We know you love to shop. So what could be better than shopping for things that other people are going to buy for you?
If you’ve never heard these websites, you’ve been living in a hole. Over 91% of all to-be-weds register for gifts. Every couple that you know is registered at multiple stores that are all brought together in a stroke of genius by these wedding websites. Whether you register at Crate and Barrel, Bed Bath and Beyond or Tiffany’s, you can add each registry to weddingchannel.com or theknot.com for easy access and a comprehensive guide to all items that will fill your cabinets.
Be strategic and forward-thinking about what you want to purchase.
Doesn’t your mother still use her serving plates that she got off her registry? It is better to go in with a plan, or you will be shooting that ray gun at anything looking somewhat eye-catching and you’ll end up with things that you don’t even remember ordering. Pay attention to things that come in sets because when you think you’re registering for 4 wine goblets, you may in fact be registering for 4 sets of 8.
Make sure your bridal registry is varied, in cost and content.
These items are going to be purchased by people of all different ages and socio-economic status. Do not create a registry with every item costing more than $250. None of your friends are going to purchase those, and it simply just makes everyone uncomfortable. Not to mention, if you only spent $30 on your friend who got married last year, you can be sure, she will look back on her Excel wedding spreadsheet and spend the exact same amount on you.
Constantly update your registry.
People tend to get aggravated if they see that your registry is entirely purchased before you even get to your bridal shower. If you register right after you get engaged, expect that people will buy you engagement gifts. By the time the wedding day is here, often times there is nothing left for people to buy as wedding gifts, as they have already purchased you two gifts. Not only is this frustrating for your guests, but you will end up with random gifts that people purchase on their own.
Trust us, even though these people are invited to your wedding, it doesn’t mean you have anywhere near similar taste. How many ugly vases can a person have?
In fact, in you live in New York, you most likely don’t even have enough room to store any of the ugly stuff you get. Most of these gifts are probably ending up at your mother’s basement in Long Island anyway, so save her the trouble of being the storage facility of things unwanted. Many of your close friends will be creative and buy you something you’d never get for yourself or pay for a fun activity for you to do with your fiancé. If there are certain gifts you want from your friends, give them hints. However, some of your less original friends will need the registry to fall back on. Don’t hold it against your friend if she is the last 7 plates in your set of 12.
Later this week, we will post a list of creative, cute and budget-friendly ideas for engagement gifts, exclusive of using the registry. Inclusive of using your brain and your friends personality.
Please post any good ideas you have or have used in the past!
2 comments:
For engagement gifts, I like to give a small donation in honor of the couple. I try my best to honor an organization that has special meaning to them, either one they have volunteered with/worked for/benefited from.
I like to personalize gifts as much as I can, so I'll get an item off the registry and add to it a bit - for ex, I bought friends some cooking utensils and then put together a laminated set of easy recipes for them to try out. I had a friend who also selected a theme and bought a few gifts off a registry and also added some wine, a cookbook, and some other food products that went along with the theme (in this case Spain because that is where the couple had met). For wedding gifts, I often try to come up with something more creative than a check, so I've given movie gift certificates to big movie goers, wine/cheese of the month club memberships for those looking to cook and entertain at home, as well as restaurant gift certificates for nice restaurants the couple would possibly not spend the money on typically. I also like the idea of giving a couple a few bottles of wine that they can open for certain anniversaries (1,5,10).
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