Lead times catch people out more than anything else. Handmade stock and personalised print both need runway, so treat six to eight weeks out as the sensible window for a firm order, and longer if you are ordering in the run-up to Christmas when demand is heaviest. Confirm your numbers after the RSVP deadline, not before, and give yourself a buffer for the inevitable late reply.

If you are ordering with a printed message, keep it short and warm, and allow a little extra time for the personalisation, especially in the busy end of the year.

For clients, a hamper reads as considered. It arrives as an occasion in itself, it shares around an office, and it carries a professional message without tipping into extravagance. Choose one with a neutral presentation rather than anything overtly seasonal, so it works whether it lands in March or in the week before Christmas. A restrained box travels better across industries and personalities than a novelty one.

Keep the presentation neutral and consistent. A uniform look across every gift you send reads as deliberate, which matters when clients compare notes or when the same box appears on several desks. Avoid anything that dates quickly or ties you to one season if the gifts will go out over several weeks.

Quantity is the next decision, and it is where couples tend to overspend or come up short. Work per table rather than per head at first. A round of ten guests usually wants ten individual favours, plus a couple spare for the top table and any late additions. Order roughly five to ten per cent over your final count. Chocolates keep, so a small surplus is never wasted, whereas a shortfall on the morning is a genuine headache.

A hamper suits the occasion where you want to make a gesture. It arrives looking like an event, it gives the new owners something to open in front of guests, and it shares around a room full of people who have come to see the place. For a couple moving in together or chocolate delivery Uk a family setting up a first proper home, it reads as warm without being fussy.