Bridal Registries – Do’s and Don’ts before You Do
Every day in life, important decisions are made; however, there are few decisions that have the potential to cause more stress than those related to wedding preparations. Once a groom’s proposal is accepted, the happily engaged couple begins a process of choices and arrangements that can seem as endless as their self-proclaimed love. Luckily, today’s engaged couples have many options for planning assistance – including wedding registries that offer easy creation of gift wish lists, which can ultimately help newlyweds turn a house into a home.
For spouses-to-be, wedding industry experts suggest creating a universal registry, instead of several wish lists at individual retailers. One of the most popular universal registries is available at Wedding Wire, where couples can “add and manage retail registries at both online and brick-and-mortar stores.” This registry also allows couples to add wishes for personalized experiences or special-event tickets while on their honeymoon, as well as cash gifts, and charitable donations. One of the biggest benefits of a universal wedding registry is having a master wish list, which streamlines shopping for the couple and wedding guests alike.
Should couples opt for individual retail wedding registries, among the most popular stores located in Indian River County are Bed Bath & Beyond, Dillard’s, and Target. Other popular registry websites – based on ease of registry creation and extensive product selections – are Amazon, Bloomingdale’s, Crate & Barrel, Pottery Barn, Sur la Table, Wayfair, and Williams-Sonoma. Many local and online stores offer post-wedding discounts as incentive for using their registries. For couples already living together in a furnished home, registries such as Traveler’s Joy offer gift options for honeymoons such as airfare, hotel accommodations, water-related expeditions, golf lessons, spa services, and more.
Once a couple decides where they want to have a wedding registry, the question becomes what items and how many to list. According to wedding industry professionals, the number of wish list items is far more important than what the items are, assuming the items are a varied selection. Experts suggest the number of items on a registry should be twice the number of invited wedding guests, and should offer wedding gift options at a range of price points for every guest budget. The benefit of having a carefully chosen wish list is so that couples don’t risk guests shopping off-list, resulting in a thoughtful, but mismatched, gift that often ends up unused or unwanted.
While most engaged couples understand the types of things they should put on their wedding registry (china, linens, home accessories, etc.), many couples don’t realize there are generally accepted items couples should not put on their wish lists. Registry items considered no-nos by the experts include items for actual use at the wedding, items you know you’ll never use, items you intend to return or regift, large items for which you have no room, expensive items many guests cannot afford, trendy items with limited style appeal, and personal items that can only be used by either the bride or the groom, but not by both people.
When considering a wedding registry, the top three tips wedding experts suggest are: be realistic about the items you put on your wish list and their intended use; be considerate of guests’ budgets; and, above all, be diligent in sending thank-you notes for every gift received.
Photo courtesy of Charlotte Magazine
Photo courtesy of Crate & Barrel
Photo courtesy of ExtraSpace
