The beginning of your engagement is the perfect time to discuss your individual tastes and dreams of your future home together, and get an idea of how that will reflect in your home. As simple as a wedding registry sounds, (you just run around your favorite store zapping a zillion household items with the scanner gun, right?) there are a few things you’ll want to keep in mind so that you can avoid making any bridal blunders as far as etiquette is concerned. Here are a few tips to help you complete your wedding gift registry gracefully.
Do:
Cover a Range of Prices
Although the wedding is all about you and your fiancé, it’s important to keep your guests in mind when creating your wedding registry. Be sure to register for items that cover a wide range of prices. Think of whom you’re inviting – the age and average income of your guests will greatly vary from one end of the spectrum to the other – so your registry should as well. You want your guests to be able to contribute to your big day in a way that comfortably fits their lifestyle.
Complete the Registry Far in Advance
It is best to complete your wedding registry four to six months in advance of the wedding date. This allows your wedding shower hosts and guests to start lining things up for the shower. It also gives out-of-town friends who are not able to attend the opportunity to order a gift and have it sent to you.
Register for Plenty of Gifts
Be sure to register for more gifts than you have guests. This gives your guests more to choose from, and also makes it possible for them to compile multiple items as one package. It is also a good idea to register for more individual items than sets. Sets tend to be more expensive, and they limit the number of choices available to your guests.
Do Not:
Request Cash-Only Gifts
Requesting only financial gifts is considered taboo and impolite. Despite the simplicity in it, (just think, no returns or exchanges!) a large number of your guests, especially traditional-minded ones, will want to give material gifts for you and your husband to use for the years to come. While the majority of your wedding shower gifts will be from your registry, the time for financial gifts will be the actual wedding day.
Put Registry Info on Invitations
Another etiquette no-no is to put your wedding registry information on your invitations. The best way to let others know about your registry is to put the information and corresponding links on your wedding website. However, do not put the registry info on your home page – this too is considered taboo, so dedicate a different page on your site to be all about the registry. Guests will find it if they want to know where you’re registered. You should also tell your bridal party and close family where you are registered, so that they can spread the word to other guests when asked.
Forget to Say “Thank You”
Every gift-giver should be thanked – so amidst all the post-wedding bliss, at some point you will need to sit down and write out your thank you notes. To make this simpler, have a friend or bridesmaid keep track of the gifts you’re given at the shower, and keep a list of all the gifts you receive at the wedding as well. Write out and send the thank you notes right away!
As a bride, how is your wedding registry coming along? Or as a wedding guest, have you encountered any of these wedding etiquette no-nos? Share with us on Twitter and Facebook about your registry experiences.
