How to Pick Items for a Wedding Registry

Years ago, it was common to open wedding gifts and discover that every well-meaning aunt and uncle had purchased a blender for the happy couple. If you didn't end up with 10 blenders, you had an array of gifts that you would probably never choose for yourself. Registering for wedding gifts has taken a lot of the guesswork out of gift buying. Follow the steps below to pick items for a wedding registry.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Department store
• Paper for registry info

1. Choose the store or stores that have the items you would like to register for your wedding gifts. If you register at more than one store, choose different items in each store so there is less chance of duplicate gifts.

2. Decide whether you will be picking items for your wedding registry in person or online. The advantage to online registry is being able to track purchases as they are made.

3. Determine which stores are accessible to most of your guests. If a large number of guests are from out of town, you will want to choose a nationwide store as opposed to a small locally-owned store. This choice will make it easier on out-of-town guests as they purchase items from your wedding registry.

4. Pick items for a wedding registry that are in a variety of price categories. There will be relatives who spend more on wedding gifts than acquaintances do. Having a range of price points will cover all bases.

5. Include your registry store information in some way in your wedding invitation. Print the information in a pretty font on an eighth-sheet of paper and enclose it in your wedding invitation envelope. This is a common practice and does not cross the boundaries of good taste. It is actually helpful to your guests.

Tips & Warnings

• If you are using an online service to pick items for a wedding registry, you will probably want to visit the physical store where you are registering. You can get a better idea of size and color of registered items on a quick tour of the store. You can then register online at your leisure.
• If you want to be surprised by what you are receiving, you need to avoid checking the online status of your registry. If the element of surprise is of no concern to you, check it every day.
• Many regular brick-and-mortar retail stores offer online gift registries. You can also find registries exclusively online like the Dealtaker website that allows you to pick items from a variety of stores, but have the registry go through one website. Bargain sites like this also often have coupons and discounts available to shoppers.
• Do not pick items for a wedding registry too far in advance. There is the possibility that some items that you pick will be seasonal and may not be available at the time of your wedding.

Resources

• This website will direct you to wedding registry ideas.
• This website allows you to select registry items from multiple stores across the Internet.