Helena and Russell took a relaxed approach to organising their wedding.
“We wanted to have a big, fun celebration that included everyone right from the beginning. Which meant our planning sessions usually consisted of prosecco and pizza with flat mates around the kitchen table”.
Although they’ve lived together for seven years, a shared love of adventure coupled with extortionate London house prices, means Helena and Russell don’t yet own their own home.
So when it came to the gift list they knew they wanted “a patchwork-style approach” that would give friends and family a choice: to help fund a bit of their next big travelling adventure or contribute towards the more “long-term sensible house-buying related things”.
“When we stumbled upon Patchwork it was the answer to what we were looking for. The flexibility of it was perfect. We could collect cash towards all the things we really wanted and be as creative and personal as we liked.”
Helena says their friends loved looking through their patchwork. “It told a story and built up a picture of what our future adventures will look like. We could even present the sensible house-y gifts in a fun way: ‘a backhander to a dodgy estate agent’, ‘tea towels so our mums will visit’ and ‘DIY stuff so our dads will come too’.
Helena says three of the couples that contributed to their adventures have already used our cash gift list to create their own alternative wedding lists and that she recommends us to everyone:
“Patchwork was easy to set up, easy to use and was engaging and fun for our friends and family to interact with – even for the less techy people. The support we received was top notch and we would recommend using the gift list to anyone looking to find their niche in an overcrowded, cheesy and often cliched market.”
Helena and Russell got married last month. And so before they settle down with their new napkins and get stuck into a bit of DIY, they’re heading off on a three month adventure honeymoon around Africa and South East Asia then on to Ibiza to celebrate a friend’s 30th birthday.
Thanks for sharing Helena and Russell. And please send us a postcard.
To make your own just customise one of our readymades or create one from scratch.