Even though it’s “one more thing to do,” choosing a bridal registry should definitely be one of those FUN tasks to check off your wedding checklist. 🙂 Selecting multiple wedding registries is the norm these days, giving you options for your own needs and wishes while also providing some good gift choices for your guests.
To start, decide what your main intentions are: practical and inexpensive, traditional and memorable (keepsakes), theme-based (cooking items for two chefs, for example) or perhaps a combination of each of these. Also keep in mind that if you’d like to put the money toward your honeymoon instead, there are also honeymoon registry services that will allow your guests to do just that.
Next, jot down a list of stores that you and your fiancé normally shop at anyway (for housewares, etc.) Chances are that you’ll have the most success putting together a registry from one of those retailers rather than one that you are less familiar with or rarely shop at.
how many bridal registries to select?
Most couples will opt to have 2-3 different registries for their guests to choose from, which generally ends up being a win-win for everyone. You’ll be able to focus on two or more different types of gifts from each store, and your guests will be able to choose the one that makes the best sense for them, whether it’s price range or proximity to the store in their local area.
Once your registries are set up, you can simply include a link to each of them on your wedding website or in your invitation. And if your guests decide to shop in store rather than online, they’ll be able to do that by using a kiosk in the store and looking up your registry by your last name, or simply by asking a store associate for help with buying registry items.
Tip: Thinking of signing up for three or more registries? You might check out an all-in-one registry service link MyRegistry.com to simplify things for your guests and make it easier for you to select items from a wide number of stores, even if you want to select just one or two items from several different retailers.
how to set up your registry
Once you’ve decided on the stores you’d like to register with, you can either set up your registry account through the store’s website (for most national chains) or simply work with a registry specialist in person. We prefer the latter, so that you can walk through the store and pick out items that you love (always a little hard to select items online and not really know what they look like in real life.) If you are pressed for time, setting up everything online is of course an option and can save you considerable time instead of walking up and down store aisles.
Tip: Selecting registry items is one activity that both you and your fiancé should plan on working on together. One of you will likely think of essential items to add that the other wouldn’t have thought of, and more importantly, this is a really fun way to start envisioning how your new married life might look having some of the basics already around you in your home.
Lastly, review your list to make sure it looks like you’ve covered all the areas of your home, etc. and also make sure you’ve included a wide range of prices for your guests to choose from as not everyone will have the same budget for purchasing wedding gifts.