One of the fun things about getting married is picking out the gifts for your wedding registry. While it might seem fun to just pick everything in sight, it is best to have a plan before you start choosing items. One of the best ways to do this is to sit down with your future spouse, grab a pen and paper, and begin to dream. You can begin by brainstorming anything and everything you could possibly want and let your imagination run wild with these thoughts. You can either set a time limit or stop when you get to a certain number. The next thing you should do is to put the paper down and come back to it either later that day or come back to it the next day. You want to start off by not censoring yourself to see what ideas you come up with.
The next time you look at the list, again together, you can go over it and see if there are things you’ve changed your mind about since you made the initial list. The next thing you can do is to split items in the list into wants and needs. This can be helpful if you have items that are necessary to help you set up your combined home. While it is great to receive fun quirky gifts, there is nothing quite like receiving that much needed item that now you don’t need to worry about.
When you have a list of wants and a list of needs, then you can think about the different price ranges that the gifts can be in. You want to make sure that your guests have a variety of options to choose from when picking out something beautiful for you. Another consideration is to choose stores that have several locations so that you can be assured that your guests will have an easier time picking out something great for you.
You want to make sure that items on your list are things that you truly want and that you are not bowing to others’ advice regarding what is their idea of essential to have. Going through this process and making these lists does not mean that you cannot have some wild items. You just want to make sure you have items from a variety of price levels. You can visit various stores with just the idea of browsing to see what type of items they have available that you want/need before you start formally making the registries.
After you have gotten your list down to everything that you want to receive, you can determine if there are certain brands that are essential or if guests can pick out the same item in a different brand. You can also review your list periodically in case you remember something later you really wanted but forgot to put on the list.
For any of the stores that you choose to make a registry at, ask about their return policies for either items you don’t like or if you receive multiple of the same item. Additionally, find out how long your list will be available in case there are guests who shop after the wedding.
It is best to err on the side of putting a lot of gifts on the registry vs. not having much to choose from. You want to make sure that your guests have ideas about what to get you. Your registries can be listed on your invitations or any other correspondence that you send out related to the wedding. You can also list non-registry gift items as well on this same correspondence. An example of this would be a donation to a charity that is close to your heart.
Wedding registries can be fun and exciting. With a little planning, you can make sure that you get not only what you need but things you want as well!
