Wedding Registry Tips

A few days ago I received a Facebook message from my sister, who is also my Maid of Honor. She is awesome! She is taking on her MOH duties with full gusto!

The message was in regards to registering for wedding gifts, because apparently you're supposed to include the registries in the pre-party invites, so everyone knows where to buy and what you would like to receive. It also seems to be a personal favorite of hers, because she's super excited about it... love her!!! Basically, the point of her message was,
"Sister, registries... Get your behind in gear!" Aye Aye!!

So last night Mr. M and I had a discussion on registering for wedding gifts. The whole idea seems to make him a little uncomfortable... He doesn't want to ask for things from our family and friends. Which I get... But a wedding is one of the few times that it's allowed!

I tried to explain that they'll be buying us gifts anyway, it might as well be something we want, and something that's easy for them to find. Right?!?

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So again, a quest for wedding planning knowledge!

I found several sites online where you can set up registries. Almost any chain department store has this option as well as tons of specialty stores. So I started checking them out.
But wait... Just FYI there are some things to keep in mind BEFORE registering for wedding gifts... In my own words. As learned from several online sources...

1) Register soon after enagement! (Ok, I'm late, I didn't know... oops!) This gives everyone that will be purchasing gifts for the two of you in the near future, an idea of what you want early on. Also if you're having an engagement party then there are some options available in case someone wants to buy an engagement gift.

2) You aren't bound by the traditional wedding registry standards. If you need and WILL use a set of fine china, then sure. But if you'd prefer a new BBQ grill, go for it. Ask for what you want and will make the most use of.

Also, if you've been living together and already have everything you need for a home, it's cool to ask for the fun stuff.. i.e. golf clubs, board games, etc. Or even go ahead and ask for new stuff. In my and Mr. M's case most of our stuff is hand me downs, or yard sale scores. It wouldn't hurt to have some new stuff of our very own! ;)

3) Register as a team! The gifts you will be receiving for your wedding are for the both of yas! So don't be the stingy stinker and register for only things you want... Let your fiance in on the registering fun! It's also totally acceptable to register for a few items of only his choosing and a few items of yours... i.e. I may register for a sewing table, and he might choose a poker set. Everybody's happy in the end!

4) Before choosing where to register look into each store's policies... And check the message boards on wedding sites! Other brides will let you know if they had trouble with a specific store, something that the main wedding websites won't tell you so as not to play favorites. Some stores have better return and exchange policies than others. Some keep WAY better track of your registries i.e. what's been bought and what hasn't so that things don't get bought over and over.

5) Three seems to be the magic number of registry sites. Definitley choose more than one so guests have an option of where to shop. At the same time more than that can get a little overwhelming... And takes alot of time to shop through if someone is looking for a gift for you.

6) Register for items in several price ranges. Each gift buyer will have a different idea of what they want to spend for your gift. Make sure there's several options in each price range so that they feel they have some choice over what they choose to purchase for you. 

     

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7) On those same lines, register for more gifts than guests, again, to provide choices! You can always add more to your registries as time progresses. Especially if something new comes along that you really would like to have... Go ahead! Add it on there!

8) Check in on your registries after they've been created. Make sure things are being updated there when someone purchases a gift from the list. Otherwise, you may receive multiples of the same gift on accident.

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9) You can absolutely register for gift cards. Wedding ettiquete says directly asking for cash is a no-no, but gift cards are acceptable. If you do prefer cash, it's best to tell your wedding party and ask that they politely spread the word.

10) Say thanks! As soon as gifts start coming in, start writing thank you notes. This way you can write notes throughout the whole process without getting behind. Setting up a system to keep track of what came in and who it's from is a GREAT idea. Also, spending a little to purchase some nice thank you notes will let your guests know that you care enough to say thanks properly!

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I feel better about registering for our wedding gifts with these tips in mind.

Hope they're helpful to someone else! If they are, I would love to hear about it!

Also, know any registering tips I left out, that are important?? Please share!!!