Home > How to Word Your Gift List
Once you’ve clicked the “Publish” button on your Heal’s gift list setup page, the world will be able to see the items you’ve selected and will no doubt marvel at the level of taste you’ve modestly kept to yourself until now. It is important that you have the list of email recipients in place before you publish, as after this point you will not be able to add new ones. However, it’s not compulsory, and if you want to rely on the cards and word of mouth, that’s fine. The email will contain a standard message that you cannot change.
You can put your own messages in two places. First, you can have a general message that will appear at the top of the gift list and can be used as a personal greeting or comment. Second, you can put a separate message on each item. The first thing to consider with gift list wording must be the spelling. Make sure everything is spelt correctly – it’s the minimum courtesy and as well as making the message easier to read, it shows your guests that you’ve not rushed the list that they’ll soon be thoughtfully browsing through. Use UK English if most of your guests are based on these shores.
The vast majority of people will be celebrating a happy occasion, so a cheerful, jocular main message will be in order. Avoid sarcasm and in-jokes – if it’s a wedding gift list you’ll probably alienate most of your blood relatives – and definitely avoid end-of-the-pier gags! A good tone to adopt is gentle humour, modesty, self-deprecation and most of all, gratitude. Let your guests know that this list is there to help them and is not some kind of ransom note, and emphasise the fact that their presence is more important than their presents. (That’ll have them reaching into their pockets.)
You’ll also get the chance to leave a different message for each gift. These messages appear at the foot of each entry and should be brief, as guests might have dozens to read through. Gift list wording is still important, though, and as well as using brevity, you should try and personalise the gift. Write notes saying why you’d like the item, what room it would go well in, whether it’s completing a set, how much easier it would make your life or such like. This shows that you’ve considered every item on the list and not just filled it with free stuff … it also lets givers know that their gift will be appreciated.
Not everyone will have been alerted by email or received a card, so make sure you alert people in the most appropriate way. It’s quite normal to put details of the list’s location on a separate sheet of paper delivered with the invitation. Again, spend a little time on it and include a message that’s different to the one on the web. Put the web address in the messages (spelt perfectly, including "http://www.") and if you have used a password, tell them what it is otherwise they won’t even get over the threshold!
Contact us on 020 7896 7590 or email giftlist@heals.co.uk
