As Wedding Know How editors, we write about things that we love and we think you'll like too. We have affiliate partnerships and sponsorship and may generate some revenue from these at no cost to you.
A wedding registry, also called a Bridal Registry, is a wishlist of items from a particular store of the bride and groom’s preference, created months before the wedding. It’s a popular method used by engaged couples to let their guests know their preferences for wedding gifts – making it easier all around. After all, who wants another gravy boat?
How do you create a wedding registry list?
Well, you begin by browsing through merchandise from your favorite store, decide what items you would like to receive and create a list. A registry is then created on either the retailer’s site (like Amazon who have their own wedding registry) or on a third-party site like The Knot.
This list is then made available to the wedding guests by either the family of the couple or the registry site. Whenever a guest purchases an item from the list for the couple, the registry is updated accordingly in order to avoid guests purchasing duplicate gifts. Sounds easy and what’s best of all is that all this can be done without having to leave your home.
Many couples choose not to create a registry because they feel as though they are demanding gifts from their guests. In case you’re feeling the same, just know that there’s no need to feel guilty or embarrassed about it.
A bridal registry is actually a convenient tool for guests to use since they will be able to give the couple something that they know they’ll actually want and use. Of course, this doesn’t mean that the guest has to pick a gift from the couple’s registry. The registry is simply there to make it easier for the guests when it comes to purchasing gifts but there are no hard and fast rules. The guest can choose whatever they like as a gift.
If you need help creating your bridal registry for your upcoming wedding, check out this list of do’s and don’ts that we’ve put together for you. Let’s dive right in to how to create your bridal registry.
DO: Keep the Price in Mind
It’s very easy to get excited and carried away when making your wedding registry list so make sure to keep the costs in mind and include a good number of inexpensive items as well as higher priced ones. This will give your guests options to choose from. Having only costly items on your list may very well give your guests a shock, so be courteous by having more items than guests and select them at different price ranges. However, don’t feel bad to have a few expensive gifts on the list. Some of your guests may prefer to group gift, and a pricier item would be perfect for this.
DON’T: Tell Guests Where You’ve Registered in the Invitation
Once you’ve made your list and registered, give the information to your immediate family members and the wedding party so that they will spread the word among the guests. Don’t try to spread the word yourself, as this can be very unflattering. If anyone asks you where you have registered, it’s fine to tell them, but don’t include the registry information in your wedding invitation.
DO: Register Early
Make sure to complete your registry several months before your wedding since this will give your guests enough time to purchase gifts not only for the big day but also for the engagement and the shower. Doing it in advance will make things less stressful for you than keeping it until the last minute. You will also have enough time to make a complete list with everything you want.
DON’T: Register for Personal Items
While it can be tempting to ask for personal items that you’ve been wanting to buy such as shoes, designer products, cosmetics or clothing items, this isn’t the right time for it. You need to focus on gifts that will help you to grow as a couple.
DO: Include a Wide Variety of Items
If your list is too small, your guests won’t have enough items to choose from. Think carefully when you’re selecting items and instead of choosing sets, you can choose individual items. For example, instead of choosing a set of pots and pans which come in different sizes, choose each pot and pan and each size separately. This will give your guests a large variety of items to choose from.
DO: Register with More than One Store
Registering with a minimum of two stores is a good way to, again, give your guests more options to choose from. Limiting yourself to one store won’t give you as much choice. Some couples opt for 2-3 stores while others create a registry on a site like Amazon which has pretty much everything under the sun.
DON’T: Stick to Just Online Stores
Although some people enjoy online shopping, others prefer to see the item they are purchasing before they actually pay for it. Make sure that at least one store you register with is accessible to your guests since not everyone may be able to visit your online registry. This is another way of being courteous to your guests by making things convenient for them.
DO: Involve the Groom
Creating a wedding registry is one of the fun parts when it comes to wedding planning but many brides tend to run the show alone. Sit down with your groom and compile your list together. This is a great chance for you both to talk about the future and what you need to start your life together. Chances are your list will be more filled out and your guests will have more items since he’ll probably want to add in items you never thought about like tools, sports or gym equipment or nifty electronics!
DON’T: Feel Bad to Return Things
If you find that the quality of the gift is not as good as the picture indicates, then don’t feel bad to return it to the store. You may feel obligated to let the giver of the gift know that you’re exchanging it, but you actually don’t have to. It’s perfectly fine to replace such gifts with ones that you would prefer instead.
DO: Pace Yourself
Once you have completed your registry, keep it aside for a couple of days and then go back to it and see if you need to make any changes. This is a great way of making sure that everything you need is on the list. You can add in things that you’ve forgotten and remove things that you’ve realized you don’t need so later on you won’t have any regrets.
DON’T: Worry if You Don’t Get Everything on The Registry
There’s a chance you won’t get everything that you’ve registered for and if this does happen, don’t fret about it. There are many stores which offer discounts on the remaining items so that you can buy them yourself if you’d like and some stores keep the registry active for a period of time which can be anywhere from a couple of months to a few years so your friends and relatives can purchase gifts from it for other special occasions.
DO: Remember to Write ‘Thank You’ Notes
When caught up in the post-wedding bliss, it’s easy to forget a simple thing as sending thank you notes to all your gift givers. However, it’s very important that you do thank each and every one of them since this will make them feel appreciated and show that you respect them. To make this easier, you could have a friend or a bridesmaid keep a list of all the gifts you receive at the wedding and make sure you write out and send the thank you notes as soon as possible. Because some guests send gifts before the wedding, you’ll need to keep track before and after the wedding too.
