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A bride and groom and their celebrant taking part in a Celtic hand-tying ritual on their wedding day. They stand outside by a big metal gate with countryside behind them.
Patchwork CouplesWedding Planning

A barn wedding in Wales and Year of Dates gift list

by Rosie Hurwitz
written by Rosie Hurwitz

Meet Donna and Darren who originally crossed paths in Bristol, when Darren was doing some work in the apartment block that Donna lived in. She was moving house at the time and needed a strong pair of hands to move furniture! And needless to say, Darren seemed like the perfect candidate. They’ve been together three years and got married last Autumn in a gorgeous celebration at rustic wedding venue Treadam Barn in South Wales.

Photo credit: Seb JJ Peters

How did you get engaged?

Donna: Darren took me to a local beauty spot to propose. We’d brought a picnic and a blanket with us, only it was pouring with rain. This normally secluded quiet spot, was particularly busy that day with walkers and runners passing by. In an attempt to ignore the distractions, Darren played a song on his phone and went down on one knee in the mud and held out a ring box.

I said “yes”, and we promptly packed up our things and went home to get dry!

A bride stands by an open vw campervan and her long ivory dress is adjusted by an older woman, while a man holds her bouquet of flowers. In the foreground a young girl faces her and holds up a small bunch of yellow and orange flowers and the bride smiles at her.
Photo credit: Seb JJ Peters
Rustic barn wedding venue set up with long wooden tables with wooden chairs set for a wedding breakfast. The colour scheme is Autumnal and rustic, with oranges in the linens, and yellow and orange and pink flowers in glass vases.
Photo credit: Seb JJ Peters

What kind of wedding did you plan?

Originally, we planned a small country hotel wedding, with 3 course meal, overlooking the River Usk. We had the date set, had sent out the invitations, guests had booked their accommodation etc.  As with many couples getting married in Covid times, our venue cancelled our wedding due to staff shortages, just 6 weeks before our planned date.  Fortunately, we had booked amazing celebrant Jane Grayer who offered some suggestions of alternate venues at short notice. We found a beautiful rustic barn that we were able to customise in our own way. This led to us needing to source tables, chairs and catering, as these would of course have been provided by our original venue.  In the end, we had a small wedding ceremony in the barn, followed by a handfasting outside in the grounds, and a sharing feast for dinner. 

A bride and groom stand up at their wedding breakfast in front of all their guests, they are inside a converted barn, with a rustic feel and exposed brick walls. Both are smiling happily.
Photo credit: Seb JJ Peters
A bride and groom - both white - stand hand in hand looking towards each other in a converted barn ceremony space. Their guests are seated either side of the frame.
Photo credit: Seb JJ Peters

That sounds perfect – what was your favourite part of the day?

Our favourite part of the day was walking down the aisle to music that we had chosen, hearing our secret letters to each other, and then getting to relax after the ceremony.

A close up of a Celtic hand-fasting ceremony taking place at a wedding in Wales. A bride and groom hold hands and there are multi-coloured ribbons wrapped around their joined hands and wrists.
Photo credit: Seb JJ Peters
Bride and groom walk together away from camera along a line of their wedding guests as they throw confetti. To the right is an old vw campervan parked up.
Photo credit: Seb JJ Peters

Why did you choose Patchwork for your wedding registry?

We found Patchwork through Google. Individuality was key, and we were able to create a gift list that wasn’t based on products already available on the market. The best bit about using Patchwork was the customisable aspect – we were able to set our own prices and use our own images and descriptions. We were also able to divide higher priced experiences into affordable prices for all. 

A woman with long brown hair and wearing sunglasses stands next to a man with short brown-grey hair and a short beard also wearing sunglasses. It's sunny and next to them hangs beautiful lilac wisteria.
Patchwork honeymoon fund "A Year of Dates" in iPad

What did you invite guests to contribute towards?

We wanted guests to contribute to experiences rather than material items, because we already lived together and wanted to look forward to planned couple time throughout our first year of marriage.

A woman sits in a long canoe or similar small boat, smiling at camera - they are on a small river and you can see a small stone bridge in the distance and lots of greenery to each side.

What did your friends and family think?

Family and friends were on board and were quick to purchase gifts. When we talked to them they found it to be novel and fun. They were also looking forward to hearing about our experiences.

A man lies back in a long canoe or similar small boat, they are on a small river and you can see a small stone bridge in the background and lots of greenery to each side.

How have you spent the gift money you collected via your Patchwork?

We spent the gift money on several days out / activities, a three day mini moon break, and a seven day shepherd’s hut stay. The gift money also allowed us to purchase some camping equipment and we had a few days away in the summer. We were surprised by how kind and generous people were, and it was interesting to see who chose which gift experience for us. 

close up of bride and groom holding hands. We can just see the edge of the skirt of the bride's dress, with embroidered flowers on and organza fabric. The groom wears a reddish brown suit.
Photo credit: Seb JJ Peters

And finally.. what are your top wedding planning tips?

– We recommend that both partners are involved in the planning and decision making process, this is a great foundation for teamworking in your marriage!!!

– If something doesn’t feel right, look for an alternative, it is ok to say no.

– Keep a spreadsheet / notebook to track your spending and keep an eye on budget.

– Make a note of deposits paid and when final balances are due.

Wow – thank you so much Donna and Darren for sharing your gorgeous wedding day with us and some brilliant advice for couples planning their weddings for next year!

If you’ve been inspired to set up your own Year of Dates gift registry you’ll be joining 1000s of other happy Patchwork couples. If you’d like to browse our other wedding registry ideas you’ll find 100s of registry templates and honeymoon fund templates that are super simple to customise!

Here are some of the amazing wedding suppliers that made Donna and Darren’s celebration even more special:

Celebrant – Jane Grayer 

Photographer – Seb JJ Peters

Flowers – Lucy Coco Floristry

Venue – Treadam Barn

Wedding Dress – Surrey Brides

Catering – Turton Catering

Tables – Andrew Jones

Wedding Suits – Sirri

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view down church aisle to Luke and Hannah standing together at the alter. Each church pew has a bunch of bright yellow daffodils tied to them, wrapped in hessian
Gift IdeasPatchwork Couples

A Spring wedding and National Trust membership

by Rosie Hurwitz
written by Rosie Hurwitz

On the blog today we’re chatting to newly-weds Hannah, from Cumbria; and Luke, originally from Devon. They met at university where they became good friends and both ended up staying in the city with their respective friends after graduation. They lived just down the road from each other and got together often with friends for Sunday dinner or watching The Apprentice. Eventually, with some “help” (ahem) from their friends, they went on their first coffee date together in April 2018. From then on they saw each other as much as they could. They celebrated their marriage with a beautiful, intimate early Spring wedding and their friends and family all chipped in to a National Trust membership wedding gift via their Patchwork. Read on to hear about their day.

How did you get engaged?

Hannah: We got engaged on January 11th 2020. After I had been at a friend’s house to celebrate her birthday, Luke took me on a walk down to the river. We stopped for a sit down on a bench and Luke got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. I was totally surprised and said yes straight away! Hilariously, a friend had asked me that morning if Luke was going to propose soon and I said no!

What kind of wedding did you plan?

A big, country family wedding in glorious Cumbria with a ceilidh. I wanted to keep it as personal as I could using local businesses and using the help of my friends and family. A family member made my cake (and cupcakes to hand out to people at the church) and my friend did my make up. My Grandad drove us in his car. I always knew I wanted a spring wedding so the date was set for April 2021 so I could have all the daffodils in the world! They are my favourite flower and we ordered 300 to go in jugs and watering cans at the church and venue. As it turned out our wedding was scaled down due to Covid. I can’t even imagine how many we would have needed for a big wedding!

Patchwork couple Hannah and Luke in foreground and out of focus, their wedding day 'timeline' is behind them on a blackboard with Spring flowers in pots and watering can on the ground.

How did Covid affect your wedding day plans?

When Covid first happened, we were both certain that it would all blow over by the following year so I continued planning the wedding as best I could. Even with no shops open, I was eventually able to get my dress which was going to be ready for collection around Christmas time and all seemed fine. However, the doubts started to set in by Winter 2020. Following the Christmas lockdown, we had to wait very patiently for the roadmap to be released and for guidelines on weddings to be announced. It meant we had to start talking about Plan A, B, and even C. When they were finally released, we had to make huge decisions and I was gutted to not have the big wedding I had planned for. We were originally getting married on the 9th April however, we moved it to the 15th so we could have fifteen guests rather than just two.

My big family wedding turned into a small family wedding and it was just as beautiful as I could have hoped for – just without the ceillidh. I wasn’t able to have all my bridesmaids as guests but they all came to see me get ready and help with things on the day where they could. The rules at the time meant that my venue cancelled, so I booked another venue and then 2 weeks before the wedding they also had to cancel our booking. So there were a lot of changes to our plans! After a great deal of googling and searching we worked out we could have a marquee in a field behind our house. My caterer thankfully lived next door to me so she was able to cook the food and transport it up after some menu alternations. We moved all the other bookings to a new date this spring so we can celebrate a first year wedding anniversary with everyone.

Wow that’s a lot of re-organising. Did you and Luke have a first dance?

Luke and I never wanted a first dance but we are looking forward to having a first ceilidhi dance together at our celebration this spring.

Victoria sponge tiered wedding cake dusted with icing sugar and decorated with brightly coloured spring flowers

What was your favourite part of the day?

Lots of friends and family came to see us arrive at the church and watched the ceremony on zoom too – it made it really special.

National Trust Lifetime Membership Patchwork Gift Registry in an ipad

Why did you choose Patchwork for your gift registry?

I was googling for wedding gift alternatives as we both had two houses worth of stuff so we wanted something a bit different. Patchwork was ideal as we could make it personal to us.

What did you want to invite guests to contribute to and why?

We asked for money to go towards a lifetime National Trust membership. We both enjoy days out especially with a good coffee shop and you certainly can’t go wrong with a National Trust property! Luke and I are both from areas where lots of land is owned by the National Trust and it means we can enjoy lots of days out together (and free parking).

What was the best bit about using Patchwork?

It was easy to set up and share and I could personalise it with my own choice of pictures and words. I also loved being able to read all the comments from people who had sent gifts. Family and friends loved the idea that they were contributing to something different and how easy it was to use.

Have you bought your National Trust membership yet? What have you enjoyed doing?

Yes! We have already put it to use visiting places on our holiday in summer on the south coast by visiting beaches and houses and of course having lots of coffee and cake!

Thank you so much Hannah and Luke for letting us share in your beautiful Spring wedding day and we’re so glad you are enjoying so many great days out with your National Trust wedding gift! If you’d like to set up your own National Trust membership wedding fund you can do that here. And don’t forget as well as supporting conservation through your membership, Patchwork donates 50% of our own sign up fee to environmental charities. Definitely a gift list that gives back in so many ways!

Here are some of the suppliers that made Hannah & Luke’s day even more special:

Photographer: Andrew Wade Photography
Caterer: Choice Catering, Cumbria
Dress: Song Bird Bridal Boutique
Flowers: Greenwheat
Finishing touches: Roses and Hearts and Wilde and Romantic
Wedding stationery: Poppy Forrest

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Bride Eliza, (a white woman with dark brown hair), wearing a white long sleeved dress, and groom Phil (a white man with curly reddish hair and beard), wearing a light brown checked suit, both eat ice-cream cones standing in front of a red brick wall.
Patchwork CouplesWedding Planning

A perfectly small wedding and Year of Dates registry

by Rosie Hurwitz
written by Rosie Hurwitz

Phil and Eliza are both from Yorkshire but Phil was working in Birmingham when they first met through Tinder. Eliza says “we always joke that we both must have been desperate to find someone as odd as the other as we were hundreds of miles apart when we matched.” They spent the first few months having weekend holiday dates around the UK. “We had to travel so far to see each other we thought we may as well just go on holiday.” After a drunken night in the pub Eliza’s mum suggested Phil quit his job and come work with Eliza and her mum in their family run deli. Just three months later that became reality! Although Covid meant their wedding plans had to change, Phil and Eliza had a small but perfect wedding for 23 guests. Their friends and family all helped fund a Year of Dates wedding registry and they say they wouldn’t change a thing about their day.

Bride Eliza, (a white woman with dark brown hair), wearing a white long sleeved dress, sunglasses and dried flower headpiece in hair, and groom Phil (a white man with curly reddish hair and beard), both raise a can of drink in the air and are standing with arms round each other next to a little open sided train.

How did you get engaged?

Eliza: Phil booked us a night’s stay in a shepherd’s hut with a hot tub a few weeks before Christmas. He sent me flowers on the Wednesday before, with a list of things to pack along with a note saying he would pick me up from work on the Saturday afternoon. As we work together it was a miracle he managed to keep it a secret from me. Especially as he had to tell my mum and dad so they could help make it happen. 

An elegant white long sleeved wedding dress hangs on the outside of a cream wardrobe in a simple room. A dried flower head garland hangs on top of it.
White iced two tired wedding cake on plain wooden stand. Each tier has dried flowers around the base and two figurines of a bride and groom are on the top.

What kind of wedding did you plan? 

We originally planned an outdoor wedding in Glencoe, Scotland, in December 2020. Our idea was based around a relaxed weekend with our close family and friends; celebrating together with good food and beautiful scenery. We started planning a few weeks before the pandemic started and ended up moving our plans multiple times with different venues and suppliers. In the end we just wanted to get married so we decided to do it locally and have a garden party at home.

It was one of the hottest days of the year so couldn’t have been further from the winter wonderland wedding we had planned but we loved it. We saw penguins at the zoo, went on a train, ate ice cream, made pizzas, drank and danced the night away in our garden. Later on, we watched videos of our loved ones that couldn’t be there on the day. We even had a video from all of Eliza’s Scottish family dancing and singing to “All you need is love” to add to the madness. Everything about our wedding day was bonkers from start to finish and we wouldn’t change a bit of it looking back. It ended up being more “us” than we could ever have imagined thanks to Covid.

Bride Eliza, (a white woman with dark brown hair), wearing a white long sleeved dress, and groom Phil (a white man with curly reddish hair and beard), wearing a light brown checked suit. They walk down steps hand in hand after their wedding ceremony and are smiling and laughing as guests throw confetti.
Bride Eliza, a white woman with dark brown hair, wearing white long sleeved dress and dried flower head garland smiles happily with closed eyes as her mother faces her, smiling back and cups Eliza's face in her hands.

What impact did Covid regulations have on your wedding day?

We always wanted a smaller wedding but never imagined it would be just 23 of us. There are some friends and family that we wished could have been there, but it felt so special being such an intimate wedding. Our ceremony was probably the biggest affected aspect of the day as all the guests had to be in face masks. We were only allowed a super short ceremony – four minutes in total! It made all the worry and fuss seem daft as we were married so quickly in the end.

Bride Eliza, (a white woman with dark brown hair), wearing a white long sleeved dress, and groom Phil (a white man with curly reddish hair and beard), do "cheers" with slices of pizza and hold takeaway pizza boxes on their wedding day.
Bride Eliza, (a white woman with dark brown hair), wearing a white long sleeved dress, gives groom Phil (a white man with curly reddish hair and beard) a piggy back at their wedding party with friends all around them.

What was your favourite part of the day?

It finally happening! It was nothing like we ever expected but that made every second even more special (and bonkers). With all the changes and restrictions due to Covid, we didn’t have a first dance. We really just wanted to go straight into a celebration so just let our band go for it and get everyone together. Neither of us can even remember what the first dance song was but it certainly worked! Everyone was boogieing around for hours. It was an epic party, so unexpected but felt like we all just had a year of celebrations exploding in one day.

Patchwork honeymoon fund "A Year of Dates" in iPad

Why did you choose Patchwork for your wedding registry?

We found Patchwork through Instagram and just loved the idea. We knew early on in our wedding planning that Covid was going to restrict what we could do, so thought the idea of a Year of Dates would be perfect. It’s so easy to use and everything looks great. And Patchwork even let us ask our guests for treats for our little puppy, Aggie.

Bride Eliza, (a white woman with dark brown hair), wearing a white long sleeved dress, and groom Phil (a white man with curly reddish hair and beard), stand together outside. Phil holds their black labrador dog in his arms

What did you invite guests to contribute towards?

All the restrictions meant that we wouldn’t be able to go away on a traditional honey moon so we loved the idea of a Year of Dates. Our Patchwork was a mix of some of our favourite activities and things we have always wanted to do, or places we wanted to stay. We never thought so many people would get involved so think it might turn into a few years of dates!

Bride Eliza, (a white woman with dark brown hair), wearing a white long sleeved dress, sunglasses and dried flower head garland holds hand with her Groom Phil (a white man with reddish curly hair and short beard) Phil wears a light brown checked suit and holds Eliza's bouquet. They are both smiling widely and walking down a lane with red brick walls on either side

What were your favourite Patchwork features?

It was really fun coming up with ideas and designing our page together. We launched our Patchwork a month or so before the wedding so it added to all the excitement for the big (small) day, seeing our messages and gifts from our loved ones. The interaction with people was definitely a big bonus for us. We’ve been able to send our friends and family all around the world photos from the day. It’s made it more inclusive even though we couldn’t have many of our loved ones there with us.

Black and white photo of Bride Eliza, (a white woman with dark brown hair), wearing a white long sleeved dress, and groom Phil (a white man with curly reddish hair and beard), stand together smiling and looking at mobile phone - perhaps on a video call with family who couldn't be at wedding?
Black and white photo of Bride Eliza, (a white woman with dark brown hair), wearing a white long sleeved dress and dried flower head garland looks down and twirls her dress so that the tassles fan out at the back.

What did your friends and family think?

Everyone loved it, so much so we’ve already had 4 friends ask if they could pinch it for their wedding. We had a few people that still wanted to get us traditional gifts but it meant we got the best of both worlds.

Bride Eliza, (a white woman with dark brown hair), wearing a white long sleeved dress, and groom Phil (a white man with curly reddish hair and beard), stand outside in a field of long grass holding smoke bombs aloft
Bride Eliza, a white woman with dark brown hair, wearing a white long sleeved dress, flower garland in hair and sunglasses leans out of the window of an open sided little train to wave and smile at camera

What are you most looking forward to in your “Year of Dates?”

After a year or so of being locked away we are just so excited to get out and have adventures together again. It’s really exciting to be able to carry our wedding on for so long with our Year of Dates.

Thank you so much Eliza and Phil for chatting to us about your (beautifully) small wedding and Year of Dates patchwork. We hope you enjoy lots of fun dates together thanks to your generous friends and family!

If you’ve been inspired to set up your own Year of Dates gift registry, why not start yours now? If you’d like to see what other fabulous gift ideas our couples have inspired, check out our other wedding gift registry templates and have fun playing around!

Here are the amazing wedding suppliers who made Phil & Eliza’s day extra special:

Venue: @sewerbyhall and Phil & Eliza’s home with @floridamarqueesyorkshire

Photographer: @markhortonphotos

Wedding Dress: @ghostorchidbride @andforlove

Veil: @ghostorchidbride

Accessories: @diana_porter_jewellery

Groom suit: @cockofthewalkbespoke

Bridesmaid Dress: @asos

Bouquet and Flower crown: @wildgorse

Venue flowers: @binningtonblooms

Door wreaths: @flowers.rosebud

Cake: @anniesyorkshirecakery @rosehipandwren

Cheese Cake: @godminster @wensleydale_creamery @hunmanbypantry

Rings: @amipepperjewellery @pyramidgalleryyork @markveeversjewellery

Catering: @yorkswoodfiredchef @thecooksplacemalton @yobakehouse_wholesale

Bar: @mcmillansofmalton @thelibrarymalton @woldtopbrew @ravenhillbrew @westow_vineyard

Band: @hyde_family_jam

Favour Flowers: @elkandwolf_

Stationery: @leigh_calligraphy

Napkins: @bornbohohire

Hair Stylist: + Makeup Artist @khmakeupartistry

Beauty: @beauty_by_nats

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Bride Kate (white woman with long dark brown hair) and groom Pete (white man with fair hair) hold each other in tight embrace after their wedding ceremony
Patchwork CouplesWedding Planning

A Sustainable Wedding and a Home Renovation Registry

by Rosie Hurwitz
written by Rosie Hurwitz

Pete and Kate are both from Sussex, and actually grew up half just an hour away from each other. They met two and a half years ago, on Bumble. Kate moved in with Pete after nine months, and they got engaged on their first anniversary! Read on to hear how they planned their beautiful, sustainable wedding during the pandemic. Oh and hear the sweetest primary school tea towels story that went on to become a memorable part of their wedding day…

Bride Kate (white woman with long dark brown hair) and groom Pete (white man with fair hair) laugh and embrace with heads touching together. Pete has his hand around her hip, she wears a vintage lace dress and holds a bouquet of flowers

How did you get engaged?

Kate: We were in lockdown for our first anniversary, so he recreated our first date (at Bills in Lewes) – he cooked the same food we’d had, and even contacted the restaurant to get hold of the menus to print out! 

Bride Kate (white woman with long dark brown hair) and groom Pete (white man with fair hair) look towards each other, with huge grins as their guests shower them in confetti as they walk out of their wedding ceremony venue. Kate wears a vintage lace dress and Peter wears dark trousers, a light shirt and a cream waistcoat

What kind of wedding did you plan?

We knew from the start we wanted a very relaxed outdoors wedding, nothing too formal or ostentatious. In addition, we also wanted to stick to a tight budget and, both being creative people, were prepared to do a lot of the work ourselves. We grew our own flowers, made decorations, I baked the cake, and Pete even built the bar out of pallets. Our other priority was that it must be as eco-friendly as possible so we decided on veggie Thai curry for the food, and borrowed lots of items, sourced from local suppliers, or bought second hand.

Bride Kate (white woman with long dark brown hair,wearing a vintage lace wedding dress) and groom Pete (white man with fair hair wearing dark trousers and light blue shirt with braces) stand close together each holding an ice-cream cone. There is an open top vintage car behind them.

After looking at lots of conventional venues, nothing felt right. We approached a local farmer and asked if we could hire a field. Thankfully they said yes, and we’d found our perfect setting. It was looking directly across the valley to the little church we’d booked for the ceremony in the next village. We spent weeks researching everything from tipis to toilets, generators to street food trucks, furniture hire to bands until we’d found our perfect suppliers. Then I got to work sourcing vintage armchairs and rugs on gumtree and facebook marketplace to fill the field with comfy corners for our guests to relax in.

One thing I couldn’t find was a dress. I tried on plenty of traditional wedding dresses but none of them felt comfortable, or very ‘me’. I really liked the idea of a vintage dress, both because I love vintage fashion, but also because I really wanted to reuse and recycle as much as possible rather than buying brand new. In the end I stumbled across Poppy Perspective on Instagram. Phiney makes sustainable dresses out of vintage lace, each one is totally unique and utterly beautiful.

Outdoor snacks at wedding reception during Covid. Two stands of crisps - one is "classy crisps" on is "crappy crisps" and sign reads "Covid compliant canapes"

Did the pandemic affect your plans for your sustainable wedding?

We were INCREDIBLY lucky when it came to covid. Although we got engaged in lockdown and the whole planning process was done through the pandemic. When it came to the big day we couldn’t have planned things better. Our date fell just 5 days after restrictions eased. Although we weren’t 100% sure we’d be able to have our full numbers until just a week before the big day itself, in the end it worked out perfectly. We did make a few adjustments so that everyone felt safe. For example, asking guests to wear masks while singing in the ceremony, offering individual bags of ‘Crap Crisps’ or ‘Classy Crisps’ instead of canapes, and providing plenty of (fancy!) hand gel.

Bride Kate (white woman with long dark brown hair, wearing a vintage lace wedding dress) and groom Pete (white man with fair hair wearing dark trousers and a light shirt) hold each other and dance outside in front of their wedding guests.

Did you have a first dance?

I think finding a first dance song was the hardest bit of wedding planning! We don’t have ‘a song’ so we didn’t really know where to start. We’d picked a ceilidh band for the evening, so wanted something that wouldn’t sound too ridiculous being followed by a fiddle! In the end we settled on The Waterboys – How Long Will I Love You as the lyrics are so beautiful.

Family and friends raise a glass to Patchwork couple Pete and Kate - all sat at large tables at their wedding reception in a marquee

What was your favourite part of the day?

The whole day was amazing! There’s nothing like having all your favourite people in one place. Plus you get to wear the best outfit you’ve ever owned, eat awesome food and dance the night away! But our wedding tea towel is my favourite thing.

On one of our first dates we stumbled across the subject of primary school tea towels and it came to light that we’d both had traumatic experiences! My drawing had apparently ‘fallen off on the way to the photocopier’ so I was the only child in the school not featured. Pete had completely misunderstood the task and instead of himself drew a girl in his class called Holly, so he has pigtails and a skirt in his drawing!

So when guests sat down for the meal we tasked them with each drawing themselves. A couple of weeks later we laid all the drawings out and sent them off to be made into our very own tea towels to send out as thank yous.

Bride Kate (white woman with long dark brown hair) leans in to groom Pete (white man with fair hair) and he kisses the side of her cheek. They are outside and Kate holds her wedding flowers

Why did you choose Patchwork for your wedding registry?

We chose Patchwork because we knew a traditional gift list just wasn’t going to work for us. We were in the midst of renovating our house. So although we’d have loved some fluffy new towels, we didn’t have the snazzy bathroom to put them in yet! We also already have a lot of the traditional items on a wedding registry and didn’t want to end up adding things to a list for the sake of it. Some friends had used Patchwork for a honeymoon fund and we really liked the personal feel.

new home deposit wedding gift fund patchwork in ipad

What did you want to ask guests to contribute towards?

Three months before the wedding we moved into a crumbly little cottage which was a top to bottom project. Patchwork was a brilliant way of asking for money towards the renovation in a way that made our guests feel like they were really contributing to something, and helping to set us up for married life in our cosy cottage, without our cupboards ending up full of clutter!

Patchwork couple Pete and Kate standing facing camera and smiling with arms round each other outside their little red brick cottage with pale blue door.

What did you love most about using Patchwork?

The way Patchwork works, where contributors ‘buy’ you things or experiences makes it feel so much more involved than just giving cash. I think people like to know where their money is going, and this makes it feel like they’ve actually bought you a gift. We also loved how we could completely personalise it, everything from the text to the photos, so we could use pictures of how we actually want our house to look when it’s complete.

Groom Pete (white man with fair hair) making speech at wedding under marquee, wearing dark trousers and light blue shirt with braces. He holds mic and reads from paper

What did your friends and family think of your Patchwork registry?

Everyone loved our ‘gift list’! We had so many positive comments from friends and family about how imaginative it was, and how personal. People really enjoyed choosing what to ‘buy’ us and it was really interesting seeing who chose to spend their money on pretty things like tiles, wallpaper and light fittings, and who picked practical items like sheets of plasterboard or insulation!

How did it feel receiving your home renovation ‘gifts’ from your friends and family?

It’s really exciting knowing all our friends and family have helped make our house a home. Everyone’s really keen to pop round for a cuppa and see the kitchen sink, tiles or fireplace they’ve bought us! One friend bought us a brick from each of their children, so we’ve decided to write their names on some of the actual bricks which will be used in the project so they can come and see their bricks once it’s done! We’re currently waiting on planning permission to start our extension so we haven’t spent a penny just yet, but it’s safely tucked away for when we need it.

Thank you so much Pete and Kate for these absolutely beautiful words and photos of your gorgeous wedding day.

If you’ve been inspired to set up a Patchwork gift registry for your new home, why not get started? Or browse 100s of other gift registry ideas and choose your perfect gifts and experiences.

Dress: Poppy Perspective
Tipi: Sussex and Surry Tipi Hire
Caterer: Thaiangle
Ice Cream Van: Indulgent Ice Creams
Band: Brighton Ceilidh
Photographers: Wayne – La Photo & Laura – 5 Degrees West

p.s. you can listen to Pete and Kate’s first dance song on our Spotify playlist, made up of lots of our Patchwork Couples’ first dances.

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Patchwork couple Molly (a young white woman with fair hair wearing a white wedding dress) and Davy (a white man with short blond hair and a short beard wearing a suit and tie) stand facing each other to kiss and hold each other in front of their wedding guests.
Patchwork CouplesWedding Planning

Blenheim Palace wedding and newly-wed life in California.

by Rosie Hurwitz
written by Rosie Hurwitz

Molly and her now-husband Davy met on New Year’s Eve 2017, they were both on holiday with their respective families at the time. They first met about 20 minutes after midnight, on the dancefloor on the top deck of a cruise ship in the Caribbean. Davy shimmied over to say hi to Molly… and three years later tied the knot in a love-filled celebration at Blenheim Palace.

Davy is from wine country in Northern California, but lives in L.A., and Molly is from a little village in Oxfordshire. In 2019 they had a legal marriage ceremony in California, while they were planning their big white wedding for 2020. Due to Covid, that wedding was postponed to 2021, a few months after Molly’s Green Card was issued. Now they’re finally living together in L.A., happier than ever after four and a half years of being long distance! Read on to hear their very beautiful love story, and share in their stunning Anglo-American wedding and exciting new life in California.

Patchwork couple Molly (a young white woman with fair hair) and Davy (a white man with short blond hair and a short beard) appear in the image on a video call to each other

You had a tricky start to your relationship – what happened?

Molly: After that cruise we honestly didn’t think we’d see each other again. However, we stayed in touch and after a couple of months I decided to fly out to L.A. to pay him a visit. About 18 months and a couple of visits back and forth later, we made it ‘official’ on the cliff tops of Northern Ireland. We were on a grand tour around the UK that I had organised for us. Just afterwards, I moved over to L.A. for three months (the maximum I was allowed at the time). We pretty much knew from then that we were both in this for the long haul.

How did you get engaged?

In June 2019, Davy came to visit me in the UK and we had a trip planned to Italy a few days after he landed. The night before our holiday, we went out for dinner in Oxford with my family and Davy had organised for our good friend to secretly film his proposal. Davy went to the bathroom at one point and took ages. When he got back he tapped me on the shoulder, I spotted a ring box and freaked out. I had no idea it was coming and was completely floored. He got down on one knee and told me ‘Molly… I want you to be my wife’. I always tease him that he never technically ASKED me to marry him, but I said yes anyway! I’m very hard to surprise so I give him MAJOR credit for pulling that off!

Patchwork couple Molly (a young white woman with fair hair wearing a white wedding dress) and Davy (a white man with short blond hair and a short beard wearing a suit and tie) walk on an immaculate lawn, away from camera holding hands, towards Blenheim Palace.
Patchwork couple Molly (a young white woman with fair hair wearing a white wedding dress) and Davy (a white man with short blond hair and a short beard wearing a waistcoat and tie) stand in front of a vintage cream open top car with a large ornate wrought iron doorway in a stone building behind them.

What kind of wedding did you plan?

I always knew I wanted our wedding to take place in the UK. I worked at Blenheim Palace at the time so was able to secure the stunning Orangery as a reception venue. For the ceremony, we both wanted my local church, St. Mary’s.

Our overall plan for the wedding was to have a bright and beautiful day filled with love, that felt timeless. We originally planned our wedding for 2020 and with 2 months to go, we pushed it back a year to 2021. When I started planning back in 2019, I don’t think any of us knew just how much more the big day would mean to us by the time it happened. It was brighter, more beautiful and more filled with love than we could’ve imagined.

Most of the US contingent of the wedding guest list sadly couldn’t be there, as there was still a pretty strict quarantine requirement in place for international visitors. Davy’s parents, brothers and closest friend bent over backwards and braved quarantine, and were able to be there, which was so special to us all.

I am a sucker for detail so we tried to think of everything we could that would make the day feel extra-special. We had my BFF, a graphic designer, create all of our stationery and signage and the wonderful ladies at Blenheim Palace volunteered their time to do our flowers. The fabulous Searcy’s team designed a main course just for us (a super special pasta dish because we absolutely love pasta, and chicken & potatoes is boring). We also wanted to try and bring in some nods to the USA/California where we could. Our flowers included silk California Poppies (alongside the English Rose, to represent Davy and my roots), we had a vintage Cadillac convertible for our wedding car, and my Dad made Cornhole (a lawn game from the U.S!) with flag-themed bean bags to go alongside our hired lawn games.

Patchwork couple Molly (a young white woman with fair hair wearing a white wedding dress) and Davy (a white man with short blond hair and a short beard wearing a waistcoat and tie) stand facing each other and kissing, each holding a sparkler, it's night time and their wedding guests surround them, all holding sparklers.

Molly and Davy's Wedding Video from Davy McCall on Vimeo.

Did you have a first dance?

Despite restrictions at the time banning dancefloors, we did have a first dance, and it was one of the highlights of our day. Our guests all poured out into the courtyard at Blenheim Palace and each had a sparkler. They formed a circle around us and our song ‘Lost Stars’ by Adam Levine was blaring out of some speakers. It was amazing to see every one of our guests around us, cheering us on, just like they had throughout our relationship. Very emotional and amazing moment!

Patchwork couple Molly (a young white woman with fair hair wearing a white wedding dress) and Davy (a white man with short blond hair and a short beard wearing a suit and tie) stand facing each other with eyes closed, outside a stone arched doorway with flowers at each side
Patchwork couple Molly (a young white woman with fair hair wearing a simple white wedding dress) and Davy (a white man with short blond hair and a short beard wearing a suit and tie) stand close together both holding the same knife with which they are cutting their wedding cake which is a pink marbled three tier cake.

What was your favourite part of the day?

There were two that stand out, aside from the sparkler-lit first dance:

When I walked down the aisle, I had the church pianist surprise Davy by playing James Horner’s ‘For the Love of a Princess’ (he’s a huge Braveheart fan). Davy turned around when I was halfway down the aisle and was already in tears because of the song, but he said that seeing me sent him over the edge. I was so pleased that he loved the surprise! The rest of the ceremony was really special too. We had readings from Davy’s Mom and my Sister in Law, and Davy’s brothers and Dad performed a hymn. We also had my Mum light a candle and we had a minute of reflection and remembering those that couldn’t be there, for any reason. It was really special to sit and think about how far we’ve come!

The second favourite part was the speeches. We had five in total, interspersed throughout dinner. Since we couldn’t have a ‘disco’ we decided to make more of the dinner experience, and they were all stunning. The Father of the Bride speech was so wonderful, then Davy said a few words and got emotional (again), then two groomsmen spoke and finally the Best Man. The final three speeches blew us all away, they all had us laughing, crying and cheering!

Wedding guests at Blenheim Palace enjoying lawn games in the sun.

Why did you choose Patchwork for your wedding registry?

I met the lovely Liv at The Unwedding Show in Birmingham, back in 2019. The show was absolutely brilliant and really opened my mind to lots of amazing ideas. What drew us to Patchwork really was firstly how customisable it was. We could literally put anything we needed on there – and the fact that we had guests and loved ones wanting to contribute from both sides of the Atlantic.

We’d planned to move in together in L.A. after the wedding, so we would’ve had to ship and/or store any stuff we received. We wanted maximum choice for gifters, and minimal hassle, and it was the perfect solution!

The fact that our loved ones could buy us something, and the money to buy it would be waiting for us once we were moved in and ready to shop, was just brilliant.

image of a Patchwork wedding gift registry for a mixture of homewares travel and favours from friends!

What did you invite your guests to contribute towards?

We did things the old fashioned way and got married before getting a place together. So, unlike a lot of couples getting married now, we did actually need all the ‘typical’ wedding registry stuff (toaster, house plants, cutlery etc.) We made sure to add some fun stuff too like cooking classes, board games, favourite recipes and even some more practical stuff (cleaning supplies, a bicycle, a loo roll subscription) since we really were starting from scratch.

You made use of Patchwork’s ‘make’ and ‘do’ functions – tell us more!

We absolutely love that these functions exist! We knew that for many guests, attending our wedding would be a big expense in itself, and we didn’t want anyone to feel obligated or awkward about the gifting process (because it can feel that way sometimes)! There were so many ways that our loved ones could add value to our move without spending anything. For example, we asked for their favourite recipes, for time to help with a DIY project or help with packing/unpacking. For our friends and family in California, we asked for an invitation to spend time together.

Patchwork couple Molly (a young white woman with fair hair) and Davy (a white man with short blond hair and a short beard) both hold drink and smile towards camera

What was the best bit about using Patchwork?

So many things. The team have been so helpful and responsive from the start, and shown so much kindness in the craziness of 2020, extending our Patchwork by another year to align with our change of wedding plans.

Patchwork itself is so easy to use, and there is so much inspiration to get the juices flowing. I thoroughly enjoyed creating our board and new things would pop into our heads regularly to add to it. It felt like curating a Pinterest board whilst simultaneously online shopping – two of my favourite things!

I also absolutely love the marketing & communications that Patchwork creates. I’ve been following you on Instagram for 2 years and love seeing what you get up to. Your email newsletters are the best and I always look forward to getting them!

Patchwork couple Molly (a young white woman with fair hair wearing sunglasses and jeans and a light blue sweater) and Davy (a white man with short blond hair and a short beard wearing sunglasses and a dark tshirt and jeans) crouch down and point at camera with a red background behind with handwritten word "love" written many times.

What did your friends and family think of your wedding give list?

“What a fantastic/brilliant/great idea!” came up many times. Everybody saw how perfectly suited to our situation this give list was, and I had feedback from a few loved ones that they really enjoyed using it and seeing all of the options laid out like they were.

As more of my friends are buying houses, getting married, and having significant birthdays, I have been recommending Patchwork every chance I get!

Molly (a young white woman with fair hair) is carried on Davy's back. Davy is a white man with short blond hair and a short beard and wearing sunglasses. Molly is kissing him on the cheek. hey are standing in front of a green cornfield

How did it feel spending the gift money collected from family and friends?

It was so much fun and a real weight off our shoulders. We could buy what we really wanted and didn’t have to settle. We could also take our time choosing just the right thing, which I really appreciated. Our home is now fully furnished and looking fabulous, and that is thanks to our amazing friends and family. Cheesy as it sounds, we feel surrounded by their love and support every day because they built this home with us through their amazing gifts.

Any top tips or favourite places you’ve found in your new home in California?

We’re living in Culver City, California and absolutely love it here. Our favourite places here include Café Vida for brunch and Meet in Paris for dinner. We also love walking up Baldwin Hills with amazing views of L.A.!

Wow. Thank you so much Molly and Davy for this amazingly beautiful story of your love and marriage. We are honoured to have played a part in such a wonderful celebration and we wish you both many many years of happiness together!

Here are some of the highly recommended suppliers who made their day – in Molly’s words – “bloody brilliant!”

Ceremony venue: St Mary’s Church, Bloxham, Oxfordshire

Reception venue: Blenheim Palace

Caterer: Searcys

Planner: Vanilla Rose Weddings

Molly’s Dress: The White Boutique / Mikaella

Molly’s headpiece: Megan Therese

Davy’s Suit: The Wedding Barn, Upton

Car: The Private Collection

Flowers by: Blenheim Palace Head Gardener Hilary, and Florist to the Duke of Marlborough, Molly

Hair and makeup: Maxine Wilson

DJ: Dukebox Discos

Photographer: Emma-Jane Photography

Videographer: Matt at Fizzy Jelly Films

Lawn Games: Dolly Dimples Weddings & Events

Cake: Jess at Bishop’s Bakes

Stationery and signage design by Bride’s best friend Katie Tapper

p.s. you can listen to Molly & Davy’s first dance song on our Spotify playlist, made up of lots of our Patchwork Couples’ first dances.

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Groom Richard holds his bride Lucy's hand and spins her around, with greenery and golden sunset behind
Patchwork CouplesWedding Planning

A Festival Themed Wedding and Campervan Gift

by Rosie Hurwitz
written by Rosie Hurwitz

On the blog today we chat to gorgeous Patchwork couple Lucy and Richard. (Lucy is still deliriously in shock that she can now call him her husband.) Lucy is originally from Buckinghamshire and Rich is from Stratford upon Avon. They’ve been together for nearly 6 years now after meeting on Tinder. Lucy was moving to Birmingham to study to be a teacher and they matched when she went up flat hunting – the rest is history as they say! One of their first dates was to West Midlands safari park where Lucy forced Rich to hold her hand. (Very scary meerkats apparently. Or something). They now live in Solihull with their 2 cats, Pugwash and Casper, and their dog, Bella. Read on to hear about their amazing festival-themed wedding and their plans for a Campervan of their own – funded by family and friends on Patchwork.

Bride (white woman in lace dress and flower hair garland) and Groom (white man with short hair and beard both wearing denim jacket) hold hands and kiss with greenery and golden sunset behind them

How did you get engaged?

Lucy: We got engaged in 2019 in New York! It was definitely a surprise to me, despite everyone saying he would propose. Rich told me he’d never want to take a ring abroad it would be too stressful and that I would know because of how much he stressed! But somehow he managed to hide it.

Bride (white woman in lace dress and flower hair garland) and Groom (white man with short hair and beard wearing denim jacket) embrace and kiss sitting on a hay bale on their wedding day, with tipi and campervan behind

What kind of wedding did you plan?

We knew we didn’t want a traditional wedding and had always planned a festival themed wedding. Thanks to Covid and having to postpone we ended up having a 3 day wedding in true festival style! We weren’t able to get the church on the weekend we wanted so we had a separate ceremony and then massive bash at the weekend. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise as we got to spend lots of time with our loved ones after so long apart.

Bride (white woman wearing lace dress) and Groom (white man wearing sage coloured suit) fist pump the air, with big smiles on their faces, behind them is a 'campervan bar'

Did you have a first dance?

We did! We danced to Just like Heaven by The Cure. I had two dresses for our Saturday party and this was when I got changed and “revealed” my second dress. It was great fun.

Bride Lucy and Groom Richard stand facing each other and kissing, Lucy's veil billows in the foreground

What was your favourite part of the day?

One of our favourite parts was the food!!! We had street food vendors, no seating plan and all round deliciousness. Our day time food was halloumi fries from street chef Lloyd aka the halloumi fries guy. He was amazing and catered to absolutely everyone. We even got to have a few photos in the van (despite our photographer being very worried about my dress near a deep fat fryer!) We also loved the Veedub Campervan Bar we used. It suited what we wanted and looked absolutely amazing.

We also had a glitter bar which I LOVED but Rich wasn’t so sure. It really made the evening turn into a proper festival feel with all the kids loving the glitter.

The photo booth was also incredible! It was great fun and we loved going in it. We got a guest book of all the photos taken and it’s been lovely to go through it.

Bride Lucy wearing a lace dress and holding sunflowers, and Groom Richard wearing a sage green suit, stand together on their wedding day cradling their dog Bella who wears a flower neck garland.

Why did you choose Patchwork?

We chose Patchwork because we loved how personalised it could be. Having lived together for a long time, we knew we didn’t want the traditional household items. We loved that we could ask for things to contribute towards our dream of owning a campervan. Googling online cash gift registries brought up several websites but Patchwork was definitely our favourite.

Patchwork Honeymoon Fund Campervan Road trip

What did you want to ask guests to contribute towards and why?

We love travelling and found a love for campervans a few years ago. We desperately want to own our own so we can travel whenever we want. Gifts on our patchwork ranged from paying for a nice meal out, funding a campsite entrance fee, to some treats for Bella our dog! We also added non-financial gifts, so making us a playlist for the road, or suggestions of places to visit in our van.

Patchwork couple Lucy and Richard smile at camera, Lucy is inside campervan looking through window and Richard is standing outside wearing sunglasses

What was the best bit about using Patchwork?

Personalising it! We had great fun thinking up things people could contribute to, adding photos, making it really “us”. It was so easy to set up and we made a bit of an afternoon of it, looking through old pictures to use and thinking up new things to add. After it was made, we didn’t have to worry as it took care of itself.

Patchwork couple Lucy and Richard sit together and smile at camera with their dog Bella in between them

What did your friends and family think?

Everyone loved the idea and found it really easy to use. They enjoyed looking at what we had put on there and knew they were contributing to something which we really want.

Patchwork couple Lucy and Richard smile at camera from inside a campervan

What are the plans for the gift money you collected?

We are beginning to look at buying our own campervan so this is the start of the fund!

Thank you so much Lucy and Richard for sharing your joyous day with us in these gorgeous words and pictures. And huge congratulations to you both, from all of us at Patchwork!

If you’ve been inspired to set up your own festival themed wedding check out our template. Dreaming of a campervan wedding gift? Get started easily by using our readymade template to create a beautiful and inviting cash wedding registry. If you’re feeling creative, you can create your own unique registry by starting your own from scratch.

Finally, here are some of the suppliers who helped make their day amazing:

Photographer: Isobel Murphy

Venue: Normanton church and then Buckminster Barn

Caterers: Halloumi fries guy (street chef Lloyd) and The Peel Pizza

Cake: Hellion Bakery

Bride’s dress: ASOS

Bride’s veil: Adorn by Ashley

Band: Anthem Music Agency

Bar: VeeDub Camper Bar

Glitter Bar: Wish Upon a Sparkle

Hay Bales: Event Bales

Photo Booth: Deuce Event Hire

Tipi: Sami Tipi

Hair: Hair by Emily Theresa Jane

Make-up: Nicole Fairfield

P.s. you can listen to Lucy and Richard’s first dance song on our Spotify playlist, made up of lots of our Patchwork Couples’ first dances.

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Gift Ideas

Cash not cringe. How to ask for money as a wedding gift

by Rosie Hurwitz
written by Rosie Hurwitz

This is a question that comes up often when talking to engaged couples. “How do you ask for cash instead of wedding gifts?” Or more accurately “How do you politely and nicely ask for money as a wedding gift?”.

So, let’s take a look at the different ways you can ask for cash in place of a wedding gift, answer all of your questions and find the way that works best for you and your guests!

Doesn’t asking for money instead of wedding gifts sound grabby?

Couples are always concerned that they don’t want to appear grabby or ungrateful but the truth is that asking for what you really want is the most thoughtful thing you can do for your guests too!

It makes it so much easier and stress-free for friends to know that they are giving you something that is really wanted and appreciated. Oh and giving a gift of money via Patchwork is friendly, joyful, personal and as one of our kind reviewers once said “It was very easy, I was able to do it all without moving from my chair”. What more could you want?

Isn’t asking for cash as a wedding gift awkward?

Yes asking for cold hard cash for your wedding present is awkward. Asking someone to hand over cash or deposit money in to your bank account is a bit cringey and embarrassing.

But with a Patchwork wedding registry you are not asking for money as your wedding gift. You are asking friends and family to make dreams come true – and that is a completely different thing!

When you invite guests to help you to wake up on your honeymoon to an ocean view, or have alfresco lunch on a beautiful Greek island, or drink cocktails on a rooftop, or hike in the mountains, or visit family in Australia – somehow it doesn’t sound like you’re asking for money.

You are asking for their help to fund experiences that mean the world to you. Experiences that will be treasured forever, and appreciated more than anything else.

Already got too much stuff so just want money?

These days, couples are rarely short of “stuff”, and most would rather enjoy time together as a couple. So asking friends and family for contributions towards a honeymoon fund is still no.1 on most couples’ money wedding gift lists.

Even if you’ve paid for your honeymoon yourselves, you can ask guests for those treats that make it extra special. For example: unlimited cocktails, eating in the best restaurants, sightseeing tours, hotel or flight upgrades, or just a new book to read by the pool!

If travel isn’t a priority, many are saving up for one big item like a deposit on their first home. Guests can chip in towards a new front door, a patch of garden, a window, or just a brick or ten. Other popular wedding registry ideas are money towards a home renovation or garden project. Other experience gifts are a year full of fun date nights, or a National Trust membership.

You can add absolutely anything to your Patchwork wedding gift list to make it totally yours and really personal. Need someone to dog sit while you’re away on honeymoon? Always wanted to try a new hobby, or learn a new skill as a couple? Or perhaps go back to that place you first holidayed together?

The more of yourselves, your plans and your dreams you can inject in to your page the more your friends and family will love visiting it, AND feel really good about gifting you generously!

What if we don’t know where we’re going on honeymoon or exactly how we’ll spend our gift money?

If we’ve learned one thing lately it’s that plans sometimes have to change! Because Patchwork is the most flexible gift registry it doesn’t matter at all if your plans aren’t set in stone. You can even change your mind along the way.

A Patchwork wedding registry is a fully-functioning ‘mood board’ showing guests all the things you’d love them to help fund. It might be a honeymoon, something for the home, charitable contributions or a little bit of each. Everything on your patchwork represents an idea, a dream, or a goal.

Even if these ideas change at a later date, they will help your guests connect with your future plans and feel happy about the gifts they are giving. The reality is that you’ll collect all money direct, in to your bank account and you’ll have complete control over how, when and where you’ll spend it.

Can’t people just deposit money in to our bank account?

Yes they can. If you just want a transaction, and are happy to be quite frank and explicit with bank details and so on, this is certainly an option. However, it does deprive your guests of the fun and enjoyment that comes with gifting – in fact our recent survey found that 50% of wedding guests find it ‘joyless and transactional’, 30% think it’s ‘awkward’ and another 10% actually find it ‘quite rude’.

The happy and satisfied feeling that comes with knowing you are bringing joy to someone you care about is completely removed when it’s a simple cash transaction. It can feel like an emotionless donation of money, which whilst might be practical, isn’t celebratory or personal. It also leaves the person sending the money completely clueless as to how it will be spent, or what it will mean to you, and it makes it hard for them to convey their good wishes along with their gift.

What about old-fashioned cash in an envelope or a wedding fund money box?

If you want to go old-school you can leave a discreet money box on a table in your venue and hope that guests come prepared! You’re taking your chances a little here hoping that people have access to cash. Or they’ll need to make the cheques out in the right names (do people even use cheques any more?!). You might possibly also spend a bit of time worrying about money going missing or knowing who’s given you what.

This is a traditional way of giving money wedding gifts in many cultures. However, cash is becoming far less used generally and with security issues and recent Covid concerns it’s perhaps a less popular option today.

Cash without the cringe.

People often agonise about how to ask for money without offending anyone or seeming rude. A lot of the “money poems” out there that are designed to remove the embarrassment. But they actually create it by drawing attention to the fact that you are indeed, asking for money! If you start with.. “let’s get the awkward bit out of the way” or “please don’t think we’re rude” you’re really giving the impression that there is something awkward or that you are being rude.

With a Patchwork registry this whole issue magically disappears. At no point are you having to say “we’re asking for money” because you’re kind of not! You’re simply showing your guests your joint dreams and plans. You’re inviting them to contribute in a way that’s meaningful, personal and suited to every budget. It’s seamless, joyful, secure and is without the teeniest bit of embarrassment or awkwardness!

What if we really don’t want any wedding gifts?

As with most of our Patchwork couples, the vast majority of people who are planning a wedding already live together and have all the household items they need. In fact in many cases couples are blending together two homes so possibly have double the amount they’ll ever need!

Some couples have told us they aren’t setting up a registry because they don’t want any gifts at all. They then come back to Patchwork two weeks before the wedding in a slight panic because everyone is demanding to know what they can get them! Or worse, they don’t set up a wedding gift list. This ends up with all kinds of random kitchenware and bedlinen sets that end up occupying cupboard and drawer space for years to come.

If there’s really nothing you’d love and you’d rather not receive any gifts at all, how about accepting donations on behalf of a charity or voluntary group? You can collect money direct via your patchwork gift list and add patches for different charitable causes. And your friends and family can still leave lovely messages of congratulations for you. Then once you’ve received all of your wedding cash contributions you can send to the charities you have chosen and get a huge dose of feeling good!

Asking for what you really want – nicely.

In summary, asking for cash as a wedding gift is kinder to the planet (less waste). It’s more practical for your guests (no shopping stress) and more fun for you (honeymoon here we come!) More than any other occasion in life – a wedding is a time when you really can be honest about what you want. Enjoy showing everyone your plans, knowing that they really do want to treat you both to something special. So don’t be shy.. have a play around with some of our honeymoon fund or wedding registry templates and see which ones inspire you!

It’s easy to share your page via a unique URL and then all you have to do is sit back and see the cash contributions and lovely messages come rolling in! All gifts are logged in your account and you’ll have names and emails for all contributors. Once your wedding day is over you can send thanks via your patchwork page to everyone who chipped in – you can even send photos of you on your honeymoon / in your new home / or on your friend-funded adventures.

So join the 100,000 (and counting) happy Patchwork people from all around the world by starting your page today! Questions? We’re real people and we’re here every day to help at hello@patchworkit.com or over on our LiveChat.

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bride and groom kissing against dark exposed brick background
Patchwork CouplesWedding Planning

Patchwork Couple: A Castle Wedding and First Home Fund

by Rosie Hurwitz
written by Rosie Hurwitz

Deren is from Essex and Jasmine is from the Washington, D.C. area. However, they didn’t meet in either the UK or America, but in Japan in 2013. Both were English teachers on the same teaching programme and quickly became friends. An impromptu trip taken to Kyoto one long weekend soon after getting to know each other counts as their first date. They moved to Cardiff in 2016 and have been there happily ever since! Deren and Jasmine planned a stunning Caerphilly Castle wedding in Wales in 2019 and asked friends and family to chip in towards their first home together.

Bride and groom walking in grounds of Caerphilly Castle under umbrella

How did you get engaged?

Well, if you discount Deren boldly proclaiming, “I’m gonna marry this girl!” at his farewell party before leaving Japan, then I must say that there wasn’t really an engagement! Neither of us are particularly romantic, so it sort of turned into a mutual agreement-type deal. Not long after our decision to get married was set, Deren did reveal that he was planning to propose when we went back to Japan for our other friends’ wedding, but I had jammed the schedule so full of things that we barely had any time alone together…oops.

Caerphilly Castle wedding venue
Bride and groom at wedding reception with flowers on table

What kind of wedding did you plan?

We wanted a joyous celebration where all our favorite people could come together and celebrate. Thematically, most of the aesthetic came together when we settled on Caerphilly Castle for the venue-another impromptu trip we took soon after moving to Cardiff. Jasmine really digs the half-ruined, half-natural vibe of the castle, so she expanded on that when talking with the decoration vendors.

Patchwork couple first dance

What was your first dance?

Our first dance was to “Nanoka” by our favorite Japanese rock band Radwimps. We would listen to their albums on repeat while driving around the Japanese countryside together, so they’re very special to us. The song in particular has an English bit that goes “I just wanna be with yooouuu, until I die!” just to make sure our non-Japanese-speaking crowd got the message.

bride and groom at wedding reception having photos taken by guests
wedding cupcakes by Rosie Shaw Cakes

What was your favourite part of the day?

The whole day was great, but both of us agree that seeing so many people we adore from all over the world at the same time was the best part.

Patchwork couple wedding reception cake display

Why did you choose Patchwork?

We found Patchwork through some good ol’ Googling, and we’re very happy we did. We chose Patchwork because it was the simplest, cleanest, and easiest-to-use registry site that we found for all our international guests. It suited our needs perfectly, and while we didn’t need to extensively customize our Patchwork, it was comforting to know that we could tweak it how we liked if need be.

first home wedding gift fund patchwork in iPad

What did you want to ask guests to contribute towards?

We wanted our guests to contribute to a first home fund. We already have too much stuff, but a lot of traditional registry sites tended to lean towards cataloging stuff, and that was precisely what we didn’t want! And considering how much houses cost, we could use all the help we can get to be honest!

What was the best bit about using Patchwork Gift Registry?

The best bit was obviously how cute it was. The values marked as individual parts of a first home was very clever and we liked it a lot. Additionally, we had guests from a wide range of economic backgrounds, so we wanted to make sure there was a variety of values people could give at a price point they were comfortable with instead of a single option of, say, £20.

What did your friends and family think?

They loved it, they thoroughly enjoyed “buying” us multiple doors and individual bricks and many fences. It was easy to use and understand as well, without too many screens with a lot of text, which helped our guests whose English might not be perfect.

And your first home? Have you found it yet?

We were SO close to doing just that earlier this year in 2020, but for obvious global reasons you can probably imagine, everything sort of fell through. It’s on the cards, though, and we can’t wait. It’s going to feel really good when we finally do put down that deposit, and we obviously plan on showing photos and thanking everyone again when we finally get a place of our own!

Thank you so much Deren and Jasmine for sharing such beautiful words and pictures of your wedding and story so far!

If you’ve been inspired to create your own First Home Fund patchwork you can use our easy-to-customise template, or browse our 100s of other wedding gift ideas. Or, if you’re feeling creative you can start your own from scratch.

Here are some of the amazing suppliers who helped make Deren and Jasmine’s wedding day even more special:

Venue: Caerphilly Castle, Wales

Cake & Cupcakes: Rosie Shaw Cakes

Catering: Mad Hatters Catering

Jasmine’s dress: Rachel Burgess Bridal Boutique

Hair & Makeup: Minxies Beauty

Deren’s tux: Hawkes Bespoke Outfitters

Decoration: The Wedding Alchemist

Flowers: Pick Me Florists

Photographer: Chris Francis

Favours: Fabulous Welshcakes

The DJ was Deren’s best friend from Japan, and he absolutely KILLED it!

P.s. listen to Deren and Jasmine’s first dance song on our Spotify playlist, made up of lots of our Patchwork Couples’ first dances.

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Close up portrait of bride and groom smiling at each other in doorway in sunshine
Patchwork Couples

Patchwork Couple: A Yorkshire Wedding and a Colombian Honeymoon Adventure

by Rosie Hurwitz
written by Rosie Hurwitz

The rain didn’t spoil this stunning Yorkshire wedding! Self-employed musician Tom, and university counsellor Anne, live in Leeds, where Tom is born and bred. They’ve been together for 8 years after originally meeting while travelling in China in 2010. Anne took the plunge and moved from her home in the Netherlands to the UK in 2012 and has not looked back since. Well OK, she admits she does miss home at times! They both love to travel and are interested in exploring different cultures, cuisines and the natural world. We chat to them about their Yorkshire wedding and month long Colombian honeymoon adventure.

Bride and Groom standing by river under umbrella laughing

How did you get engaged?

We had a very nice Christmas Eve dinner at Tom’s parents’ place and decided to go out for a walk afterwards. Tom had chosen the place previously – an old bandstand on the edge of a nearby park. We walked there through the woods in the dark, and when we finally arrived we were unfortunately not alone, as a small group of young people were already there, celebrating the occasion by sharing some ‘herbal’ cigarettes… so it was time for Plan B. Fortunately this was the area Tom grew up in so we deviated slightly and walked to a nice little pond which was very pretty in the moonlight. Tom gave me my early Christmas pressie, and asked in the traditional manner – ‘Shall we?’ – to which I replied… ‘Ok.’ (Jokes. I said ‘yes please’!)

Wedding breakfast tables set with natural decor, logs and tea lights

Quite an eventful proposal! And then, what kind of wedding did you plan?

We wanted to have a small wedding originally, but as these things tend to do it rapidly snowballed. I have a large family with several aunties and uncles on both sides and millions of cousins… so the numbers gradually got bigger and bigger! As we had lots of international guests, some of whom had never visited the UK before, we decided to get married in a typical Yorkshire location and ended up settling on Standedge Visitors Centre in Marsden, West Yorks – a stunning converted storage warehouse on the canal up in the Pennines. We decorated the venue ourselves with help from our amazing family and friends and had an absolutely incredible (and very wet!) wedding day.

Bride and Groom kiss in front of guests during wedding ceremony

What was your first dance?

We danced to Eva Cassidy’s Songbird – performed by Katie and the Northern House Motown Band.

Bride and Groom laughing and being showered in confetti by guests
Bride followed by groom and bridesmaid, stepping through puddles having umbrella held for her

What was your favourite part of the day?

Tom: It was seeing Anne for the first time walking down the aisle in her stunning Morilee dress, closely followed by my brother Laurence’s outrageous best man speech.

Anne: Arriving by boat in the torrential rain was both surreal and hilarious fun! And seeing Tom crying his eyes out was also fun. Pie and Mash provided by Hinchliffe’s farm (a very last-minute rescue job! Thanks guys!) was perfect! But I think what takes the prize is looking across the room and seeing everyone you love in one place there to celebrate with you, an absolute one-off experience which is very difficult to put into words.

Bride and Groom cut three tiered wedding cake with fruit
Bride and groom from back, standing in open doorway showing bride's fish tail dress

What made you choose Patchwork?

We felt quite strongly that we did not want people to buy us any ‘stuff’ as we have pretty much everything we need here at home. However, as we love to travel so much we had our hearts set on an epic adventure honeymoon – Patchwork gave us the opportunity to invite our guests to contribute to this, and also for us to document our experiences with photos and share them with everyone.

Patchwork Honeymoon Fund to Colombia in an iPad

What did you ask guests to contribute towards?

We invited our guests to contribute towards our honeymoon in Colombia. People funded specific honeymoon experiences and adventures, such as a cruise around the Cartagena bay, a dinosaur bones cycling tour, and a coffee farm experience.

woman on honeymoon in Colombia, picking leaves
Couple on honeymoon in Colombia

What were some of the highlights of your honeymoon?

We spent a month travelling around Colombia, really learning a lot about this previously mysterious country. It felt like several holidays combined into one as each destination we visited felt so very different and unique. The cities were vibrant and occasionally chaotic! The mountainous coffee and cacao growing areas were stunning, sleepy and with beautifully preserved Spanish colonial architecture. And we swam in the Caribbean Sea, ate lobster on beautiful white beaches, as well as hiking through the jungles of the national parks. Perhaps the absolute highlight though was finding that we had an entire hotel to ourselves – and not just any hotel, the most stunning and luxurious Hacienda style accommodation in the whole of Colombia! The Hacienda Buenavista, Quindio.

Man on honeymoon in Colombia having cocktails on beach

How did you feel when you set off on your travels knowing everyone had chipped in to make it happen?

We thought of our guests and our contributors at almost every turn. Because of them we were able to travel in business class for the first (and probably only!) time in our lives. We were able to stay at beautiful hotels and resorts such as the above, and we were able to go on incredible adventures over a really good long holiday. They really made it a dream come true for us, so it was very special to be able to share it all with them.

Couple on honeymoon in Colombia

What was the best bit about Patchwork?

The best thing about using Patchwork was being able to share our experiences on the honeymoon with our guests, and for them to feel that they were a part of our adventure. It was also very easy to set up and use, and it was great that you could set all the prices for contributions so that no one would feel left out. Our family and friends loved it and a lot of them have said that they would use this service too.

Woman on honeymoon in Colombia lying on look out enjoying view

Finally, would you recommend your trip to other honeymooners?

Absolutely! In particular Colombia’s coffee region and the city of Medellin. Barichara and Villa de Leyva further east were also stunning.

Thanks so much Anne and Tom for letting us share in your gorgeous celebrations. Congratulations from Team Patchwork!

If you’ve been inspired to create your own Patchwork honeymoon fund, browse our 100s of readymade templates or get creative and  build your own page from scratch.

Anne & Tom booked everything independently, with accommodation mostly booked through Booking.com. They had a little help from Jack’s Flight Club who alerted them to some really good value Business Class flights on Lufthansa.

Below are some of the other suppliers that made their day amazing:

Wedding Venue: Standedge Visitors Centre

Photographer: Jo Boulton with editing by Claire Basiuk

Anne’s Dress: Morilee

Band: Northern House Motown Band

Catering: Hinchliffe’s farm

P.s. listen to Anne & Tom’s first dance song on our Spotify playlist, made up of lots of our Patchwork Couples’ first dances.

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Sun loungers on the beach
Patchwork Perspective

Coronavirus and your honeymoon – our advice

by Rosie Hurwitz
written by Rosie Hurwitz

For couples planning a wedding and a honeymoon, this is an uncertain time. Advice relating to the Coronavirus (or Covid-19) has changed and continues to do so at a rapid pace. If you’re planning a honeymoon, and want to ask guests to contribute, but don’t want to commit to booking your trip yet, Patchwork is the perfect solution.

  • Fund your dream honeymoon now but travel when you’re ready.
  • Stay independent of travel agents and receive your gift money direct.
  • You decide when and where to book your trip – when and where it’s safe to do so.
  • Don’t know where you’re going yet? With a Patchwork honeymoon fund you don’t need to.
  • A flexible, secure, stylish, no-risk honeymoon fund for savvy couples planning their weddings in 2021.
  • Easy to set up. Collect cash direct. Keep track of gifts.

Stay up to date and keep your options open.

Couples looking to book their honeymoon trip of a lifetime will be holding back and operating on a “wait and see” basis. But where does that leave couples who have already booked their honeymoon or are collecting funds for a honeymoon? There’s no shortage of information and advice already out there, so we won’t repeat that here. If you’re concerned about how the Coronavirus will affect your honeymoon plans, do keep checking both the Foreign Office advice and ABTA. However, if you’re planning your wedding and want to ask guests to help fund your honeymoon, read on to find out how to do it risk free. In short, collecting money for your honeymoon with Patchwork is a smart response to COVID-19.

The flexible honeymoon registry: fund your honeymoon now, travel when you’re ready.

With Patchwork, all gift money contributed by your guests goes directly to you, and you can spend it exactly when and how you wish. Patchwork doesn’t hold your funds at any time. We don’t book travel or experiences for you and we don’t issue ‘vouchers’. We are independent of travel agents and tour operators, so your honeymoon money is totally yours. Patchwork simply allows you to ask your friends and family for money towards a honeymoon in a way that’s stylish, personal, fun and secure. So, whether COVID-19 blows up or blows over, you can collect gift money for your honeymoon now, and choose when and where to go when you’re ready.

What if you’ve planned a honeymoon to a country that’s now affected?

Firstly, don’t panic. Depending on where and when your trip is booked for, you may still be able to go on your honeymoon! Speak to your travel agent or airline to find out if dates can be moved or tickets changed, and check current advice about travel restrictions. If you just feel unsure and worried about the Coronavirus and decide to cancel, you may not be able to claim a refund. If you have booked the whole trip with a tour operator, you have more rights than if you’ve booked flights and hotels independently, ABTA is the best source of up to date information. With Patchwork it doesn’t matter if you’ve set up a page to collect contributions towards a trip but then change your mind. Whether you swap the Seychelles for Scotland, or Colombia for Cornwall – because all cash gifts go direct to you, Patchwork is completely risk-free.

Turquoise water tropical island

Planning your honeymoon, but worried about having to make last minute changes due to COVID-19?

More and more couples are choosing to ask guests to fund their honeymoon instead of asking for wedding gifts and with Patchwork it’s super easy and secure. With a Patchwork honeymoon fund, you can set up your honeymoon fund to start receiving gift money from guests now. Then decide where to go and book your trip when and where it’s safe to do so. Hoping to honeymoon in Japan? With Patchwork people can treat you to a sushi dinner, garden tours, massages at the spa or cocktails on a rooftop terrace. If your honeymoon plans change due to concerns about Coronavirus and you end up traveling somewhere completely different (or deciding to staycation instead) your gift money is yours, meaning you can spend it any way you like!

Patchwork Honeymoon Fund

Want to set up a honeymoon fund but don’t know where to go yet?

Then a Patchwork honeymoon fund is the perfect choice. If you use Patchwork to collect honeymoon contributions, your money is safe and secure and there’s no risk whatsoever. All gift money goes directly from your guests to you. We have 100s of readymade templates for honeymoon funds to destinations all over the world. If you want to set up a honeymoon fund but don’t know where to go yet, our new template can help. Invite guests to fund an island escape with our gorgeous “Beautiful Island of Somewhere” patchwork. Your guests can still pay for your hotel accommodation, meals and other treats, and when you’re ready, you can decide where to book your trip! So you can relax, knowing that you have the flexibility to change your plans at any time, without any stress.

Arial view of Durdle Door and ocean
Durdle Door, Dorset

Not sure about a honeymoon overseas?

We’re seeing more and more couples choosing not to travel abroad for their honeymoon at all. For the last couple of years concerns about Brexit were impacting couples’ decisions around travel and this year we have COVID-19 to navigate. At Patchwork, we love seeing people choose to do things a bit differently. We have plenty of gorgeous wedding registry ideas that mean your guests can still choose to treat you to experiences rather than pots and pans. And you can enjoy a fabulous honeymoon closer to home.

Patchwork honeymoon fund "A Year of Dates" in iPad

Alternative honeymoon idea: A Year of Dates

Instead of planning a honeymoon abroad, why not make the fun last a whole year? With a Patchwork Year of Dates honeymoon fund, friends and family can contribute to date nights, weekends away or new experiences that you can enjoy as a couple. Friends can choose to pay for you to hire bikes for a day to enjoy a day out cycling. Or pay for tickets so you can go and see your favourite band live. Maybe there’s a town near by that you’d like to explore? Ask friends and family to chip in towards a weekend away and take a few mini-moons throughout the year!

Blue Campervan parked beside water

Alternative honeymoon idea: A Campervan Roadtrip

Coronavirus or no Coronavirus, many couples are starting to realise that airport stress, jet lag and lost baggage aren’t the best way to start a romantic honeymoon! Forget the long haul flights and enjoy a honeymoon on the road, stopping off enroute to discover new parts of the country at your own pace. Use our Campervan Road Trip template to ask guests to contribute towards different parts of your trip. From fish’n’chips by the sea, to filling up the van, everyone can contribute to your roadtrip honeymoon.

Alternative honeymoon idea: Honeymoon at Home

If the Coronavirus is making you wary about booking a honeymoon abroad, why not join the many other Patchwork couples who are choosing to discover some of the hidden gems at home! Ask guests to contribute to a Honeymoon at Home Patchwork and once you’ve collected your cash gifts, you can decide where and when to make your bookings. You could book a two week trip to a part of the country you’ve never visited before. With Patchwork you can ask guests who’ve been before for tips on what to see and do! Or you could break up your honeymoon at home in to a few smaller mini-moons and make your honeymoon last longer. A weekend exploring a historical city perhaps, or a few nights by the sea. Your gift money might go further if you choose to honeymoon at home too. Check out Airbnb for beautiful and unique properties close to home.

Patchwork Cockapoo Puppy - Albie

Or let your imagination run wild

Alternatively if you’ve got something completely different in mind – we’d love to help! People have used Patchwork to fund all sorts of wonderful and unusual wedding gifts. From puppies and tattoos; to yurts and vegetable gardens. And even a flock of sheep.

Yes really.

Patchwork lets you collect funds for absolutely anything. So let your imagination go.

Wherever you choose to travel to on your honeymoon, or whatever you choose to ask guests to fund – take care, have fun and please share and let us know how it’s going! Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter or get in touch at hello@patchworkit.com

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