Wedding Registry ideas are a big part of the wedding itself. It needs loads of preparation and making sure you and your loved ones spend enough time together, picking and choosing what you really want when you start your wedded life. With retail market being so huge and online access to stores on finger tips, the choices are far too many. More choices, more confusion, more time, hence plan early. If you are already living together in a home, you would perhaps know, how you would like to plan and decorate your home together. You would know what you have and what you need.
Looking for Wedding Registry ideas and making the right selections is the best part of wedding planning.
Why Have a Wedding Registry?
Wedding registry is such a uselful idea, by whosoever it was first invented. I love the idea of wedding registry for so many valid reasons.
- Useful gifts: Your friends and family would like to bless you with gifts meaningful to you. They would want to give you something that would stay with you or something you would happily use or what will fit in your space. Having a registry gives them an opportunity to pick something that they know is your choice. A registry takes the guesswork out from the gift.
- No duplicates: Without a registry, most couples would end up getting cooking dishes, wall clocks and silverware as their wedding gift. You will then need to run to various stores with gift return receipt when you should really be enjoying your time together.
- Post wedding discounts: Many stores offer a post registry discount to purchase the items from your registry that your guests did not. If you received any cash gifts, this is your time to make use of the discount offer to complete your wishlist.
- Gifts from registry stores: Some registry sites also send a special or personalized gift to the newly wedded couple. That’s an added bonus to registry.
- Multiple stores: Wedding registry sites also allow you to link to products from various stores. This gives both you and your guests the best of both worlds in terms of choices and cost.
- Reminder for thank you cards: The wedding registry websites, send you reminders for your thank you cards. This becomes way too important, and you would know it, if someone did not send a thank you note.
Tips for Registering your Wedding Registry
- Mutual decision: No mater who is the shopper in your household, when it comes to picking items for registry, make sure you add those things that both of you will enjoy. You can add items for men and women so you can cherish them separately.
2. Have a wide range on price points:
You relationship with each of your friends and your familyTo avoid embarrassing your guests with the price tags of some of your wedding registry must-haves, make sure to have a wide range of price points to select from. There are many wedding registry ideas at affordable prices, but there are plenty others that allow family members to splurge if they choose to.
2. Involve Your Other Half. Whether you or your soon-to-be hubby is the shopper of the household, make sure to work together to pick out the items that you will both enjoy. Include some of the best wedding registry items for men as well as for women on your list so that you both enjoy a personal touch.
3. Check Out the Return Policies of your Registry Items. Having a registry means that you will be much more likely to receive gifts you love. However, there may be times where you change your mind. Plan ahead to make sure that your registry offers the most seamless exchanges and refunds.
4. Register at Several Stores. Give your guests a few selections to choose from, both online and offline; that way they do not feel restricted and can have some unique wedding registry ideas to choose from.
5. Set it Up Early. Make sure to do your research and add your wedding registry items to your wedding registry checklist early on so that your guests are not scrambling to find wedding gifts at the last minute.
Finding the Best Registry Gifts
1. Items That Will Last. The best wedding registry items can be cherished for many years to come. At The Knot, we curated our list of top wedding registry items with quality in mind.
2. Items That Suit Your Lifestyle. Give your guests a few unique wedding registry ideas so they can feel they are personalizing your wedding gift. That special touch connects you to your honored guests in a very special way.
3. Items That You Use Everyday. Planning what to register for should be as simple as figuring out what you use daily. The best wedding registry items are things that you use every day in the kitchen, bedroom, and bathroom.
4. Items That Add a Personal Touch. Unique wedding registry ideas include monogrammed items and personalized gifts.
Not to make you nervous, but there’s more to registering than you and your fiancé running around your favorite stores with a scanner gun. You get to do that too— just make sure you don’t commit one of these registry missteps.
Mistake 1: Not Registering at All
Trust us, your guests want to buy you gifts. And no, it’s not tacky and it doesn’t look like you’re “asking” for things. Plus, registering for gifts saves you time and headaches—it tips guests off to your desperate need for matching towels or your love of colorful dinner plates, and it also ensures you won’t get lots of things you don’t want or need (as in, no weird glass swan figurines from Aunt Jane).
Mistake 2: Waiting Too Long to Register
It’s a good idea to set up a registry soon after you’re engaged, particularly if your family or friends are hosting an engagement party. Even if a soiree hasn’t been added to the calendar, you may be surprised by the number of people who want to give you a token of congratulations (think: champagne glasses or a silver picture frame for your engagement photos). You can always update your list and add more items at any time (like, before your shower). Most of your guests will be making purchases shortly before your wedding day, so if you establish a registry early in your engagement, check in and add additional items before you say “I do.”
Mistake 3: Not Taking Inventory of Your Own Stuff
You’ll want to register for gifts the two of you will both enjoy, today and down the road. To decide on what you need, take inventory of the things you already have and talk about the style of home you’d like to share. Now is a great time to upgrade mismatched wine glasses or ask for a nice set of knives. Consider things like your entertaining style, your hobbies and what your life may look like 10 years from now (perhaps you do need that gravy boat for Thanksgiving and a set of towels for your “guest room”). Then divide and conquer by category—maybe you have strong opinions about bedding and your other half is more concerned about top-of-the-line pans for the kitchen.
Mistake 4: Registering at One Store
Do yourself (and your guests) a favor and register at more than one store. Two to three is a good mix—enough to offer variety in your gifting options, but not so many that it’s hard to keep track of what is coming from where. Local mom-and-pop shops and speciality stores are great, but try to choose at least one big-box retailer, like Amazon.com or Bed Bath & Beyond, to make it easy on those guests who may live elsewhere.
Mistake 5: Skipping the Fine Print
Before registering anywhere, find out about the store’s policies. Your registry should be convenient for both you and your guests, so make sure your registry will be available online or that guests can place orders over the phone (if you’ve selected a local shop). Ask if the store will ship to your desired address, and find out about the exchange and return policies. This last part is crucial—you don’t want to be stuck with duplicate gifts or come back from your honeymoon to find out you only have days to exchange items you don’t want. On the positive side, there are a lot of incentive programs as well. Some stores will even hold purchased gifts and ship them all at once after the wedding (just like Christmas morning!), and many places offer registry completion discounts (like 10 percent off everything remaining), so check for that too.
Mistake 6: Registering for Only Expensive Pieces
We’re not saying you shouldn’t put that amazing (and pricey) pro-stand mixer on your registry. But you should have items in a variety of price ranges, so all of your guests can choose something they can afford. Your friends and family may be purchasing both a shower and wedding gift, so register for items that fall into the $50 and under category too. After the wedding, you could always exchange a few $50 gifts for a bigger-ticket item you both love.
Mistake 7: Only Registering for the Essentials
Household items such as china, crystal and flatware are longstanding registry asks. But you can register for anything from furniture to sporting equipment and luggage. Take advantage of your options and register for items you’ll really use—be it a new drill or road bike. And if you’re both in agreement about a pricier addition to your home, like a new grill, put it on the registry. Group gifting is trending! All in all, don’t be afraid to make your list full of things you’ll be excited to receive—even if they are a little unconventional by your grandmother’s standards.
Mistake 8: Not Putting Your Registry on Your Wedding Website
You can’t assume guests will know where you’ve registered—but you also shouldn’t be the one to tell them. If someone is hosting a shower in your honor, they may list registry information on the invitation. But the very best place to put your registry info is on your wedding website. It’s where everyone will look to find more details, like accommodations, so it’s only natural that your registry should be there too.
Mistake 9: Registering Only Once
Your registry needs to be maintained throughout the time you’re engaged and planning your wedding. Revisit it often and update it with additional selections as gifts are purchased to give guests a range to choose from. A good rule of thumb: Have more items on your registry than guests at your wedding to accommodate for engagement party and shower gifts and to give people choices. Many registries make this easy and will send you an email or notification when a gift has been purchased, so if that’s an option, take it. You can also aggregate all of your various wish lists with The Knot, giving you one main check point when it comes to gifts. Not only will it help you track your thank-you notes, it’s a good reminder to update your list as well.
Mistake 10: Procrastinating on Thank-You Cards
The most important part of receiving gifts is showing your gratitude. Let your guests know their gifts have arrived, and do it promptly. Thank-you notes for gifts received before the wedding should be sent within two weeks of their arrival. Notes for gifts received on or after the wedding day should be sent within three months of your return from your honeymoon. Keep a list of what you’ve received alongside your guest list (where your friends’ and family’s addresses also live). Designate a space in your home where you can keep stationery at the ready—a subtle reminder to pen notes—and set aside time each week to chip away at the list. Be sure to mention the gift by name and share a few personal details too (like how you plan to use it or why you love the color so much).
The Knot and Cuisinart have partnered to bring you Registry for Real Life, a sponsored series showcasing real-life tips to getting everything you want (and more!) from the registry process. To check out more awesome products, visit Cuisinart.com.
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