I get asked more often than I ever thought I would about registering. I loved creating our wedding registry with Will (who doesn’t like to point the scanning gun at everything around the store?) and always love the topic. We learned a lot during our registry process and after our wedding and I love to share our wedding registry tips as often as I can to help others going through the process. I’m so excited about this post – it takes me back to those early days of engagement and the whirlwind of wedding planning, which were both so exciting and happy. These registry tips can be applied to most types of registries and is helpful for guests as well as the future married couple, so don’t worry if you’re not a bride-to-be yet!
Register for gifts of all price ranges
When Will and I first started registering for wedding gifts, we were trigger shy because we felt so guilty about putting items on our list that were expensive. We felt awkward because we felt like we were asking family and friends to pay a lot for items that would fill our home. One of the associates at the department store gave us a list of all of the items we should include on our registry, and as college seniors with no home goods of our own, we had a lot of work to do. She reminded us that there are lots of people who love us and want to get nice gifts to celebrate. We realized that not everything had to be on our budget, and we didn’t have to get everything on our registry, we just needed to provide options. We wanted to include items our college friends could buy, but also didn’t want our generous families and family friends to have to put together a collage of items to feel like their gift was within their price range. I would suggest including small items under $25 (kitchen gadgets, small towels and pillows are great for this), under $50, under $100, under $200 and some items above these price points.
You don’t have to get it done in one visit
Sometimes it can be overwhelming to try to register for everything you think you need in one go. We both thought it was fun to zap our favorite items with the scanning gun, but after an hour of wandering through all of the home sections of stores, it can get tiring. Don’t worry if you feel like your home is going to be so sparse after one attempt at registering in the store. Take a break, go home and add items to your registry online. You can do this in one swoop, while you are in registering mode, or spread it out over a few days if it stresses you. I definitely recommend starting your registry in the store, so you can really see the items you like and dislike, but sometimes adding items to your registry in the comfort of your own home with the ease of category tabs on the internet can be easier and more relaxing than doing it in person. Mix it up and do both! There are enough stressors throughout wedding planning – this doesn’t have to be one of them.
Register for more gifts than there are guests
You should register for more gifts than the number of guests you invited. When we were registering, one of the store attendants told us that we should include more than one gift per guest, so the guests have plenty of options to choose from. It can seem like you are asking for too much or putting too many items on your list, but once people start to cross things off your registries, you still want there to be enough options for those who don’t look at it until closer to the wedding date. If you need a good list of items to include on your registry, check this one from The Everygirl. Most department stores have them on hand if you ask as well – those are the ones we used and found most helpful.
Register relatively early
Registering should not be the first thing on your recently-engaged to-do list, but it should be something you do early on in the wedding planning process, especially if you have a shorter engagement. Lots of people want to look at your registry and start getting you gifts for Christmas, birthdays, showers, and other occasions. This doesn’t mean you have to finish your registries, but having a selection of gifts to choose from is still helpful, even if you add on later. And, registering is fun! Make it into a date night, get excited about your future together, and point that scanner at everything you both want! I can safely say that one of my favorite and most-used wedding gifts is our KitchenAid stand mixer, which was given to us as a Christmas present from Will’s mom. I was over the moon when we opened it up and so glad we had registered early!
Include dream items, even if you know you won’t receive them from guests
The best kept secret of wedding registries is the post-wedding discount, or completion program. Ahh, so great. Most stores offer a discount that can range from a few months to a year after your wedding date on everything that is left on your registry. Certain stores will give you a discount on the entire store, but most only apply it to items on your registry. That being said, if your fiance wants a giant TV and you know you’ll end up buying one once you move in together anyways, put it on the registry! This goes for all of your pricey dream items – that armchair you’ve had your eye on, the fancy set of super sharp knives, a new cabinet – put it all on there! You might not get it from a guest, but that post-wedding discount will help you save some money later. And who knows, maybe you have a group of friends that would love to pitch in together to get you that dream item.
Remember where your guests live (and register at multiple stores)
Growing up in the South, Belk was our go-to department store. Our mall didn’t even have a Macy’s until I was in middle school, and the Belk at that mall still has the best selection around, which made it a great place to register. While many of our relatives frequent Belk, we also have lots of family living outside the South, where Belk doesn’t exist. We decided to register for home items at both Belk and Macy’s, to make it easy for all guests around the country. Even though we duplicated some registry items, it gave everyone enough variety to choose from and provided stores in all areas. It is great to register at local or smaller places, but make sure there is an easy option for everyone on your guest list.
It’s okay to register for the same item at multiple stores
Which brings us to duplicate registry items. As I mentioned, it doesn’t hurt to register for the same item at multiple stores if one of the stores is not the most common store across your guest list. We did this and only ended up with a few duplicate items, which you can always return for store credit. This ends up being a great solution for getting the items you wanted but didn’t receive, and you can use your new registry completion discount. See, it all works out wonderfully :)
The commandments of place settings
Now for some real opinions. Eight is great. Repeat it with me, eight is great. Please register for eight place settings, I beg you. Six is not enough. Even in a small space with only two people, we often use all of our place settings when friends or family come over. If you really hate entertaining and never want people at your place, feel free to adjust this, but I can’t tell you how many times we have used all eight place settings and wondered what we would have done with any fewer. Eight, friends. At least eight. The second, and looser commandment of place settings is when in doubt, white it out. White goes with everything. If you don’t know what you will want in the future or can’t agree on a pattern, white is always a good option. You can always mix it up later, but white dishes and linens will always be classic and versatile. Just my thoughts and experience.
Write thank you notes and make spreadsheets
We found it extremely helpful to create a spreadsheet that we could fill out as we received gifts. We filled it out every time we got a gift in the mail, at a shower, at holidays and other gatherings, and at the wedding itself. We separated it into these columns: gift/item, giver, thanked?, where it is located pre-wedding, where it is located post-wedding. The last two may not apply to everyone, but we found it helpful and it is a tip I got from a co-worker while I was engaged. Since we were moving from two locations to one, and still store things in our parents’ attics, it was nice to know where the gift was before we moved and after we moved. This also helps when we get together with people or when we have people over to our home. We really do use all of our wedding gifts and love to be able to use them when people come over. The spreadsheet makes it easy to remember what guests gave us if we are unsure, so we can truly show them how much we love their gift when they visit. This may not be your style, so add or subtract the columns as you see fit.
There you have it, our wedding registry tips. Some of these are opinions, some are things that really helped us during our registry and wedding planning, take them as you will. Even if you have a different style or aren’t planning a wedding I hope this was helpful in some ways!
Our favorite places to register and buy gifts from registries:
Crate and Barrel
Target
Williams Sonoma
Macy’s
Pottery Barn
Photos from Anthropologie blog, Crate & Barrel blog, Molly Yeh via The Everygirl
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