Bridal Registry

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[edit] Why to Create a Registry?

Number one, is it is a convenience to your guests. Many guests will be acquaintances and business associates that don't know the couple really well. It can be difficult enough coming up with gift ideas for people you know, let alone people you don't. Number two, since gifts are checked off as they are purchased, bridal registries help to prevent duplicate gifts.

[edit] When to Register For Your Wedding

Setting up a bridal registry should be done in advance of your wedding invitations being sent out, typically couples will create their registry six months before the big day. Make sure that you check on your registry each week to make sure that items are still available, so that any discontinued items can be replaced, and to add more items as they are purchased.

[edit] Where to Register

Almost any major department store has a gift registry. Many couples use a few different registries for their wedding as that provides a more diverse selection and provides their guests with more options.

Some websites provide Universal Registries, or an online registry services that is not tied to a particular store. This type of gift registry lets shoppers add gifts from multiple stores into a single gift registry which is a good way to register for more items of a more unique nature from a variety of smaller stores.

A good approach is to register with 1 or 2 nationally known department stores in conjunction with a Universal Registry service. Below is a list of some of the more well known gift registries.

  • Macy's
  • Kohl's
  • Target
  • Bed Bath and Beyond
  • Crate and Barrel
  • The Home Depot
  • JC Penney
  • Wal-mart
  • Neiman Marcus
  • Amazon.com
  • FindGift.com (Universal Registry)
  • TheKnot.com (Universal Registry)


[edit] What Types of Items Should Be Included

Below, are two guidelines to keep in mind when adding gifts to your gift registries:

    • Include a lot of items.
    • Include many price points with many gifts in the lower price ranges.


When creating a bridal registry online, or in-store you can find plenty of information to help you get started, such as checklists that can give you ideas of items to add. Gift registries don't have a limit to the number of gifts you can add. By including a lot of items, your guests who are last minute shoppers (many of them probably will be) will still have plenty of choices and not have to feel stressed that everything on the registries have already been purchased.

Typically, your guests will come from a variety of financial backgrounds, so you'll want to be sure to add many gifts in the lower price ranges. Adding a few higher end items is also OK as close family members many times will spend more, and some people will pool their money together for group gifts. Also some stores will send the couple 10-15% off coupons after their wedding for non-purchased registry items. So you could even add some big ticket items to the registry in hopes of buying it yourself later at a discount.


[edit] Letting Guests Know About Your Registry

Traditional etiquette professionals profess that you should not tell people about your gift registry or include registry information in your invitations unless the guest asks about your gift registry.

In today's US culture, that perspective is a little dated. Where it is still a good idea not to tell people about your gift registry, if they haven't asked, it is perfectly acceptable for your Maid of Honor to include your registry information in your bridal shower invitations. People are really busy these days, and this saves them the time of having to call/email to ask for it. Also, bridal registries are very common and people know they don't have to buy off the registry if they don't want to.

On the other hand, bridal registry information typically should not be included in the wedding invitations. Though, it is acceptable to provide an insert that includes a link to your bridal wedding page. On that page, you can provide subtle information on where people can find your bridal registries. The Knot offers services to easily create your own personal wedding web site, you can choose from different options that will let you put links to your gift registries.

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