Getting married is an exciting time, but it also comes with many responsibilities after finding the perfect ring in the months leading up to the big day. One of the most enjoyable of those responsibilities is creating and filling your wedding registry with wonderful gift ideas to help your guests find gifts you love. If you and your partner are engaged and preparing to build your registry, this guide can help you find the best registries and provides tips for getting the most out of yours.
Macy's
Department stores are a traditional approach to creating a wedding registry, and with good reason. Macy's offers a broad range of different products covering many of the essential areas a new couple needs to think about after their wedding day. This provides your guests with many options when choosing what to buy.
Walmart
Taking the department store registry to another level by choosing a superstar like Walmart for your wedding registry can offer a complete array of opportunities for your guests because of the broad selection of products sold at the superstore. When you register with Walmart, you may not need to include a second or third retailer option on your registry.
Amazon
If your wedding includes a guest list that is spread out around the country or even the world, Amazon can be an excellent way to make things easy for your distant guests. An Amazon registry provides a broad range of gift options and many convenient features such as delivery, which allows guests who can't make it to the wedding to send a present easily.
Bed, Bath & Beyond
If you and your partner are moving into a new home after your wedding, you may be in the market for a broad range of home decor to fill it up. Registering with Bed, Bath & Beyond allows guests at your wedding to help you make your new house into a home.
Best Buy
Not every item you add to your registry has to be utilitarian. Sometimes you just want to have fun, and that's where registering at an electronics store like Best Buy can be a great option. You and your partner can get the latest gadgets you need, from a new TV to accessories for your phones or tablets.
IKEA
When starting a new life with a partner, you may move into a new home or apartment together. When doing so, it's common to need furniture to fill your new space, and that's where an IKEA registry can be so helpful. Registering with IKEA allows you to pick out not only furniture but also items from the broad selection of home goods the Swedish chain provides, so your guests can help you fill your new space with lovely items.
Traveler's Joy
One modern approach to creating a wedding registry is to register for experiences in addition to items. With Traveler's Joy, you can plan out your perfect honeymoon and allow guests to contribute directly to funding it. This allows you to turn your special time together after the wedding into an unforgettable experience you'll be talking about for the rest of your lives.
MyRegistry
While registering for stores with diverse inventory or opening up more than one registry at different providers can make it easier to include everything you want on your registry and make it simpler for your guests, a universal registry takes that to the next level. With a universal registry like MyRegistry, guests can purchase products for you wherever they want at their own convenience and mark them off the registry when they do so. This can help your guests find the gifts you want and provide you with a full range of options when filling your registry.
Tips for Filling Your Wedding Gift Registry
If you and your partner are getting started with your wedding registry, it's important to know how to make the experience as effective and enjoyable as possible. Keep these tips in mind as you add your items in order to have a positive experience with your registry:
- Offer a variety of price ranges: When filling your registry, it's important to remember that you may have guests of varying financial brackets attending. Offering a registry with a range of pricing options ensures that there's something that everyone in attendance can afford while still making a registry purchase so they know that you'll like it.
- Stick to what you need: When filling your registry, it's easy to find yourself filling it up with more items than you truly need. By keeping your registry more focused, you avoid a situation where you do not receive your most important items because guests all purchase other selections within the registry. By only choosing items you know you'll love, you ensure that every purchase is a winner and avoid regrets when you're done opening.
- Simplify your registry options: The number of stores that offer registry services continues to grow, as it provides an excellent business opportunity for the retailer. While it can be tempting to open many registries at a broad range of options, this can also get overwhelming or confusing. Stick to a few registry options to keep things simple for both yourself and your guests.
- Get started early: Planning a wedding is a big project with many responsibilities occurring at the same time. Creating your registry early not only allows you to check one item off the list and make your life easier moving forward, but it also provides your guests with the maximum amount of time to do their shopping so that they don't feel rushed either.
Martin Busch is proud to serve New York couples as they prepare for their special day. What do you think of our list of wedding registry tips and suggestions? Do you have any advice that we forgot to include? We'd love to hear about it. Contact us or leave a note in the comments with your best suggestions for couples as they fill their wedding registries.