Have you recently gotten engaged and started to plan your wedding day? There is a lot to do, from making up the guest list and sending out the invitations to choosing the bridal dress and selecting the wedding venue. Among all these things, there is one more thing that you don’t have to forget about — making the wedding registry. It is one of the first things you should start planning for several reasons (we’ll talk about those reasons later).
If you are unfamiliar with the idea of a wedding registry, it is simply a wishlist of gifts the wedding couple would like to receive from their guests. It is very helpful for the guests to understand what to buy the couple as a wedding present. But as simple as it seems, there are a few things that you’ll need to consider when making the registry to avoid offending anyone or unintentionally being rude. Let’s see some examples and see what mistakes you must avoid.
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Including Items From One Place
When you start thinking of the gifts you want to include in your wishlist, keep in mind to include items from various shops. You don’t want to limit your guests’ choice and have similar presents, so the bigger the variety, the better. Also, it may not be convenient for all your guests to buy from the place you mentioned, so just include different items from different places. As a newly-wed couple, you can go for household items like cookware sets, fancy towels, a flower vase, wall art, and so on. You can also include some experiences as gifts, like participating in a cooking class, having a photo shoot in your favourite place, or maybe a mini trip to the countryside. The idea is to include as varied gifts as possible so that everyone can choose from them.
Only Including Expensive Items
When making up your wedding registry, you should keep in mind your guests and their financial situation. The wishlist should include gifts of different prices so that it is suitable for everyone. Of course, you don’t want any of your guests to feel bad for not being able to afford your wedding gift, so the more varied the prices, the better. This, of course, doesn’t mean you can’t include expensive items in your registry. Not at all. If there are certain things that you want to have and would like to get as a present from your guests, feel free to include them in your wishlist. At the end of the day, it’s your day and your registry, so you are the one to decide what items to include in the list. Ensure the price range is appropriate for everyone you invite to your wedding.
Procrastinating The Process of Making up The Registry
As we already mentioned, making up the wedding registry is one of the things you should start planning earlier. One reason is to include everything you would like to receive as a present. Starting that process earlier will help you not forget anything. Of course, you can update the list once it’s made, but there is something important to remember, and this is the second reason you should start planning the list earlier. You should give your guests enough time to choose a gift from the registry and manage to buy it before the wedding ceremony. Some items may take time to order or have delivered, so having enough time for it will be more convenient for the guests. This will depend on the gift types you include in your wishlist, but still, you don’t want your guests to end up in a frenzy two weeks before your wedding trying to find a gift from your list.
Including The Registry in The Invitations
One thing that is surely a mistake to make is including the wedding registry in the invitations. It will be a rude gesture towards the guests as it may create an impression that all you care about is the gifts. The meaning behind the wedding invitations is to show the invitees that you want them to be at your wedding ceremony and share one of the most important days of your life with you. And you don’t want to sound like, “Hey dear James, we are happy to invite you to our wedding, bla, bla, bla… and here is the wishlist of gifts we would like to get from you.” Sounds harsh, right? Imagine if someone did this to you. How would you feel? So, it would be best to avoid including the registry on the invitations so as not to hurt the feelings of your guests. It’s better to leave it for another day. You’ll still have time for it.
Directly Asking For Cash
We all understand that financial stability is essential for newly created families. Still, it doesn’t mean that asking for money as a gift should be justified, let alone mentioning a specific sum. It’s better to leave it to the guests’ will. If any of them would consider giving you money as a wedding present, it’s okay. Otherwise, it will again be rude and may create a wrong impression of your true intentions. It’s better to be on the safe side. Moreover, these days, some couples prefer not to get any presents for themselves and ask their guests to donate all the money or just send the presents to the ones who need them. So, directly asking for money can ruin your image or reputation.
Not Making a Wedding Registry at All
While no set rule makes having a registry a must, it’s certainly something that will make your life (and your guests’ lives) just a bit easier regarding wedding gifts. And if you doubt whether you need to make a registry or not, let us tell you that it will be really helpful for the guests. They want to buy a gift that you’ll like or will be useful. So, giving them some options would make their choice easier. And of course, it will make your life easier too, because you don’t want to end up with a pile of gifts you don’t need. (Where to keep those in the end if you’re not gonna use them, right?)
Not Making The List With Your Future Husband or Wife
There may be a false impression that women look forward to getting wedding gifts more than men, but we can’t speak for everyone. And even if that’s the case, it doesn’t mean the gift choice is only the women’s obligation. It would be best to discuss what gifts you need with your couple, especially if you want to ask for household items. As you are on the verge of starting a new life with your loved one, you will make decisions together, which may be a great start to doing so. Work as a team and see what expectations you have. See if there is a special thing that you want to have. Asking for each other’s opinions and being aware of each other’s desires are essential. So, even if your partner doesn’t seem very excited about making a registry, asking his/her opinion is nice anyway.
Not Sending Thank You Notes
After you have created your registry and received the gifts, your work is not over. Now, it’s time to send “thank you” notes to those who have bought you a present. If you got any before the wedding, you could already thank those who sent their presents earlier. What refers to the ones you’ll get after the wedding, everyone knows that it’s time for your honeymoon, so they won’t get offended if you don’t send a “thank you” note to them during that time. But once you come back, it will be a nice gesture to remember everyone and thank them for the presents.
As you can see, we’ve gone through the main etiquette mistakes that you’ll need to avoid as a couple when it comes to making your wedding registry. Be attentive not to forget any of those points because you don’t want to create a bad impression or seem rude to your guests. Ultimately, it’s your big day, and the most important part is to have fun and enjoy your time as much as possible. Getting gifts is nice and pleasant, but it’s not the most essential thing. So don’t get stressed about making a wishlist. Give yourself time, remember everything you want to get, and put it on your list. Or, if you don’t want to create a wedding registry, that’s okay too. Don’t be harsh with yourself or think about others’ opinions. It’s your life and your wedding. So you are the head of everything. Just do what your heart tells you to.
