wedding registry tips + ideas
Stuck on starting your wedding registry or looking for ideas that make sense for you? You’re not alone! I spent an unhealthy amount of time trying to figure out what we “needed” when in reality, we didn’t need much at all! There’s a strange pressure to register for a whole kitchen’s worth of gadgets that I’ll never use and definitely don’t have room for. If that sounds like you, then you’re in the right place! Here’s my advice as a newlywed on how I approached building our registry mindfully and some things I learned along the way.
on our honeymoon boat ride which was an experience we listed on our registry!
Where to register or build your registry?
You can register individually at stores like Crate and Barrel, Amazon, Target, etc. but I’d recommend using a site like Zola or The Knot where you can build your registry from multiple stores! We used Zola for our whole wedding planning experience and their registry feature was a breeze. If you’re looking for more ideas, they have no shortage of suggestions! You can even use their mobile feature to swipe left and right on registry items like it’s a dating app. Wild.
Here are a few tips I have to give to nearlyweds while building your wedding registry:
My favorite type of gift and one that is never wasteful — experiences! Experience gifts were our biggest hit on our wedding registry! Let’s face it, it’s way more fun to gift someone a massage on their honeymoon than it is to buy them bath towels. And way more fun to receive, too! From date nights in your home city to honeymoon excursions, there are endless opportunities that you can tailor to your unique personalities and interests. I loved being able to talk to our family and friends after the wedding and share how much we enjoyed the experiences they gifted us.
If you’re stuck on things you need, think upgrades! Since we had already lived together for 3 years before getting married, we pretty much had everything we needed. Instead of adding things to our home that we maybe didn’t need, we focused on upgrading! Replacing things like our crusty old toaster oven and worn-down bedsheets was such a gift.
Try to include items from every price point so everyone feels like they can contribute if they want to and can! Not everyone has a Le Creuset budget and you shouldn’t expect them to be giving a certain price point. Check your wedding registry frequently so you can make sure to replenish any price points that have been bought out.
Don’t expect every guest to give you a gift – or even a card! It happens more often than you’d think!
Make your wedding registry visible on your wedding website as soon as you save the dates or invites! They’ll likely be buying a gift when they’re on your site to RSVP or check wedding details so make sure it’s accessible and ready to go. If you’re having a bridal shower or wedding shower, your guests will most likely be shopping off of your registry for those events, too! So the earlier, the better!
My biggest tip is to add an option for photo framing or a photo book for your wedding photos! Typically, you won’t get your wedding photos back for weeks and by that time you’re a different person when it comes to spending money than you were pre-wedding (I think they call it bride math). So, trust me! You’ll be so happy to have a few gift cards to get photos framed or a beautiful coffee table book made once those finally come in.
For big ticket items, you can register as a “group gift” so instead of one person purchasing a high cost item, multiple people can contribute to it!
What should I put on our wedding registry?
Traditionally, people put things like dinnerware, kitchen appliances, linens and other housewares, so instead, I wanted to try to give a few other ideas that maybe aren’t on most registry idea lists! Here are some ideas from our registry and a few extra things I’d add now if I was starting over!
Experiences
Honeymoon Experiences
Couples Massage
Dinners
Cooking Class
Excursions
Wine Tasting
Boat Rides
Date Nights in your Hometown
Dinner Dates
Pottery Class
Dance Lessons
Movie Tickets
Coffee Dates
Zoo Dates
Museum Dates
Concert Tickets
Sporting Event Tickets
Couples Massage/Spa Day
Art Fund
Convention Tickets (i.e. Comic-Con)
Gift Cards
Artifact Uprising - This is the company we used to make our photo albums and I am in love with how it turned out! My dad, who is normally not too fussy about these kind of things even stopped to call me and ask where it was from he was so impressed.
Framebridge - My favorite place to frame! Not cheap, but so worth the investment, which is why it’s perfect for a registry!
Airlines
HitchSwitch – Do you need this to change your name? No. Did it save me a ton of guesswork and a trip to the Social Security office? Yes.
Ticketmaster – Or you can change this to “concert tickets” and list it as an experience!
Gift Cards to Favorite Restaurants or Date Spots
Donations
If receiving gifts is not your thing, asking your guests to make a donation to a charity of your choice is a beautiful way to honor your big day and make an impact.
Subscriptions
We have been getting coffee subscriptions as gifts for a few years from holidays and birthdays and it’s such a fun thing to look forward to!
Coffee Subscription
Beer or Wine Subscription
Museum Season Passes
National Park Passes
Flower Subscription
Book Subscription
AMC Stubs or Alamo Drafthouse Season Pass (Movie Passes)
Headspace – Our favorite meditation app that helped us get through wedding planning!
Gifts
If you’re looking for more traditional ideas to stock your home, here are some ideas at different price points! As a reminder, make sure to add items from every price point category so you cover your guests’ budget ranges.
$50 AND UNDER
Air Chair - If you like camping or days lounging at the park or beach this is a must have. I’ve backpacked for miles with this thing just to have the most comfortable naps and book time.
Berry Basket – We swear by these! They keep our berries fresh longer than the store packaging.
Decanter – We got an engraved one with our wedding year that sits on top of our bar cabinet and we get so many compliments on it!
Board Games – We are huge board game fans and these three are our favorites!
Wavelength (Super fun to play with 2 people, so great for you and your spouse!)
Wine Cooler – If you’re into white wine, this is a useful product to have that is also stunning to display on a countertop or bar cart.
Double-Walled Mugs – I know some people are precious about mugs they’ve collected over the years, but upgrading to double-wall glass mugs feels so luxurious.
$100 AND UNDER
Brooklinen Robes – The perfect upgrade item as I write this in a robe I think my husband has a plot to throw away when I’m not looking.
Vases – I love how vases elevate a space, but have never splurged on one for myself! Always been on my wish list.
UGG Blanket – Pretty much everyone in our family has received this as a gift from us at some point. We own 2 ourselves.
$200 AND UNDER
Pickleball Paddle – For those of you who have the Pickleball bug, we love these paddles!
Cotopaxi Backpacks – We are obsessed with these backpacks. Perfect for weekend trips. This backpack + our Away suitcases have turned us into carry-on only people when we travel. I never thought I’d become that person, but it’s a beautiful thing.
BIG TICKET ITEMS
Le Creuset Signature Dutch Oven
Kettle – If you’re a fancy coffee person like Ryan, this is like bringing the coffee shop to you.
The Bigger Carry-On – Quite possibly our most used registry item! Obsessed.
Brooklinen Sheets — Upgrading sheets is a holy experience.
Hope that was helpful! Here’s a link to my Amazon storefront to see most of these items quickly!
If you need any help planning, make sure to check out my store! I offer a few a la carte services and digital downloads to help make planning on your own a bit easier.
