Getting to Know - Oxfam Unwrapped Weddings

Interview With: Gabriella Sethi and Kate Kellaway-Moore

Company Name: Oxfam Unwrapped Weddings

Location / Coverage: Nationwide

What does Oxfam Unwrapped Weddings do?

Oxfam Weddings offer ex-catwalk, designer dresses, unique gift lists and memorable wedding favours designed make your perfect day last forever.

How long has Oxfam Unwrapped Weddings been going?

Oxfam has been around for years, almost 70 years in fact, but Oxfam Unwrapped Weddings is relatively new, only launching in 2005.

How is Oxfam Unwrapped Weddings involved in weddings?

Oxfam Unwrapped Weddings came about in 2005, with the launch of a wedding list service. It aimed to provide brides and grooms with a unique way of sharing their big day and making a difference to people’s lives around the world. Since the launch in 2005, Oxfam’s gift lists have raised over £876,000. Following the success of the gift lists, Oxfam Unwrapped decided to launch wedding favours. A box of 50 favours contains gifts like ‘Safe Water’, ‘Health Checks’ and ‘Teach a Child’ and are the perfect alternative to sugared almonds.

How can people getting married help Oxfam Unwrapped Weddings?

The impact of charitable giving on your wedding day could be huge — last year over 240,000 people got married. Just think — if every couple had a pair of goats on their list that could raise £12 million or more!

Oxfam also has a bridal wear department, tell us a little bit about this.

We know that you don’t have to spend a fortune to look a million dollars. We’ve got a stunning collection of ex-catwalk and pre-owned wedding dresses in mint condition at our 11 specialist bridal departments across the UK. They’re run by our wedding experts, who share your passion for finding dream dresses and accessories for you and your bridesmaids at the perfect price.

Why should couples choose to help Oxfam Unwrapped Weddings rather than have traditional gift lists?

Choosing a charity wedding list is a trend that’s becoming increasingly popular, with even Royal newlyweds Kate and William asking individuals to celebrate their wedding day by giving to their favourite charities. The reason behind this is understandable: more and more couples are living together before getting married and certainly aren’t short of the usual home appliances.

Charity wedding lists and favours can mean a lot more than conventional wedding presents to both the couple and the guests. They’re fun, it’s unique, it’s reflective of the couple and it’s important to know that you can make a big difference on your big day.

With Oxfam Unwrapped, brides and grooms can set up a wedding list of poverty-busting gifts and pick gifts that are unique to them. There are over 50 gifts to warm the hearts (and budgets) of your guests, including Teach a Teacher, Plant an Allotment and of course, the rather ravishing Mr and Mrs Goat Couple. The gift list allows couples to choose gifts which mean something to them, and there’s something for everyone — foodies love the ‘Chocolate’ and ‘Olive’ gifts, which help farmers with growing produce by providing training in agricultural techniques, and also by providing the tools and seeds needed to start growing. Also, business-minded couples have chosen the ‘Train a Business-Woman’ gift — the money from this gift goes towards developing women’s skills in business, for example, negotiation skills and marketing. An even quirkier gift is the ‘Build a Bog’, which costs £50 and provides the materials, tools and labour needed to build toilets.

Image courtesy of Geoff Sayer Image Courtesy of Suzi O’Keefe/Oxfam

What’s the best thing about the job?

We love hearing about couples who have chosen an Oxfam wedding list. We’ve got bundles of stories from couples who rave about having an Oxfam gift list — their guests are always impressed and it’s a brilliant talking point. We love seeing photographs of their weddings too, and it’s always nice to see how couples put their Oxfam gift cards to use — one bride made an Oxfam tree, and attached all of her gift cards to the branches so that all her guests could see who had bought what.