Wedding Registry & Bridal Gift Ideas

Congratulations on your upcoming celebration! While you should never include gift registry information on your wedding invitation, your friends and family will want to know where you're registered and likely find the information on your wedding website. Get answers to your registry questions, below!

Wedding Registry - FAQ

What is usually on a wedding registry?

Congratulations, it's time to create a registry for your wedding day! Whether you're moving in together for the first time or you've been living together for years, a registry offers the opportunity to either replace older pieces and invest in more formal items or even larger appliances or start to fill your newlywed home from scratch. 

Popular registry items often include formal dinnerware, flatware, stemware, and fine china, as well as more casual pieces for everyday use and backyard entertaining. Couples also register for bar glasses and accessories, wine glasses and decanters, home decor and table linens, table accessories and serving pieces, and so on. Modern couples are also adding unique items such as bedding, outdoor equipment, cleaning items like vacuums, and more. Most registries also include a gift card option, which many guests will opt for.

Which wedding registry is best?

As with all wedding decisions, the choice of which registry to go with depends on your goals as a couple. In order to fulfill all of the items or experiences you want, we recommend having two to three wedding registries for guests to choose from. 

We've found that couples often register at their favorite department store – Bloomingdale's, Macy's, Target, Neiman Marcus, etc. – as well as specialty kitchen and entertaining stores, like Crate and Barrel, Williams Sonoma, or Sur La Table. You can also register at high-end luxury retailers in your area – such as Gearys in Beverly Hills – as well as hardware stores. 

For an online registry option, Blueprint Registry and Zola are popular as they allow couples to create a universal registry and add gifts from a number of different stores all in one place. These services also offer group gifting, free shipping specials and discount codes, unique ways to request cash gifts like vacation or home funds, and even honeymoon airfare, meals, or activities.

How do I create a wedding registry website?

There are a number of ways to create a registry website while wedding planning. If you are having your guests shop at a particular store, there will also be an online component that you can continually update and add items to from your favorite brands. If you're having an online registry in addition to a traditional retailer registry, they'll have their own registry website for you and your guests to access. 

If you're like most couples and are planning to have a wedding website that offers details about your celebration for guests to easily access, the registry information can absolutely live on that site. Most wedding website companies will allow you to display links to your various gift registries.

Is it OK not to have a wedding registry?

It is absolutely okay to not have a wedding registry! Many couples featured in Inside Weddings ask their friends and family to donate to their favorite charity in lieu of gifts, while other couples make a donation in their guests' honor. Keep in mind, though, even if you say no gifts, a lot of your friends and family members will still want to mark the occasion with a gift and either bring cash, gift cards, or a present of their choosing. Accept gifts with grace and of course send a thank-you note as soon as possible to make sure they know you received it and are grateful for their generous offering.