Planning guide from All in the Details Part 4: Creating a registry
Hello lovely wedded-couples-to-be!
It’s me again, Sarah with All in the Details
(www.detailsindy.com, Social Media- @detailsindy).
It’s time for another installment of planning tips!
Remember, to check out the exclusive DISCOUNT for Brittany Erwin’s followers at the end.
Missed the previous tips?
So far, we’ve included some insider tips on selecting a venue and selecting your bridal party as well as the true benefits of booking a wedding planner. You can check them out with the links above or the entire All in the Details Planning Series.
Part 4: Creating a registry
It’s your wedding day. Your guests want to shower you with gifts in appreciation for them being able to celebrate this occasion with you.
You may be asking yourself…
Is it rude to register for gifts?
If we register, what are the best deals for registries?
Is it rude to just register for a Honeymoon or to just ask for money?
Let’s explore these questions one at a time…
If you are invited to a wedding, you expect that you will need to give a gift. Let’s say you don’t know the couple as well as you would like. What do you get them? Do you have any idea what they really need or what their style is?
Cue the registry!
It is in fact not rude to register for gifts. After receiving a shower invitation, save the date or a wedding invitation, what do you think guests most commonly do?
They Google a registry listing for you.
If you don’t have one, you make their jobs much harder and (excuse me for saying this) open the door to some unique gifts.
Registry etiquette basics
While boutique stores are great and it’s always wonderful to shop local, will your friends and family from far away be able to easily shop this way? Most likely not. You want to choose stores that can effortlessly be found nationwide and online so as to make the process easy on your guests (more on this later).
It’s also good to register for items at a variety of price points. Everyone has different budgets, so you’ll want to be mindful of that. You can do the same with stores. You can register at multiple stores that offer a different range in average price points to not only be considerate, but to offer your guests options when selecting your gift.
One major “no” is….Do not tell guests where you are registered on your invitation. This is still looked upon as poor etiquette. Instead, save that information for shower invitations and your wedding website. Trust that your guests will be able to easily find this information online as well as through store (and Google) searches.
The most popular stores to register at
Crate and Barrel has a fabulous registry experience. They have exclusive times when couples can come into the store with other newly engaged couples (when the store is closed) to scan items, review merchandise, speak with specialists and enjoy mimosas and canapes. Plus, at the end of your scanning session, they send you on your way with a special gift from their collection!
Completion perk alert: For up to six months post-wedding, you can get ten percent off of most items that remain on your registry.
To see the next exclusive registry event near you, visit here
Welcome to the land of coupons!
Macy’s doesn’t have a special event for newly engaged couples in Indiana (they do in other cities…), but they will give you ten percent off for something you purchase during your first scanning appointment.
One of my favorite things about Macy’s registry is that you will get five percent off of most gifts that have been purchased for you back on a gift card as well as ten percent back on purchases you make during your registry period. Those figures add up quick and you are often left with a nice gift card post-wedding to complete your registry with because you, as well as your friends and family, shopped there for your wedding. (We actually registered for our china there, so we were left with a nice gift card. Small caveat- in order to take advantage of this perk, you need to have, or acquire, a Macy’s credit card.)
Gifts with completion are a fun concept at Macy’s. There are multiple categories you can benefit from. One such example is that if you receive a gift of $500 worth of Kate Spade products (fabulous kitchen and bedroom items!) you obtain a complimentary Kate Spade jewelry box.
(Insider tip: If you register at Macy’s definitely look into the gift with purchase items when selected items to add to your registry. If you do it right, you can end up with a lot of great freebies!)
Macy’s also offers an item called the “dream fund.” Essentially, your wedding guests can contribute to a collective gift card for you to purchase whatever you want at Macy’s, rather than giving you individual gift cards.
Completion perk alert: For up to six months post-wedding, you can get twenty percent off of most items that remain on your registry and an extra ten percent off big items like furniture, mattresses and rugs.
Raise your hand if you have ever received a twenty-percent off coupon via email or snail mail from Bed Bath & Beyond. Everybody? Exactly.
If you refer a friend to start a registry, you can receive $25 off of any $100 or more purchase.
Bed Bath & Beyond also offers free gifts with purchase on great brands such as Cuisinart, Dyson, Fitz & Floyd and more. They offer a great manual called the “freebook” to provide you with multiple pages of free gifts with purchase.
Completion perk alert: For up to three months post-wedding, you can get twenty percent off of most items that remain on your registry.
Targets are everywhere, so of course they are a popular registry choice.
You can add the “+Target Registry” button to your web browser and add gifts from any web site to your registry, not just Target.
One of the best features of the Target registry, however, is that Target has actually partnered with Honeyfund. You can register for Target products as well as honeymoon experiences in one place.
Completion perk alert: You can receive fifteen percent off one in-store shopping trip or one online order (to one address).
Is it any surprise that the world’s largest selection for registry items can be found on Amazon?
In addition to Amazon’s crazy amount of inventory, with their universal registry, you can add items from other stores as well and have everything in one place. Also, just like Macy’s and Bed Bath & Beyond, Amazon offers bonus gifts on great brands like Lenox, Mikasa and more.
You can even highlight specific gifts on your registry to make certain items more important than others.
Completion perk alert: You receive a one-time ten-percent completion discount (fifteen if you are a Prime member) for up to ninety days post-wedding.
Asking for Money
What if you already live together and already have everything you need? Can’t you just ask for what you really want; money?
No, it is still (despite the example set by Pam Beesly on the Office) considered rude to ask for money. Instead? Utilize websites where guests can contribute to your honeymoon (honeyfund.com) or provide you with the gift of stock (giftsofstock.com). You can ask for money (in a way) through the Knot’s Newlywed Fund by asking your guests to contribute to specific items such as a kitchen renovation or dinner at your favorite restaurant.
(Insider tip: A good rule of thumb is that it is fine to ask for money as long as it is associated with an experience or large known goal. This makes the cash or check gift feel meaningful and less impersonal. Which in the end, makes your guests feel better about their contribution.)
Always say thank you
Regardless of what you register for and where you register, always write thank you notes for every gift you receive. Not emails or text messages, but an actual thank you note. A personal note never goes out of style.
(Insider tip: Get as many of these done in advance of the wedding so you don’t have to worry about them after your honeymoon.)
Lastly, as cheesy as it may sound, remember the best gift someone can give you for your wedding is to actually be present and celebrate with you.
That said, happy scanning!
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