After spending far too much time comparing quotes from bus companies to ferry our guests from the church to our reception venue, it was time for a spot of fun wedding admin to put a pep in my step. Compiling my dream wedding gift registry reminded me of the excitement of writing my Christmas list for Santa Claus when I was little — except I’d like to think my taste is a little more refined now.
Enter The Wedding Present Company, a drop-dead gorgeous sanctuary of elegant homewares, expertly curated delights, and proper indulgences, designed to feast your eyes on — and populate your gift registry with. I may have traded Barbies for Burleigh pottery and lollies for Le Creuset, but at least this gift list doesn’t all fall on the shoulders of one jolly man and his sleigh.
Tucked away in a historic Chelsea building teeming with storied antiques, The Wedding Present Company is set over two floors of jaw-dropping interiors. Its layout is reminiscent of a real home, with designated living spaces, bedrooms, kitchens, and even an “al fresco” patch of grass so you can peruse everything in-situ. Impeccably styled with gift registry mainstays like The White Company and Jo Malone London, alongside independent brands like Rebecca Udall and Pooky (which has a full showroom downstairs), you needn’t rely too much on your imagination to see how things might look in your living space, as everything is perfectly in place.
What to expect during your visit to The Wedding Present Company
The Wedding Present Company’s showroom feels like stepping into a stylish—yet welcoming—abode. I was greeted by my lovely Wedding List Advisor Laura and poured a sparkling glass of Nyetimber, before settling into the comfy couch, sampling some fresh pastries, and going through the process of setting up our gift registry with Laura.
The Wedding Present Company are seasoned experts, with more than thirty years of experience helping couples find presents they will love and cherish forever. My fiancé is the keen chef in our household, so the checklist Laura shared helped me stay on track when it came to selecting cooking-related gifts. She gave me an iPad with a scanner to seamlessly populate the gift registry list with items from the showroom, and away I went.
My top registry picks and favourite brands
From the fluffy quilts to the endless selection of “good china” for those all-important occasions, it’s safe to say I got a little carried away (I blame the free-flowing Nyetimber) scanning to my heart’s content. Beautifully-laid dining tables were the perfect canvas for mixing and matching plates and napkins (my favourites were from Sophie Conran for Portmeirion), and I had so much fun opening every single drawer and exploring the cutlery options on offer from the likes of Robert Welch and Culinary Concepts.
Treasures to enjoy and cherish for decades to come
While our current flat only seats six for supper, Laura recommended enough china and crockery for at least twelve place settings to factor in potential larger dining and entertaining spaces in future — and the inevitable breakages from moving house (or having too much fun).
Then it was upstairs to the kitchen with its colourful wall of mugs, cabinets lined with cookbooks, and copper pans in every conceivable size dotted around an enormous standalone kitchen island that could make even the least capable of cooks feel like a bona fide Martha Stewart. With my scanner in hand, I couldn’t be stopped: Le Creuset casserole dishes in the neutral “meringue” colourway and their adorable set of colourful egg cups made it firmly onto the list, as did a stunning Sage coffee machine for my perpetually caffeinated husband-to-be. I’ve long loved LSA’s collection of sleek wine glasses for my rosé-sipping tendencies, so those—along with a rather fabulous cocktail shaker—also made the cut.
As we flowed into the sumptuously decorated bedroom, so too did the Nyetimber: I don’t think I ever saw the bottom of my glass! If you’re stumped for registry inspiration, I couldn’t recommend visiting The Wedding Present Company more — the sumptuous interiors and sophisticated selection will give you so much food for thought. For instance, I’m not sure I’ve ever considered a wall-mounted clock for any of our rooms, but after seeing such a fabulous selection artfully displayed above the bed, I have my eye on a black metal one from Newgate.
A luxury experience, whether you’re near or far
It’s worth noting that if you aren’t based in London or can’t make it to the Chelsea showroom, you can sit back, put your feet up, and browse the online showroom, boasting all the wares you can expect to see in the showroom space. Your dedicated Wedding List Advisor will be in touch to arrange a virtual appointment or a meeting by phone, and will still provide the delightful, white-glove experience that The Wedding Present Company is known and loved for.
That said, if you’re able to make a trip out of it, I honestly can’t imagine a more perfect way to spend a Saturday afternoon of “fun wedmin” with my fiancé. Who says every day can’t feel like Christmas?! Now that I’ve got the lay of the land and a head start on our list, the only thing left to do is plot a return visit to The Wedding Present Company with him in tow!
To learn more and set up your own wedding gift registry, visit The Wedding Present Company’s website.
Photos by Lucy Davenport
