Perfect for the Summer of 2022

It's official, the weddings are back. And so are the wedding gifts! And after a few years of careful and low-key gatherings, BIG parties are once again the talk of the summer.

It wasn't clear what would happen after the pandemic, whether or not smaller more intimate gatherings would become the norm for weddings…but judging by the invites our team have had from family and friends? It's safe to say we're all in the mood to celebrate.

And after all we've been through, we are all looking forward to sharing in the joy and love a wedding brings.

Wedding registry or personalised gift?

While many brides and grooms are saying no to the traditional gift registry, as a guest we still love to give something to the happy couple to commemorate their special day.

And so do you! This year we've seen a huge lift in sales of meaningful and emotive wedding gifts. We're all clearly feeling sentimental, and at Bombus we revel in capturing those emotions in a forever gift.

So what exactly are you all buying as wedding gifts this year?

Here are our TOP FIVE best-selling wedding gifts of 2022 so far:

5: Your Story Personalised Map Heart Couples Print

Out of all our map location artwork this one is the most appropriate as a wedding gift. Not only is it beautiful, but as the name suggests, it tells a story.

It's the perfect way to commemorate where the bride and groom met, where they married, and where they went on honeymoon. A truly personalised piece that will mean so much to them both.

But like all of our artwork, the personalisation is entirely up to you! Our real vintage maps mean that you can select any location from anywhere in the world, and we will make your gift to match your request. But you could choose to tell a different story altogether! Perhaps where they went to school, where they live, or where they went on their first holiday.

4: Personalised map location letter bookend

If they are a couple that love to travel, then they are bound to have hundreds of travel guides on their bookshelves. And after a few years of staying close to home, those of us with Wanderlust are starting to get a bit twitchy!

Which is why we think that our personalised letter bookends have been a popular choice of wedding gift this year.
Again, using our real vintage maps, we can make any letter for any location in the world. Choose the initials of the bride and groom, and two of their most meaningful locations.

We also offer a full gift wrapping service, so if you're a little worried about how you'd present these gorgeous bookends on the big day, leave it to us to make them look beautiful!

3: Personalised Map Location Heart Card

It's been a core product of Bombus since the very beginning. After twenty years of making artwork out of maps, the Personalised Map Location Heart Card is as popular as ever.

You choose to send this card for all sorts of special occasions. But it goes without saying that the most popular event is as a wedding or engagement card. And this year, for the first time, this card has had a new lease of life…

Because our core iconic MAP location heart card has a brand new addition!
We listened to the feedback from our customers, and it was unanimous. You all love our cards so much that you want to keep them forever. By framing them and hanging them on your wall!

And we certainly don't blame you. We take a lot of pride and care in sourcing each one of your maps. So we've found the perfect frame to compliment them.

You can now add one of our sustainable wooden frames to your card purchase, so that you, or your recipient, can display them forever. And that's exactly what you've all been doing. You can still write and send your message in your card, and we package up the frame so that your recipients can frame their artwork as soon as they are ready.

No landfill. No waste. Plastic free. Forever gift.

2: Miniature personalised map heart

Now, when we say 'wedding gift' you may be thinking we are talking about gifts from wedding guests. But what we have seen a lot of this year, is a lot of thoughtful grooms choosing a meaningful, sustainable, and thoughtful gift for their bride-to-be. And this is their number one choice!

Beautifully presented in an optional gift box, our miniature map heart frames are the perfect size to place on the table as a surprise for the new wife as she takes her seat. We've even seen one groom use this as a way of surprising their new spouse with a honeymoon! And as well as the vintage map of any location you choose, we can also engrave a personal message on the reverse to make the gift even more special.

1: Personalised Map Location Heart Print

It had to be number one really, didn't it. Our most recognisable core map location print.

And it is a classic. A single map heart of their wedding location with a simple, elegant caption.

It has been our best selling wedding gift for years, and we still love it as much today as ever. But we have noticed a slight shift in tastes! Where as for the past decade most of you have chosen to have your artwork framed in white…we are now seeing the majority of you choosing our beautiful real oak frame instead.

Our frames are made and produced in Britain using FSC sourced sustainable wood from British sources. Each frame is made using moulding harvested from forests that meet the social, economic and ecological needs of present and future generations. In fact sustainability is at the HEART (see what I did there) of our business. Read all about our pledge to build a better planet here:
https://www.bombus.co.uk/sustainability

And did you know…

As well as over 25,000 vintage real maps that we use for our artwork we have also designed a range of hand drawn maps? Our studio artists are a clever bunch. Our most popular Off-the-peg map heart for weddings has consistently been…

This one!

The Maldives.

Which goes to show how many of you lucky so-and-sos are jetting off to tropical adventures!

The Bombus Team Picks their Best Wedding Gifts

So there you have it. Our Top Five Best Selling Wedding Gifts of 2022 so far. Which will you choose?

And while the following aren't on our top five list, the team at Bombus have chosen two of their favourite and unusual gifts that they often give to friends and family as wedding gifts.

Check out our personal choices here:

Large Flower Press for Wedding Flowers

Map Location Wedding Guest Book

While we're at it…what about the wedding venue?

While destination weddings are still taking their time to reach pre-pandemic levels, home based venues are seeing their bookings soar. Which is great news for venues such as our close business partners and friends at Hidden River Cabins.

And here in Kent we have some of the most spectacular wedding locations in the world. We'll be exploring these in depth in another blog piece. But some of our favourites include:

Port Lympne Safari Park
Shepheard Neame, Faversham
High rocks, Sevenoaks
Dreamland Margate
The Cave

and of course
Brenley Farm!