What to buy for a family wedding gift
It’s all very well buying five side plates and a coaster set from John Lewis gift list for your friend’s wedding, but if a family member is getting married, you probably want something that shows you’ve put a bit more thought into things.
It was precisely this problem that led Corina Kellam to set up Life History Books, a company that produces books of family stories and pictures for a unique wedding or retirement gift.
“My sister’s wedding was coming up, and the idea of interviewing our parents and her fiancé’s parents came to me,” says Kellam. “We kept the project a secret from my sister and her fiancé until the day before the wedding, and it really brought the two sides of the family together. We all live far apart, and it was a great way to actually get to know each other in a real way. Sneakiness is integral to our family’s tradition, too, so it was nice to kick off the marriage with the right note.”
In the months before a wedding, Kellam and her team interview the happy couple’s family and compile the book using family photos. Inspired by the wedding to dig deep in their memories and attics, a lot come up with stories that aren’t generally known. “I just completed a book on a man who was held up at gunpoint his first week in this country,” the writer and entrepreneur reveals. “I spoke to his daughter after she read his book, and it turned out she had no idea, it just never came up in conversation. So many stories are lost, generation to generation, and I see the books as a sort of stopgap to prevent that from happening.”
Staggered is pretty sure that its own family history would make for pretty dull reading, since most of its conversations with relatives revolve around what time lunch is and, delightfully, the consistency of whatever “gift” the dog last left in the garden. But you might be surprised. “Interviewing my father, I found out that my great-grandmother was a bit of a floozy – she met her husband by throwing a pillow out of a hotel door at him as he walked past,” says Kellam, a far-away look in her eyes as she adds, “I suppose some things are genetic.”
Each book is bespoke – researched, written and designed especially for the happy couple – and because it takes at least a few weeks, it’s not as cheap as your side plate option (the basic package is £580 for a book about one person). But ask yourself, how often does your brother/sister/son/daughter/niece/step-cousin get married? There’s only one way to find out…
“With every single book, I’m surprised by the enormous difference in each person’s story,” says Kellam. “It’s exciting to get it down on paper and on a CD before it’s forgotten.”
Mention “Staggered” for a 10% discount.
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