Create the Perfect Wedding Registry With These Suggestions
It often seems like there are a million little tasks involved with planning for a wedding. Fortunately, not all of the items on your to-do list will be taxing. Creating your registry, for example, can actually be a fun experience. While perusing potential gifts can be exciting, you don’t want to simply rush into the process without any plan. Crafting the perfect registry takes time and a bit of forethought. These suggestions will guide you through some general steps so that you see success.
Start Early
Registering for gifts is one of the few tasks you can tackle as soon as you’ve set a date for your wedding. In fact, you want to try and get it started as early as possible. The sooner you’ve established a concrete list of gifts, the easier it is for friends and relatives to buy what you’ve requested. Nowadays, there are a lot of options involved with your registry. Do you want to stick to one large store or register across a number of businesses? What price points do you feel most comfortable with?
To answer these questions, you require ample time. Avoid feeling rushed by taking on the task as early as possible after you’ve gotten engaged.
Consider Your Actual Lifestyle
It is easy to get ahead of yourself when creating a wish list. As you begin browsing all of the items you can add to your registry, you may feel inclined to include every single thing you see. It is important that you learn to fight this urge. A great way to focus your registry is by considering your lifestyle. If you love to make smoothies every morning, ask for a new blender or food processor. By thinking about which gifts would see the most use in your household, you will have an easier time limiting your list.
Registry Return Policies
As straightforward as a registry can be, to err is human. Friends and relatives might make assumptions and purchase items that are slightly off from what you requested. Unfortunately, you could be stuck with these items if the store you register with has a very strict policy on returns. Before setting anything in stone for your wedding gifts, research how exchanges are handled. Most stores will be upfront about these policies, and some might work out a deal with you in order to retain your business.
Cash Options
While the registry is definitely where most guests will turn when looking for a gift, there are bound to be a number of people who will prefer to take another path. When providing registry information to guests, you might want to include instructions on how cash or other gifts can be given. Since you might not want to have a lot of cash or checks floating around in cards at the venue, a PayPal or Venmo handle can be provided. This allows guests to give you cash digitally without fear the card will get lost during the event.
Show Your Appreciation
Finally, don’t forget to show gratitude for the gifts you receive. Whether guests grab something from the registry or not, you should send out thank-you notes as soon as you have the opportunity. A number of apps centered around planning weddings include features that allow couples to fill out and mail thank-you cards right on their phones. This means you can take care of this task while on the plane to your honeymoon or over breakfast the day after the reception. Custom dictates they should be mailed out no later than three months, so don’t wait too long.
Creating a perfect registry is all about approaching the task from a very specific angle. Put in the effort, and you are far more likely to feel satisfied by the gifts you receive for your big day.