While a bridal gift registry is not necessary, it certainly makes gift-giving easier for your guests. Department and specialty stores allow you to select items from their collection that you either need or want and then provide your guests with this list, ensuring that the gifts you receive are gifts that you selected yourself and are compatible with your life-style. Furthermore, if you are prompt in notifying stores when you have received an item from your registry, a gift registry helps minimize gift duplicates, which helps minimize any returns to be made after your wedding.
WHERE TO BEGIN?
Once you have gotten engaged, you should sit down with your fiancé and begin to brainstorm about ideas together – after all, you will be sharing everything from here on out, so you may as well be happy with what you get! Once you have a basic idea of what you are looking for, thanks to looking through magazines, newspapers, and browsing on the internet, you can go around to the stores in your area to begin creating your bridal registry. Many stores are moving towards internet integration, but it is still most common to use scanners to select items that you want when you visit a store. Don’t shy away from registering at smaller specialty stores – you can update your registry list at any time on your wedsimple.com wedding website to let all of your guests know where they should look when shopping around for your gift.
If this is your second marriage and you already have everything that you need, or if you would rather just save up money for your honeymoon anyway, think about registering on a website like honeyfund.com where guests can contribute to your honeymoon fund. In addition, you can list this link on your registry list on your wedding website and avoid any awkwardness that would arise in personally asking guests for money. This way, those guests that feel comfortable giving you money will see that that is what you really want, and those who do not can choose to seek elsewhere for your gift.
Another idea for those charitable couples, who choose to donate money to charitable organizations rather than to receive traditional wedding gifts, is to create a wedding registry on www.justgive.org. Just Give is a non-profit organization that allows couples to create a unique wedding registry to encourage their guests to make charitable donations to their favorite cause in lieu of traditional gifts. In addition, couples can make a tax-deductible donation to their favorite charity in honor of their guests and announce this thoughtful gift in a wedding favor.
SOME BASIC TIPS
Registering for gifts can seem overwhelming, so take your time. Go to each store in person because even if you love picture provided online, the color or feel of the item could be completely different when you actually see it in person. Select items from all price levels so that guests do not feel trapped into buying a $500 serving dish and can instead get a quirky $10 vase if they so desire. Familiarize yourself with return policies – time frames, forms of compensation, etc. – so that if returns need to be made, you will not be met with an unpleasant surprise.
Also, consider registering for gift cards only so that you have the option to choose what you want off your registry and aren’t bogged down with returning several of the same gift if more than one person purchased the same item for you from your registry. Some stores even send you gift card notifications of all items purchased from your registry and allow you to use the monetary value of all of your gifts to purchase what you want, not necessarily what was purchased for you. This is a great option and gives you a lot of flexibility when deciding what you want to purchase once your wedding is over and all of the gifts have been purchased for you.
Before choose where to register for dinnerware, barware, flatware (both informal and formal), first consider where the majority of your guests reside. If you have a majority of local guests, go with a local retailer for your registry. If however, you are inviting a majority of out of town guests consider registering with a large national retailer such as Linens N Things, Bed, Bath and Beyond, Target, etc. Another good choice is to choose a retailer that has an online registry so your guests have the flexibility to purchase your gifts online.
REGISTRY CHECKLIST
DINNERWARE
FORMAL
12-24 dinner plates
12-24 salad plates
12-24 bread plates
12-24 soup bowls
12-24 cups and saucers
small, medium, and large serving bowls (1 or 2 of each)
small, medium, and large serving platters (1 or 2 of each)
covered serving dish
1-2 butter dishes
1-2 gravy boats with stands
1-2 compote dishes
divided tray (relish tray)
1-2 sets of salt and pepper shakers
coffee pot
1-2 sugar bowls
1-2 creamers
OPTIONAL
12-24 place-card holders
12-24 service plates / chargers
INFORMAL (everyday)
12-24 dinner plates
12-24 salad plates
12-24 soup/cereal bowls
12-24 cups and saucers (or mugs)
small, medium and large serving bowls (1 or 2 of each)
small, medium, and large serving platters ( 1 or 2 of each)
1-2 covered serving bowls
1-2 sets of salt and pepper shakers
cake plate and stand
coffee pot
tea pot
1-2 pitchers
OPTIONAL
2-24 bread plates
chip-and-dip set
12-24 espresso cups and saucers
GLASSWARE
FORMAL (crystal)
16-28 water goblets
16-28 Bordeaux glasses
16-28 white-wine glasses
16-28 champagne flutes
1-2 pitchers
OPTIONAL
16-28 Burgundy Glasses
12-24 brandy glasses
12-24 cordials
12-24 double-old-fashioned glasses
12-24 highball glasses
INFORMAL (glass)
12-24 water glasses
12-24 red-wine glasses
12-24 white-wine glasses
12-24 pilsner glasses
12-24 double-old-fashioned glasses
12-24 highball glasses
OPTIONAL
12-24 juice glasses
12-24 margarita glasses
margarita pitcher
12-24 martini glasses
martini pitcher
FLATWARE
FORMAL
12-24 place settings
salad fork
dinner fork
dinner knife
soupspoon
teaspoon
12-24 butter spreaders
12-24 steak knives
12-24 dessertspoons
12-24 dessert forks
2-3 serving spoons
2-3 serving forks
2 slotted serving spoons
1-2 butter knives
1-2 sugar spoons
1 salad-serving set
1-2 gravy ladles
1-2 cake servers
OPTIONAL
12-24 iced-beverage spoons
12-24 fish forks
1-2 olive / pickle forks
2 trivets
INFORMAL
12-24 place settings
salad fork
dinner fork
dinner knife
soupspoon
12-24 steak knives
2-4 serving spoons
2-4 serving forks
FOR THE KITCHEN AND THE BAR
CUTLERY
1 serrated knife
1 carving knife
1 carving fork
1 chef’s knife
1 cleaver
1 paring knife
1 slicing knife
1 utility knife
2-4 cutting boards
knife sharpener
knife block
OPTIONAL
1 pair of kitchen shears
1 boning knife
1 cheese board and slicer
COOKWARE
1 stockpot
2-3 saucepans
2-3 sauté pans
2-3 frying pans
1 Dutch oven
1 roasting pan with rack
OPTIONAL (for the ambitious chefs!)
1 double boiler / steamer
1 griddle pan
1 pressure cooker
1 wok
1 fondue set
BAKEWARE
2 round cake pans
1 square cake pan
1 Bundt pan
2 cookie sheets
1-3 casserole dishes
2 muffin pans
2 pie pans
1 quiche dish
2 cooling racks
OPTIONAL
12-24 small ramekins (you will use these more than you think!)
1 pizza pan
1 soufflé dish
1 tart pan
KITCHEN ACCESSORIES (the fun stuff!)
Small colander
Large colander
1 canister set
1 manual can opener
2-4 spatulas
1 2-cup measuring cup
1 measuring cup set
1 measuring spoon set
2-3 mixing bowls
1 paper towel holder
1 rolling pin
1-2 soup ladles
1-2 cooking spoons
1 teakettle
1 kitchen timer
1 pair of tongs
1 ice cream scoop
1 standard grater
1 vegetable peeler
1-3 whisks
OPTIONAL
1 apple corer
1 set of barbecue tools
1-3 basting brushes
1-3 bottle stoppers
1 chopper
1 small grater/zester
1 dish-drying rack
1 cookie jar
1 egg slicer
1 flour sifter
1 French coffee press
1 milk frother
1 garlic press
1 kitchen scale
1-2 nutcrackers
12-24 seafood crackers
12-24 seafood picks
1 pepper mill
1 pot rack
1 salad spinner
1 spaghetti server
1 spice rack
1-6 storage containers
cookbooks of an assorted variety
APPLIANCES
1 blender
1 coffeemaker
1 food processor
1 stand mixer
1 toaster or toaster-oven
1 microwave oven
OPTIONAL (for the savvy chef)
1 bread-maker
1 coffee grinder
1 spice grinder
1 slow cooker
1 deep fryer
1 electric can opener
1 electric griddle
1 electric wok
1 hand mixer
1 indoor grill
1 juicer
1 rice cooker
1 panini press
1 stove-top espresso maker
1 electric teakettle
1 vegetable steamer
1 waffle iron
BAR ACCESSORIES
1 wine cooler
1 wine rack
1 bottle opener
1 corkscrew
1 jigger
1-4 shot glasses
1 ice bucket
1 pair of ice tongs
1 champagne bucket
1 cocktail shaker
12-24 mint julep cups
LINENS
Before you register for your linens, be sure to verify dimensions. You will need to know whether your bed is a queen or a king and whether your dining room table is round or rectangular. Also, if your dining room table has leaves, it is important to measure the dimensions before AND after the leaves are pulled out.
TABLE LINENS
FORMAL
18-32 dinner napkins
18-32 cocktail napkins
1-2 table runners
1-2 table cloths
12-24 place mats
OPTIONAL
12-24 napkin rings
INFORMAL
18-32 napkins
1-2 table runners
12-24 place mats
OPTIONAL
1-2 table cloths
12-24 napkin rings
KITCHEN
12-24 dish towels
2 oven mitts
2-4 pot holders
BED LINENS
PER BED
2-3 flat sheets
2-3 fitted sheets
2-6 pillows
2-6 pillow protectors
2-6 pillowcases
2-6 pillow shams
1-2 cotton blankets
1 light comforter / duvet
1 comforter cover
1-2 mattress pads
OPTIONAL
1 winter-weight comforter
1 extra comforter cover
1 flannel sheet set
1 cotton jersey sheet set
1-2 wool blankets
1 coverlet or quilt
1 cashmere or wool throw
1 bed skirt
1 featherbed
accent pillows
BATH LINENS AND EXTRAS
PER FULL BATH
4-6 bath towels
4-6 hand towels
4-6 washcloths
2 bath mats or rugs
1 toothbrush holder
1 soap dish
1 drinking cup
1 tissue-box holder
1 wastebasket
1 scale
1 clothes hamper
OPTIONAL
2 bathrobes
2-4 bath sheets
4-6 guest hand towels
1 shower curtain with liner
1 hand lotion dispenser
1 towel rack (freestanding)
Not sure where to begin? Try starting with large nationwide stores, such as Crate & Barrel, Neiman Marcus, Pottery Barn, Linens-N-Things, and Williams-Sonoma.
After working in the marketing and advertising industry for several years, Casey Westguard has joined wedsimple.com as the Marketing Director. Once a bride to be herself, Casey now provides wedding consultancy and advice to members of wedsimple.com.
