Wedding Registry Ideas: 17 Items Couples Often Forget on Their Registry

Couples often select a few retailers at which to register, cumulating the best places to register for wedding gifts – usually at least one nationwide department store, a specialty shop for fine china or accessories, and often a store or registry site that allows you to select a wide range of products outside the typical registry choices – like honeymoon excursions or a honeymoon fund, for example. Popular department-store retailers include Bloomingdale's, Bed Bath & Beyond, Crate and Barrel, Macy's, Neiman Marcus, and other similar stores.

Fine china or accessories shops are often location-specific, such as Gearys in Beverly Hills. As for the registry sites outside of the typical wedding registry checklist items, online retailers including Amazon are popular selections, as well as online wedding registry sites like Blueprint or Zola. As we mentioned, choose retailers (and wedding registry ideas) in a range of price points, so all of your wedding guests can choose a registry gift that you'll love and that fits their budget.

While you and your spouse-to-be have likely added the most popular registry items to your list – think wine glasses, blender, coffee cups, champagne flutes, pasta bowls, mixing bowls, coffee mugs, decanter, pitcher, soup bowls, beverage glasses, a stand mixer or hand mixer, china, flatware, a 10-piece or 12-piece set, serving platters, pitchers, kitchenware, food processor, and even small kitchen appliances like toasters, slow cooker, Dutch oven, air fryer, rice cooker, food processor, pressure cooker, etc. – there are quite a few products and registry ideas that couples tend to leave off of their wedding registry in the flurry of making selections.

Creating your wedding registry wish list is a wonderful opportunity to have your loved ones help you create your new home together, so be sure to consider all types of items that you'll both use for years to come as a married couple. While this can of course include all of the typical items mentioned above, such as champagne flutes and a stand mixer, your wedding guests may also want the option to choose registry items that will truly give you and your beloved everything you need for your home.

We know it's time-consuming to select wedding registry must-haves while you're in the wedding-planning process, but you and your significant other will be pleased you spent the time to curate the best wedding registry for you personally as a couple.

For some ideas, take a look at 17 types of products couples often forget to add to their wedding registry, below! 

1. Bedding

Luxury bedding with a high thread count will help create your newlywed sanctuary. We recommend registering for this in-store, so you can feel the fabrics and speak with a registry consultant about mixing and matching pieces to create a look you love. For higher-priced bedding, your friends and family may even go in on a group gift, so don't be afraid to include wedding registry items with a higher price tag.

2. Wall Art

Have your loved ones help you curate that gallery wall you've always envisioned in your living room! Wall décor is something that's very subjective, which makes it a great wedding registry item since your guests will know what you like. Think about this thoroughly with your significant other – you'll want to be sure to comb through a variety of options before determining what prints to add to your wish list. Some of your guests will also give a gift card to your registry retailers, so if you didn't receive any artwork, you can purchase wall art for your living room after the fact!

3. Frames

From photo frames that can sit on your console or end table to wall frames that will enhance the design of your home, add these wedding registry items to your wish list, so that you'll already have a frame ready for when you have photos printed from your big day printed. You'll also always remember the moment from the photo – and the guest who gave you the wedding gift, making this wedding registry must-have a wonderful and sentimental addition to your wish list!

4. Lighting

For truly unique wedding registry ideas, consider something that most couples actually don't put on their wish list. While it's not common, another element of home décor that couples can include as one of their wedding registry ideas is lighting. From floor lamps, to table lamps, to candles, and more, add these types of pieces to your wedding registry and think of your wedding (and wedding guest!) every time you turn on the light in your new place.

5. Rugs

Whether you go all out and put a large area rug on your wish list or a smaller kitchen runner, rugs are a wonderful item to add to your registry. They're typically expensive, so they can also make a great group gift for your friends from work or yoga classmates. It's okay to have other textiles on your wish list too – think a new shower curtain, hand towels, tablecloths for future dinner parties, other sorts of cloths, bath mat options, or even a mattress pad for your bedroom or a nice linen table runner for your dining room. Think outside the box when it comes to your wedding registries!

6. Luggage

You've likely had the same piece of luggage for years – if not for a decade – so why not add a new suitcase to your registry? Your guests will love having the opportunity to buy something you'll get to use for your honeymoon vacation, as well as future trips as husband and wife. This is one of our favorite unique wedding registry items to put on your wedding registry since choosing luggage can often be a personal choice and your friends and family will love knowing they gave you a gift you'll use for another decade!

7. Bath Towels & Hand Towels

Towels are always necessary whether they're for you, guests, the kitchen, or even your pets. Before you finish your wedding registry, add some plush towels to your wish list – and consider picking a style with the initial of your soon-to-be shared last name. While bath towels aren't a "super fun" wedding gift, they're always appreciated and will be a cozy addition to a couple's newlywed home.

8. Vacuum

Like the rugs that you'll need to maintain, vacuums are items that people typically don't like to buy for themselves. This product is expensive and will get a lot of use in your home, so it's important to choose a style with great reviews. It also offers a great opportunity for a group gift!

9. Bakeware & Cookware

You'll probably have a lot of kitchen items on your wedding registry checklist, but unless you're an avid baker, you're likely to miss important bakeware items like casserole dishes that can easily go from the oven to your countertop, as well as products like cupcake pans, cookie sheets, and more. You may even find a 10-piece stainless steel or 12-piece cookware set for the newlyweds. If you know they like ease, consider getting a set that's dishwasher safe – a little bit of convenience goes a long way after all of the wedding planning they've been doing! If you know your friends or family already have these items, consider other kitchen items, such as a kitchen tool set, measuring cups, cutting board options, or even a nice salad bowl, dip bowl, ice cream scoop, or rolling pin. The options are endless!

10. Bar Tools

Unless you have a perfectly styled bar cart already, you'll likely need some new bar tools for your home together. Delight in the fact that your nearest and dearest provided the bottle opener or corkscrew that you'll use to open your favorite wine, bubbly, or brew to toast to your new marriage. If you know they already have a bunch of wine openers, consider an ice bucket, beer mugs, some nice old fashioned glasses, or even a new cocktail shaker. Even if they already have some of these items, there's a big chance that they'll have room in their kitchen or bar for more fun items for entertaining!

11. Knives & Kitchen Scissors

If you've been using the same knife set since college, it's time for an upgrade. You'll likely be making a lot of new meals together in your married life, and a sharp, quality set of knives and kitchen shears is a must. Choose a knife set that you know you'll love, and consider also adding a knife server, or other knife-related items that you may not buy for yourself. A cute group gift is a cutting board and a knife set – what a pair!

12. Neutral Place Settings

You've probably added fancy china to your wedding registry since you'll use it to host family dinners and holidays, but what about more plain sets that can be used year-round? Be sure to add sets of plates, bowls, and mugs in a neutral hue like white or cream. Accent plates and wedding registry items in fun colors or patterns are also a great option to ensure you always have a full-piece set that fits the mood when hosting friends or family members for dinner parties.

13. Organization Bins & Tools

Organizational items are another set of products that most people don't like to buy for themselves (stainless steel tops or not); however, they'll be instrumental in organizing your pantry and keeping your often-used ingredients fresh. In addition, you may also want to include some pantry shelves and other must-haves, such as measuring cups, cookware stands, a soap dish or butter dish, etc. While, again, not the most "fun" ideas for a wedding registry checklist, your friends and family will love knowing they've provided you with something that will help to keep you organized and mostly stress-free once the wedding planning is complete.

14. Grill

Whether you barbecue every weekend or haven't used a grill in your lifetime, a grill is a wonderful item to add to your wish list since there is sure to be at least one instance where you'll need it – perhaps even to invite the person who bought it for you over for burgers. It's certainly not on a typical wedding registry checklist, but it's one of our favorite gift ideas for the entertainer in your life.

15. Blender

A blender is one of those small kitchen appliances that you likely own already but it may not be in the best shape. Since blenders can be used for everything from pureeing items for a homemade soup, to making your daily smoothie, to putting together a fresh pizza or pasta sauce, you'll want to add a reliable one to your list.

16. Tool Set

Whether you love DIY projects or you don't even know the difference between a flat-head and Phillips screwdriver, it's always important to have a set of tools on hand. Add this to your wedding registry to ensure you have always have tools at the ready as a married couple. Unlike some wedding registry gifts that lean a bit too close to one half of the pair's preferences, this is something that will always be used by the couple throughout their life together, and therefore is a great gift idea!

17. Hobby Items

While we always recommend that the registry items you select should be products that you'll both enjoy, feel free to add hobby items to your list! Love playing badminton after a picnic or corn hole on the beach in the spring or summer? Add a set to your wish list. Love going on picnics? A luxury picnic basket or fancy napkin rings may make for one of the best wedding registry items.

Regardless of the wedding registry items you end up choosing – from a popular Le Creuset Dutch oven or cookie sheets to crystal wine glasses or a rice cooker or even off-the-wall wedding ideas – we hope that the wedding registry ideas above helped to inspire your wish list. Make the registry about you as a couple and choose items that you'll both love and cherish throughout your marriage. Happy shopping – and don't forget to share your wedding registry information on your wedding website!

For more advice, view the ultimate wedding registry checklist, see this couple's wedding registry ideas, discover 15 popular products to add to your registry, discover timeline tips for your wedding registry, and find out what to register for when you already live together.

Opening photo by Melani Lust Photography; From Real Wedding: A Stunning & Sentimental Sunset Beach Ceremony in the Hamptons