Tips for Creating a Wedding Registry

You’ve been engaged a month and the clock is ticking. There is so much to plan for the big day, and even before that, your family and friends are throwing you a shower. Time to do your registry. While the task (which is essentially making a wishlist of your favorite things for other people to buy for you!) sounds fun, in truth, it can be daunting. Which stores should you register with? What items do you really need? Are certain gifts too pricey or frivolous to ask for?

The most efficient way of tackling your wedding registry is to start by making a list of what you want—both practical and/or essential items, and those that could be thought of as indulgences. Remember that your guests want to get you a gift that you love. Then focus on the points below, and rather than weigh down the task with worry, try to have fun with it. 

1. Assess what you already have and don’t have and what you have, but need or would like to replace. Remember to take inventory of both your and your partner’s belongings, especially if you are living separately. 

   
   

2. Consider your storage situation. Some items on your registry may be furnishings or decorative items that will be out or on display in your home as soon as you receive them and on a day-to-day basis (pillows, throws, artwork, frames, vases.) You also may select items that you won’t use everyday. Think fine china. Do you have a china cabinet in which to store multiple sets of plates and bowls and coordinating serving platters? Do you have closet space where you can keep them boxed? For your kitchen, you might select appliances, gadgets, everyday dishes and glassware. Do you have cabinet and or shelf space? If storage is an issue for items you won’t be using immediately or day-to-day, consider leaving certain items off your registry and asking for gift cards instead. This way you can purchase them when you are able to accommodate them. 

   
   

3. Think about your lifestyle—entertaining habits, cooking habits, organizational style. Do you host formal dinners where you need sterling silver flatware and crystal glassware? Or are you more casual entertainers? How regularly do you cook and how elaborate is your cooking? Do you need only basic appliances or extras for specialized food prep? How organized are you  and how organized do you like to keep your home? Are you comfortable having a very-well-stocked kitchen with items you want but don’t have room for? Will the clutter bother you?

   
   

4. Think of your five-year plan. If you and husband or wife-to-be are content with your current living situation: you have a kitchen that’s well-enough equipped for the cooking you do, dinnerware that can cover your entertaining needs, furnishings and accessories that appeal to you, and you would rather put money towards your future, consider setting up a first home fund that guests can contribute to as their gift.

   
   

5. Think beyond the inside of your home. Remember that aside from the towels and dishes and mixing bowls, a registry can include everything from storage and organization items to luggage to sports equipment and games. And if you want to go in a completely different direction, you can create a honeymoon fund or the  aforementioned new home fund or select a charity or cause that’s important to you to which guests can contribute.

   
   

6. Include items at various price points and register with two or three different stores. Note that you should register for more gifts than you have guests. (Two to three gifts per guest is a good rule of thumb to cover multiple events.) 

   
   

7. Get your registry completed 1-2 months before your shower so that guests have adequate time to shop. As soon as you get a gift, write a thank you and mail it out. This way, you won’t have one long list of thank you notes to write all at once. You’ll have other planning responsibilities that will also need your attention.

8. Do not include registry information on your wedding invitation, as doing so, according to etiquette experts, can make the invitiaton to your big day feel transactional. Tasteful alternatives include noting it on save the date cards and on your wedding website with a link.