Is 2008 the year of your wedding? Or have invitations been landing on your doormat in preparation for other people’s nuptials? If you’re looking for a list – or an extra special gift – for the big day, gifting guru Pepita Diamand’s company Wrapit is the mother of all gift list services. I went to meet former fashion editor Pepita at Wrapit’s Wandsworth head office – and show room – to find out why hers is a service to put the ubiquitous department store wedding lists to shame.

The concept for Wrapit was inspired by Pepita’s increasing frustrations with friends’ wedding gift lists: "You know what it’s like, you go to a wedding list and there’s only a couple of fish forks and a side plate left and that’s when you start to panic – what do I buy them? Then it’s a nightmare." And so, in the year 2000, Wrapit was born on the Old York Road.

"Oh my gosh that feels like forever ago," says Pepita, "it was a fantastic place to start. My original concept was to do it all online but at the time the suppliers, the Wedgewoods and Royal Worcesters of this world, wouldn’t even talk to you if you were only online. All the traditional manufacturers and suppliers assumed that online meant discount and so they were very hesitant to deal websites." The hunt for the Wrapit office ended when Pepita clapped eyes on the glass-fronted building on the Old York Road, because it meant they could claim they had a showroom. "But then people started wanting to come in and so it became a showroom. It was hysterical, those 600sq ft beginnings where we showcased every sample on every surface available. The showroom was jam packed full of stuff," she says.

But it worked – the couples just kept on coming. As word of mouth spread Wrapit

developed a reputation in the area but with enquiries from all over the country coming in on the website, Wrapit soon realised it would need to open more showrooms to meet the levels of demand. The second showroom opened in Harrogate, "that was our first adventure outside of SW18," says Pepita who now boasts 15 showrooms to the Wrapit name, "And then we opened up our showroom in central London and the rest is history."

So, why was Wrapit such a hit? "We approached the wedding list business with completely fresh eyes, which involved three things: first, it involved having a wider product selection than anywhere, then there was the website (which is currently undergoing a total makeover, due to be re-launched in the Spring) and we mastered a service that was second to none." Pepita recognised a change in consumer patterns at the beginning of the noughties: people were buying things at different price points and different categories. A couple may have the best bed linen available at the highest price but they might not want to spend relative value on their plates, for example.

When couples first visit a Wrapit showroom they will toast their engagement by opening a bottle of champagne and the staff will do their best to ensure that the couple feel comfortable (which is why the first thing you will see when you enter a Wrapit showroom is a sofa, Pepita assures me). A Wrapit consultant will then spend some time getting to know the couple to help advise them on their wedding list choices. Whether it’s designer or more affordable Wrapit prides itself on its wide range of products and ideas. From traditional to contemporary ("I’m a contemporary girl," Pepita declares), classic to kooky, serious to jokey (Wrapit currently lists a Unicorn for £999,999 although it is unsure whether anyone has added it to their list yet…) the selection sourced by Pepita and ‘her girls’ is vast, which is why couples need a consultant to help them whittle through it all.

Pepita checks my finger (unmarried) and goes onto explain: "When you get that ring your consumption of media will change. You will not buy Red or Vogue that month instead you will buy You and Your Wedding or Bride magazine." Wrapit regularly features in the bridal titles but many brides come to Wrapit after searching for wedding lists on an internet search engine. "She’ll see us in one of the magazines or she’ll Google wedding lists and Wrapit will come up. When she’s on the website she will request a handbook and find out where her nearest showroom is. And I do say she," Pepita explains, "most of the decisions, in terms of which wedding list service to choose, does seem to lie with brides-to-be." So, what do the grooms-to-be think of it all? "Men are very involved too. 15 years ago even a consultation would have been with the bride and her mother but now it’s the bride and her fiancé. And he is very active. I’ve noticed that even the husband who seems a bit quiet in the beginning becomes Jamie Oliver as soon as he steps in the kitchen area."

Battersea-based Pepita left the likes of Notting Hill and Ladbroke Grove three years ago – and she loves being south of the river. "I can’t believe it, so many of my friends who knew that I was north of the river tease me because now I’m south and I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. Granted, I’m just south of Battersea Bridge and my aspect is Chelsea, but I absolutely love it."