The Perfect Wedding Registry

One of the most exciting parts of planning a wedding is creating the wedding registry. While a few brides and grooms may like to be surprised at the “thoughtfulness” of their guests, most prefer to “help” their guests out by suggesting the things they actually need. Some people may think it is selfish to register for gifts, but really it helps most guests more than the bride and groom may think. Choosing a wedding gift is difficult for most people, and a registry makes the process easy for everyone.

So, now that you’ve added a registry to your wedding planning checklist, how do you create a perfect registry?

1. Variety of Products. When choosing a store or stores for your registry, choose places that have a variety of things you need.

2. Variety of Prices. Most likely your guest list will consist of people from a variety of socioeconomic backgrounds. Therefore, make sure you register for items that can fit any budget. Choosing only expensive gifts is usually considered to be in bad taste.

3. Register early. Put your registry on your wedding planning calendar early – at least 8 weeks before the wedding – so that guests have time to shop and ship gifts.

4. Be technology friendly. Choose a store that allows you to have an online and in-store registry, and that is able to merge the information instantly. This way, guests, or even those that cannot attend the wedding, can purchase gifts either online or in the store.

5. Consider shipping. If you are considering registering for some big gifts, make sure that you also register for some things that can be easily shipped. Some out-of-town guests may prefer to have their gifts shipped and will not like the hefty shipping costs for some items.

6. The Name Game. Many brides are responsible for most of the wedding planning, including the registry. However, not all the guests know the bride personally. Therefore, make sure you do the wedding registry under both the bride’s and groom’s names.

7. Consider an online registry. When you are thinking about doing your registry, look at the benefits of an online registry. Not only will it help in tracking what was purchased, but some even allow you to create quick e-mail “Thank You” notes directly from the registry site.

8. Double check for overlap and duplication. When you register at more than one store you may not always remember if you registered for an item at one store or the other. Double-check your registries to avoid duplication. Also, if you purchase something prior to your wedding that is on your registry, try to have it removed to avoid having to do returns after your wedding.