Wedding Registry 101: Advice for Modern Couples
Before you consider forgoing a wedding registry, think about these unique and creative alternatives to the traditional department store registries.
Like many engaged couples, you may have lived on your own for some time before deciding to tie the knot. Maybe you’ve amassed a decent collection of housewares, furniture, and other home goods. So what do you do about your wedding registry? Before you make a decision, it’s worth examining some popular options and other alternatives to the classic wedding registry.
The Problem: You Already Have Enough Stuff
As you probably know, the wedding registry has taken the place of the traditional bride’s hope chest. The idea, of course, was to collect household goods and useful items that a young woman would need to set up her new home. During the 20th century, department stores created the wedding registry concept to encourage engaged couples’ families and friends to buy them gifts. The assumption was that the couple would need everything from fine china to bathroom towels.
Yet if you have a drawer full of flatware and more towels than you can count, registering for a full cache of home goods at a traditional department store probably won’t work for you. Still, you must choose from some possible courses of action:
- Decide not to register at all.
- Register only for a few items that you want or need.
- Pick a universal registry with a major provider.
- Choose a non-traditional type of registry.
Forgoing a wedding registry saves you time and effort, but The Knot’s Lauren Kay points out that your guests want guidance on how to gift you. Without any ideas, they may either send you money or take a stab in the dark and give you stuff that you don’t want or need. Carefully curated and universal registries, however, give them a few more options. Nontraditional options such as cash or travel fund registries allow them to show their generosity without playing guessing games about what you need.
Smart, Flexible Registry Solutions
When pondering your wedding registry options, it’s important to consider which ones will best serve your needs. If you have plenty of housewares but you could use a few more kitchen appliances, consider a small traditional registry with a few choice items. Kay recommends taking a thorough inventory of what you own, break up what you need into categories, and collaborate with your significant other to draft your final registry list. While you’re at it, don’t limit yourselves to registering for expensive pieces. Make sure you include items from a variety of price ranges, especially a few that are under $50.
If you’d rather not go the department store route, Bustle’s Ashley Mateo has other great suggestions. Honeymoon and travel registries are gaining popularity, along with charitable giving registry sites and registries that help couples fund new home purchases. Some specialty retailers offer registries for non-houseware items such as wine, luggage, or even scuba diving gear. Universal registries allow couples to pick products from several major retailers, and some have the additional capability for gift cards and honeymoon funding.
Whatever you select, make sure your chosen provider supports shipping to Canada and transferring funds to Canadian bank accounts. For instance, MyRegistry currently offers these services to Canadian couples and The Knot has partnered with Crowdrise, which permits international donations.
Which Choices Are Right for You?
Got a lot of stuff? Perhaps you’re wondering if you and your spouse-to-be should even create a wedding registry in the first place. Thankfully, you don’t need to resign yourself to being inundated with more dishes or linens. Small traditional registries, honeymoon and travel funds, charitable giving registries, specialty retailers, and universal online registries are just a few possibilities. You’re not without options, and a creative approach can result in a solution that works best for you and your guests.
