African currency is the Rand and there is just over 14 Rand to the Pound at the moment.
Our honeymoon budget was £3000 for the two of us including flights and accommodation, but not spending money.
Outward FlightsWe head off to South Africa at the end of October, flying with KLM via Amsterdam to Cape Town. We leave Edinburgh at 5.50am, arrive in Amsterdam at 8.30am, then fly to Cape Town at 10am, arriving in Cape Town at 10.40pm. Since there is only a 2hr time difference between the UK and South Africa we shouldn't suffer too much from jet lag. The flights were around £600 return per person, including tax.
4 Nights in Cape TownWe are starting off our honeymoon with 4 nights in Cape Town for lots of sightseeing including Table Mountain, Robben Island and Cape Peninsula. We are staying in a place called
Blackheath Lodge, a 4* Victorian guesthouse, which about £65 per room & breakfast per night.
2 Nights on SafariAfter our 4 nights stay in Cape town we fly to Port Elizabeth. The distance from Cape Town to Port Elizabeth is similar to the distance between Edinburgh and London so we decided that it would be best to fly one way and drive one way to save time. Our one way flight with South African Airways cost around £35 each. We arrive in Port Elizabeth at 9.20am and pick up a hire car for the remainder of our trip. Our next stop is a private game reserve called
Amakala for 2 nights. The cost is £150 per person per night and this includes all meals and two game activities per day.
1 Night in St Francis CapeAfter our Safari we are off to a place called St Francis Cape for the night on the way to the garden route. We are staying at a place called
Lyngenfjord House for one night, which is £80 for the room and breakfast. Lyngenfjord is by the seaside and has a swimming pool so it will be a nice place to relax before starting our journey through the garden route.
2 nights in KnysnaWe decided on Knysna for a couple of nights as it is in a good location for visiting places around the garden route and it also looks like a nice place to stay. We are staying at a place called
Cunningham's Island Guest House on Leisure Island in a large Superior room with breakfast for £60 per night.
1 night in Mossel BayNext its off to Mossel Bay for a night. We are staying in a lovely looking place called
African Oceans in the Honeymoon suite, which is £95 per night.
2 Nights in Hermanus for some Whale spottingIn the hope of spotting some whales we are staying in Hermanus for a couple of nights. We are staying in
Pat's Place again in the honeymoon suite, which has a nice private patio and spa bath! This is around £50 per night
3 Nights in Franschhoek for some wine tasting & relaxationFinally, we are spending our last three nights relaxing and visiting lots of vineyards in the winelands. We are staying in Franschhoek which is renound for its fabulous cuisine and wine. We are staying in a little cottage called
The Garden House.
Flights HomeOur flights are quite late - half past midnight to Amsterdam, arriving at 11.15am in Amsterdam and then home to Edinburgh by 3.50pm, again with KLM.
Well, I am feeling suitably excited now after looking at all these places again!
Labels: Honeymoon
