Tips for registering for wedding gifts
It used to be that as far as wedding gifts were concerned, you got what you got and that was it. Nowadays couples register for gifts so they don’t end up with five toasters and purple towels that don’t quite match their newly painted brown bathroom. It makes life simpler for everyone involved really. The couple gets what they need and want while taking the guesswork out of things for guests. All they have to do is look over the list and select something they would like to purchase. Gift giving has never been so easy. The difficulty lies with the couple in deciding what to register for. This can be a lot harder than it seems. There are tons of choices and numerous item that can make up a home so it’s tough to figure out where to start with it all. Here are some tips on how and what to register for.
Start early
Don’t wait until the last minute right before your invitations are in the mailbox to register. Start early. Try to do your registering a couple weeks before the invites hit the mail so you can take your time and make adjustments as needed. You can always add items and change things later but you want the majority of the registries to be complete by the time guests receive their invitations.
Choose a couple stores
Pick a few different places to register at. Make sure at least one store is a major retailer that is located all over the country so it will be convenient for guests to go shopping. You don’t want it to be a hassle for them. Most places allow you to shop online but not everyone wants to do this, has access or knows how.
Decide on colours and themes
Think about your major living spaces; master bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, living room and so forth. Choose colours and/or themes for each room so the items you select can coordinate with these and if guests do buy things not on your registry hopefully they’ll at least follow your colour scheme or theme.
Get a “suggested items” list
Print out a “suggested items” list if the store has one. This will give you some ideas of things to register for or the most commonly registered for items. A lot of the time there are things on there you wouldn’t have remembered but you do really need or it would be nice to have at least.
Really think about china
Lots of couple register for china but really think about it before you do. China is very expensive and you want to be sure you’ll actually use it, especially since it’s rare to receive a complete set as a gift and you may have to end up purchasing the missing pieces you didn’t receive to have even numbers.
The “two to three times” rule
There’s a rule that says you should register for two to three times as many presents as the number of guests invited. This gives guests a choice of numerous items instead of pigeon-holing them into buying something they don’t particularly care for.
Find out about return policies
Ask about the store’s return policy so you’ll know ahead of time what you need to return an item. Every store is different so it’s best to ask even if you’ve heard one thing or another. Also, ask if they have a registry completion program where you receive a discount on all the items still remaining on your registry.