Couples forced to postpone their weddings during lockdown splash out on household essentials

Comeback of the ‘bottom drawer’ tradition: Couples forced to postpone their weddings during lockdown splash out on household essentials that are on their gift lists, study finds

Couples forced to postpone their weddings during the coronavirus pandemic have been splashing out instead on home improvements and household essentials, a survey has found.

More than 80 per cent of engaged couples claimed that they were buying items which they once would have put on their wedding gift list.

The shift in spending patterns is said to have led to an unexpected comeback in the ‘bottom drawer’ tradition dating back to the 19th century.

The phrase sprung up in Victorian times among women who bought linen and crockery before their weddings and kept them in a drawer until needed for a marital home.

Couples forced to postpone their weddings during the coronavirus pandemic have been splashing out instead on home improvements and household essentials

The online department store Freemans which conducted the survey suggested the idea was being resurrected by disappointed couples facing delays in walking down the aisle.

They are said to be stocking up in advance on household essentials which they will need for a life together, rather than relying on gifts and parents’ hand-me-downs.

The survey found that more couples would be asking for vouchers or cash as wedding gifts when they are finally able to celebrate with three-quarters expecting to have already purchased their own home comforts.

Those already living together are also using their postponed big day as an opportunity to redecorate and re-equip their homes.

Freemans launched its ‘bottom drawer’ study after seeing a surge in demand for household items in recent months and found engaged couples were among the biggest customers.

Over three quarters of respondents said that lockdowns had help create an opportunity to establish their own co-ordinated style for their home rather than rely on the taste of others.

Of the 35 per cent of engaged couples who had not previously lived together, nine out of ten said they discussed what they could keep from their own single days before making a new purchase.

As a result, nearly all would-be-grooms believed they were being forced to ditch more possessions than their prospective brides.

One in three men also said they had secretly kept items they had been told to throw away or take to a charity shop.

The online survey also found that the modern version of the ‘bottom draw’ was more likely to be a space for storage in a parents’ spare room, rather than a piece of furniture

But four per cent of those questioned said they had been forced to rent storage units as they wait for confirmation of house and flat sales.

Kitchen equipment remains top of the list of purchases for prospective newly-weds followed by bathroom accessories, new bedding, curtains and furniture.

More than 80 per cent of engaged couples claimed that they were buying items which they once would have put on their wedding gift list

More than 80 per cent of engaged couples claimed that they were buying items which they once would have put on their wedding gift list

Commenting on the survey findings, Amy Hackett from Freemans said: ‘Couples at last have been told that restrictions on weddings have been lifted and they can finalise plans for their big day, but they have really been planning for many months now.

‘We have seen a modern take on the bottom drawer. The delay in getting married has at least given them time to think about what they want and it is a fun way of preparing for married life and having a place together.

‘The benefit of the bottom drawer is that you don’t need to spend a lot of money all at once and you don’t have other people offering their advice on what to have in the new home.’

An estimated 320,000 weddings in the UK have been postponed because of coronavirus restrictions and around 825,000 are expected to take place over the next two years as restrictions on having a big bash are finally lifted.

The phrase of the ‘bottom drawer’ is a peculiarly British one. Across the pond in the US and throughout Europe the ‘bottom drawer’ is referred to as a ‘Hope Chest’.

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