Buying That Perfect Wedding Gift
Wedding Registry gift ideas are really nothing new, within the last 60-ish years or so, brides, grooms and couples have had bridal registries for their weddings and honestly the overall idea came from good old corporate America.
Today, I'm going to share with you a couple of great places to get those wedding registry gift ideas as well as a couple of wedding industry secrets to help maximize the bang for your buck!
Be Original
Stop buying things like toaster ovens and kitchenware for starters. Most millennials getting married today would much rather have cash or a gift card than kitchen or home-ware according to my most recent survey. When I sent out my newsletter, I also asked nearly 1,000 brides if it was more important to have something for the home or something they can use like money or a gift card. Nearly 77% of the brides that filled out the survey said they would rather have cash.Now that's interesting because 10 years ago that number was only 49%
The other interesting thing that I found is that in the comments part of my online survey, a lot of brides said that they wanted something original if they had to get a actual gift. Some of the ideas they had given to me included an ecosphere believe it or not, tablets like iPad's and Galaxy Tabs, subscriptions to streaming services and Starbucks wedding gifts cards, LOT's of them.
That's a huge change from coffeemakers, pots and pans and crockpot's.
Brides and couples really want original gifts in the world we live in today. Thinking outside the box is really what they want, a far cry from wedding gifts of yesteryear.
Try These Wedding Registries
If you don't know where to start as a couple getting married, my advice is to stick with one or two locations if possible. Places such as Target and Macy's Offer great online and in-store experiences for wedding gift registries and I would start at those locations.Honeyfund is a great way to also help cover the cost of your wedding or your honey moon. It's a crowdfunding website designed to help tell your friends and family that you are getting married and that you want them to help cover the cost of wedding in general. I have found several brides that have been very happy with that website and have literally covered most of their honeymoon in the process. I look for this website to grow over the next few years and become more mainstream that in previous years.
What to Avoid Purchasing
It might seem obvious at first glance but unless you (the couple getting married) ask's for something specific, don't buy it. If for example they don't list pots and pan's, DON't buy pots-n-pans.Do's
- Purchase something that is meaningful
- Try to be original in purchasing something for the happy couple
- Don't worry about cost; it's not how much you spend it's how well received the gift is
Dont's
- Buy a gift card. If it is cash then try something like cash in a money handler
- Don't purchase something that isn't on their wedding registry list
Wedding Gift Secrets
Now for the good stuff, Wedding Registry Gift Ideas that might surprise you. If you are looking for a gift and it's on a website like I've mentioned, you can always get that item cheaper.Say for example the couple getting married has an item on their gift registry, a wine glass set. You can always get it from places like Amazon and usually a lot less money, but this is a given.
I would like to share with you 4 wedding gift secrets that will literally make you a happy camper when it comes to shopping.
1. Discounts
Vendors offer registry discounts in a variety of ways. One popular way is to offer a discount on additional items of a certain brand once a specified dollar amount has been purchased (for instance, a 10% discount to the couple on any All-Clad item purchase after guests have purchased $500 in All-Clad registry items).
Examples of vendors that offer discounts:
- Macy’s: Macy’s is offering a discount of $20 off a future purchase for every registry customer who selects a registry gift worth $50 or more.
- Sears: Sears offers a unique “give together” perk that permits a group of guests to pool funds to purchase a higher ticket item.
2. Freebies
Freebies can vary greatly from vendor to vendor. One vendor may offer a free meal or a free stay at a local hotel. Another may offer a free gift card for a certain dollar amount if you register for a particular item the vendor wants to sell to your guests (for instance, a free place setting if the guest buys you one place setting of a particular kind).
Examples of vendors that offer freebies:
- Target: Target gives you a “welcome packet” and a special free gift (rumors have it that the gift is a $20 gift card, but the website doesn’t specify).
- Crate & Barrel: Crate & Barrel offers free personalized digital and printable Save the Date cards courtesy of Paperless Post. The store also offers a free curated download of apps, books, tunes, and more to registrants.
3. Completion deals
One of the longest-standing perks offered to couples opening a registry is the “completion deal.” This perk is simple; after the wedding, the couple has the option to purchase all remaining registry items for a percentage off retail value (typically at 10-20% off retail).
Examples of vendors that offer completion deals:
- Target: Pick a date after your wedding, and you can receive 15% off all unsold registry items on that date.
- Dillard’s: Dillard’s offers 20% off on un-bought registry items starting 60 days after the wedding date and lasting for two months’ time.
4. List-building and buying incentives
Another newer popular perk is to offer a couple that creates a registry with a certain minimum number of items (for instance, 10 or 20 items) an extra incentive. A variant is to offer “rewards points” (or some similarly named incentive) on every purchase that adds up to future cash value for the couple.
Examples of vendors that offer incentives:
- Macy’s: Macy’s offers points for each “eligible item” on your registry. Those points add up to dollars, which you can then spend later on additional items.
- Kohl’s: Kohl’s offers couples “rewards points” in the amount of 10% of the price of each purchased registry item.
