Tips for Creating a Wedding Registry That Best Suits You

​Congratulations on your engagement! Now comes the fun part of your planning: your wedding registry.

We know what you may be thinking. Fine china. A toaster. Fancy serving stuff you’ll never use. There’s nothing wrong with any of these, as long as they’re what you actually want. Your wedding registry reflects you as a couple. It’s your chance to look ahead and choose kitchen and other items that will suit you in the years to come.

​Whether you first move in together after the wedding or you’re already living together, your registry is an opportunity to blend your tastes, needs, and wants – and maybe do some upgrading, too. With so many store and online options available to create wedding registries, the whole process can be daunting. But we’re here to help!

Tip 1: Make sure your registry reflects what you want

A wedding registry, also known as a bridal registry, is a wish list of wedding gifts that can be purchased from a particular store or stores. The registry lists the items you’ve selected and which ones are still available, so your friends, family, and colleagues can choose and purchase the right gift for you.
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So what can you register for? Couples often think of household items first, but today’s wedding registries accommodate your needs and desires both in and outside of the home. It’s good to have a mix of traditional and personal options, but ultimately your registry is about what you want and will use the most. Sometimes couples register for travel or outdoor equipment, or skip the smaller stuff and request funds toward a honeymoon, a down payment on a home, or donations to an important cause.

Tip 2: Create your registry early (but don’t use gifts until after the wedding)

After announcing your engagement, be prepared to field lots of questions. Other than basic logistics – like the date and location of the wedding – people may also ask where you’re registered.

Wedding guests ask this because they want to support you with gifts they know you want and need as you enter married life. If it helps, don’t think of your registry as something there to serve you and your partner; think of it as a way to show friends and family how they can help you. By completing your registry early, guests can also purchase gifts for your engagement party or wedding shower, and you won’t have to deal with returning a lot of repeat or unwanted items.

Speaking of returns, if you receive presents before the wedding, wait until after you get married to use them. While it’s likely the last thing on your mind, in the event the wedding gets canceled, it’s in your best interest to return all of the gifts. (And that’s a lot easier for everyone if the items are unused and still in their boxes.)​

​ Tip 3: Make a list of what you already have and what you want to upgrade

As you and your partner dream out loud about the future, have some honest conversations about:

• What you have
• What you want to get rid of
• What you want to have, replace, or upgrade
  
  

Use these conversations to make a list of what you want on your registry. And remember, it’s about what both of you want. Create your wedding registry together so you have gifts you’ll both enjoy.
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If you want fine china, register for it. But if you don’t want fine china, you don’t have to resign yourself to having plates you never use. Instead, register for dishes that are both sturdy enough for years of daily use and nice enough for anything from pizza night to Thanksgiving dinner.

This information is adapted from Fix.com. You can read additional tips here. The infographic below gives great tips!

Source: Fix.com Blog

Top Photo by: Amy Arrington Photography