7 of the most popular wedding gifts of the 70s and 80s, which you might still own

Some of the most popular wedding gifts are timeless

But others were very much of their era

Here are 7 presents you may well have received if you got married in the 70s or 80s

Some wedding gifts never go out of fashion, from crystal champagne glasses to fancy picnic hampers.

But there are others which every couple wanted back in the 70s and 80s, yet you rarely find on wedding lists today, due to technological advances and changing tastes.

If you got married in the 70s or 80s, chances are you received at least one of the presents below. You might have loved it at the time, but have you kept it for all these years?

Electric carving knife

These were particularly popular in the 70s, adding a touch of drama to the Sunday roast.

Some people loved them, others hated the things. Either way, it was obligatory to use it to do the honours if you had the family round for lunch at the weekend.

Despite their huge popularity in the 70s, electric carving knives were already falling out of fashion by the 80s.

By then, they were more often found in gory scenes from literature, TV and films, including, famously, Misery and The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

Video recorder

What better gift for a pair of newlyweds in the 70s or 80s than a video recorder, allowing them to cosy up on the sofa and watch the latest romantic comedy together?

You could even watch your wedding video on it if you had the do recorded.

Chances are you don’t still have your old VCR, but some people have kept them to watch their favourite movies, and you can still buy second-hand videos, with the rarest examples going for a song.

Crock-Pot

Crock-Pots, or slow cookers to use the generic, non-branded term, were very popular in the 70s.

They allowed home cooks to prepare meals in the morning which would be ready for them when they returned home.

Slow cookers were a common wedding present at the time but fell out of fashion, with microwaves replacing them as kings of convenience, before making a comeback in recent years.

The big difference between slow cookers of today and yesteryear, other than the extra settings, is the style. Brown and orange, sometimes with floral patterns, were in vogue back then, whereas now most have a simple steel design.

Punch bowl with glasses

This seemed like a great way to add a bit of glamour to the occasion when hosting a dinner party in the 70s or 80s.

But in reality they often sat in a cupboard gathering dust for most of the year, before getting the odd outing around Christmas.

SodaStream

There’s something immensely satisfying about making your own fizzy drinks, which explains why SodaStream was such a hit in the late 70s and 80s.

At the peak of its popularity, the kitchen applicance was reportedly found in two out of every five households in the UK.

The famous advertising slogan, ‘get busy with the fizzy’, helped it fly off the shelves, and it was a popular wedding present.

SodaStream is another nostalgic favourite that has made a bit of a comeback in recent years.

Pocket TV

The idea of watching television on the move seemed so futuristic in the 70s, when pocket TVs first hit the shelves.

They featured on many couples’ wedding lists at the time, long before you could stream the latest shows on your mobile.

But was it really a good wedding gift, even back then? After all, shouldn’t a happy couple have better things to do when they’re out together than remain glued to the set?

Camcorder

Camcorders first hit the shops in 1983, and they proved very popular, even if they were a bit clunky to begin with.

They seemed like the perfect wedding gift at the time, enabling couples to begin collecting memories as they embark on a new life together.

They were on many couples’ lists but you would have had to be a particularly generous, or wealthy, friend to shell out for one back then.

If you’re after more 70s nostalgia, you might enjoy this look back at some of the decade’s biggest crazes.