In the midst of wedding season frantically trying to find the perfect gift for the happy couple? Prezola have the answer. The UK’s leading wedding gift list service brimming with over 50,000 gift ideas, including many bestselling Graham & Green products, Prezola have been awarded Best Gift List at the British Wedding Awards for four years in a row.
We caught up with the founders, Dom and Ali, to find out more Prezola.
Ali and Dom, Prezola’s founders
Tell us a bit about the history of Prezola.
Prezola is the UK’s leading wedding gift list service with over 500 brands alongside a honeymoon fund, cash contributions and charity donations; all on one list. The idea came on my birthday in 2008 when being asked by family and friends what presents I would like, I realised that there wasn’t an online platform where people could add various gifts from different shops. We thought of the name Prezola on my birthday (after a couple of bottles of wine!) and registered the name that night. We eventually launched Prezola as a wedding gift list service in February 2012 after spending a couple of years developing the website. We started the business in our home and sold our car to pay for an advertisement in Brides Magazine. The rest as they say is history! The growth of Prezola has been phenomenal, from working as a husband and wife team in the early days we now have 50 staff based between our head office in Bath and our warehouse in Wiltshire. Alongside being awarded Best Gift List at the British Wedding Awards for four years, we’ve won Feefo’s Trusted Service award for two years in a row. We are lucky to work with some amazing brands including Graham & Green of course who’s full range is available through the service alongside brands such as The White Company, Kitchenaid and Le Creuset.
If you could offer one piece of advice to happy couples curating their list, what would it be?
Think about what you want, not necessarily what you need. Gone are the days of toasters and basic essentials. Now it’s all about creating a gorgeous nest to start your married life in. Home accessories, beautiful artwork, lighting and casual dining are all top sellers these days.
Graham and Green at Prezola
What do you think is the one wedding gift item every list should have?
Timeless photo frames for those wedding pictures and champagne to celebrate. Lots of champagne!
You’re married as well as business partners, how do you manage the work/life balance?
I’m not going to lie and say it’s easy, but we’ve learned how to juggle! We have very different roles within the business. Dom is CEO and looks after all commercial matters as well as strategy and the financials. I’m Creative Director and oversee the look and feel of Prezola as well as managing the team that curate the brands and products that feature on the site. We aren’t competitive and try not to talk shop at home too much. Time away from the business is really important and so we take as many holidays and mini breaks as possible to recharge the batteries.
Dom and Ali
If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?
We’ve been very lucky recently and travelled to many destinations over the last few years. We’ve been to Thailand, Mauritius, Morocco and Miami on family holidays with our children who are 17 and 20; surprisingly they still want to come on holiday with us! Getting away allows us to enjoy quality time together as a family and also as a couple. There are still so many amazing places to discover and we’re working our way through the bucket list. My daughter and I are taking a trip to India this summer, volunteering at a Women Empowerment Project as well as visiting the Taj Mahal and Jaipur. Dom is heading to Peru to climb Machu Picchu with our son Harry, and then we’re all going back to Thailand on Boxing Day.
Finally, what is the one thing you can’t live without?
Sad but true, that would be our MacBooks. Whenever we’re away we’re allowed one hour every day to catch up on emails and see what’s going on at Prezola. We find this helps us relax, knowing that all is well. It also means that I can catch up on Love Island!
To find out more about Graham & Green, click here.
To explore Graham & Green’s collection at Prezola, click here.