Here’s a popular wedding gift registry question that comes up all the time:
“We want to register for _________. Is that tacky?”
Let’s fill in the blank. A BBQ. Our honeymoon. Deluxe “glamp”ing equipment. A new RV.
Well, the incredible news is that you have the opportunity to register for creative & fun lifestyle gifts that you actually NEED and will USE!
Wedding registries have evolved A LOT over the past decade or so. Ten years ago, it was widely seen as tacky to have anything resembling a cash fund on your registry. Today {THANKFULLY} it’s more mainstream to stray from the traditional pots, pans and towels, and go ahead and register for things you truly NEED, WANT, and will USE for years to come.
In today’s show, learn exactly how to determine what YOU WANT & NEED, so that you can build a wedding gift registry that works for you:
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LISTEN NOW! Creative + Useful WEDDING GIFT REGISTRY Options | Show dated 8.28.24
We don’t want your living room to look like Kohls or Target threw up a bunch of random stuff after you open your wedding gifts. Seize this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity of hundreds of your closest friends & family WANTING to give you nice gifts that you can actually use!
Remember, the whole point of your registry? People want to give you nice gifts, and they don’t know what you want unless you tell them.
WEDDING GIFT REGISTRY TIPS
Before you head to your favorite store or website and go crazy adding random stuff to your list, here are some guidelines for you and your partner to consider:
TRADITIONAL WEDDING GIFTS – determining what you need
Let’s start with the more traditional side of registering for gifts by taking a walk through your home.
Now, every couples’ situation will be different. You may be currently living together in a home that you’ve shared for years. On the flip side, maybe you’re moving in together after the wedding into a brand new place, and living together for the first time.
Depending on which scenario applies to you, a gift registry checklist might be helpful in terms of getting your started. I really encourage you to thoughtfully review the items on the list. Think carefully about all of the areas of your home and ask yourselves if you REALLY need x, y, z items. Just because it’s on the “checklist”, doesn’t mean you will ever personally need or use it.
More to come on the things we registered for and NEVER used a bit later!
WHAT CAN WE UPGRADE?
Next up, think about things you currently own that you can replace with a nicer, newer version.
This is literally a once in a lifetime opportunity to upgrade your home. Even if you already HAVE things, this might be a good chance to upgrade some essentials. For example, that pot that you bought freshman year of college could be replaced with 3-4 really high quality cookware pieces from a top brand that will last forever.
High quality knives are another great item to upgrade. So is a full size flatware set, matching dishes, matching glasses. Ever have 5 girlfriends over for dinner and struggle to find enough forks and plates and wine glasses for everyone? Yup, that’s exactly what I mean.
Some more of my favorite upgrades are bedding and towels. I personally value really high quality bedding, pillows and towels because they are literally something you use every single day! Don’t be shy, and don’t skimp. Just because you wouldn’t buy yourself $2,000 worth of deluxe sheets, comforters, pillows, and towels doesn’t mean your guests won’t buy them for you. Remember, these are items that you will literally enjoy for years and years to come.
Other registry essentials – think about your hobbies!
Here are some items to get your brainstorm started:
- Camping stuff (this is a big one for me – we camp ALL THE TIME, and if I had it to do over again I would definitely have registered at REI, lol)
- Backyard stuff – outdoor furniture, new grill, nice umbrellas, planter boxes, trees, landscaping
- Take a walk through Home Depot or Lowes. You might be surprised by how many things around your house need a refresh or an upgrade! Light fixtures in bathrooms, ceiling fans, curtains. I know this isn’t the most glamorous stuff, but it’s better than someone blindly gifting you something you don’t need and will never use!
- I’m not suggesting that one guest would gift you a brand new refrigerator or washer drier – they might – but listing gift cards to a home improvement store would certainly be an easy, appropriate, and useful gift request to add to your registry.
- Gardening, lawnmower, clippers, nice tool set, power tools.
OFFER A VARIETY OF PRICE POINTS ON YOUR REGISTRY
Next, be sure to offer a variety of price points. This is where things like kitchen tools, towels, pots & pans, knives, and pillows can be broken down into $25, $50, $100 items. This way, your guests have the option to give a smaller gift if that’s what falls within their price range.
Your cousin who’s really tight on cash can roll together $25 worth of kitchen tools, can buy a $25 gift card for the store where you’re registered, or can contribute to a larger cash fund gift. {More to come on cash funds in just a minute!}
OFFER AN ONLINE OPTION AND A PHYSICAL STORE OPTION
Next up, give people at least one online option, and a physical store option. For example, use an online registry in addition to a physical store like Macy’s, Target, or Bed Bath & Beyond. I know we do so much shopping online these days, but this way people who want to walk into a store and give a physical gift have the option.
This flexibility is also important for guests who may not feel comfortable giving cash, or contributing to a “cash fund”. Having a selection of SOME physical gifts for those folks is a nice option.
WEDDING REGISTRY “CASH FUNDS”
“What if our home is 100% established with everything we need?”
Maybe you need an upgrade or two on essentials, but you’re literally stuck when it comes to what should go on your wedding gift registry.
To get some ideas flowing, think about what you love to do together in your leisure time. What are your hobbies? These items likely cost money, and can be included on your wedding gift registry in the form of a “cash fund”.
Creative items that can go on your registry in the form of a “cash fund”:
Subscriptions to stuff you love! One of my personal examples, choose some bundles from Cheese Lover Shop:
- Wine club membership
- Tennis / pickle ball club membership
- Yoga studio membership
- Your honeymoon
- Downpayment on your first home
- New pet
- Don’t be afraid to include WEDDING VENDORS & SERVICES within a cash fund registry!
For example, if videography is on your wish list but not necessarily within your budget, ask your guests to contribute towards your videography package.
MISC THINGS TO CONSIDER
As you build your registry, stop and ask yourself if it’s something you’ll ever use. If you don’t need or use it now, you probably won’t after you’re married.
Two things we registered for and never touched? A popcorn maker and waffle iron. We were definitely going to have popcorn movie nights and make waffle bar brunches after we were married – nope, never happened.
Also on the hardly-used-at-all list {I do love it, although it’s more like a kitchen decoration at this point} – our KitchenAid stand mixer. Incidentally, this was one of your top wish list items for your registries when I asked the other day on Instagram!
QUALITY vs QUANTITY
Just because the registry checklist says you need 15 different sized pots and pans to outfit your kitchen doesn’t mean that you’re EVER going to use them all. Same with knives.
So resist the urge to register for the cheap set of 100 pots and pans in every size and shape imaginable. Instead choose 3-4 really nice, functional pieces that you KNOW you’ll use.
INCLUDE A KEEPSAKE
Gifts like china & crystal sets are incredibly special, and will eventually become a family heirloom.
Not into it? Consider including a smaller keepsake on your wedding gift registry, like a First Christmas Married Ornament.
MY WEDDING REGISTRY FAVORITES
Some items from our wedding gift registry {nearly 10 years ago} that we still use ALL THE TIME:
- Highest quality measuring cups & spoons,
- 6 TOTAL pots & pans (Le Crouset, Scan Pan & All Clad brands. Not that into cooking? Go to a gourmet cooking store like Williams Sonoma or Crate & Barrel and ask what they would recommend for you!)
- A really nice crockpot / slow cooker,
- Vita Mix or Ninja blender,
- Highest quality towels (obviously we have replaced the originals from 12 years ago, but ASK FOR THEM!)
- Deluxe decorative pillows, duvet, comforter and sheets for the beds
Have so much fun putting that registry together – all my best to you!
Cheers, Kara