When it comes to celebrating a marriage, it seems like there are a lot more steps beyond simply celebrating. Weddings are often the biggest party someone throws in their life, and there are a lot of tiny details that need to be ironed out. To make things more complicated, often people throw a wedding only once, which means they’re completely new to the process! The following will take just one part of the wedding planning process—the gift registry—and break down why you need it and what you should consider while you’re making it. The goal here is to make at least one portion of the planning smoother and easier for everyone.
Buying Gifts Is Stressful
First and foremost, you need to understand that a gift registry not only helps you out, but it helps your wedding guests too. Many people find buying gifts stressful because they don’t want to get you something you won’t enjoy or, worse, something that’s offensive. A registry makes it easy for people to plan a purchase for you. This is especially important for weddings as, in many cases, people are receiving gifts from distant relatives or other people who don’t know them so well.
Avoid Duplicate Gifts
Another common wedding gift problem that a registry alleviates is the issue of duplicate gifts. Since so many people are shopping for you around the same time, there’s a pretty decent chance you’re going to end up with some duplicates if you don’t offer your guests some way to organize themselves. The perfect registry for weddings will remove items as soon as they’re bought so that people don’t end up buying you multiples. This will save you the brutal experience of going through all the dishware sets you’ve been given, selecting your favorite, and returning the rest.
Allow The Sharing Of Purchases
When it comes to some of the common purchases a newlywed couple is going to have to make, things can get expensive. You might be in the market for appliances for your new home, renovations, furniture, a honeymoon, or any manner of expensive things. A gift registry allows people to offer up what money they can and want for a particular gift, sharing the cost with multiple other guests. A new fridge is a crazy gift for most people to buy, given the price, but if a handful of people you know put in a little money, it doesn’t seem so wild.
Non-Physical Items
Similar to the above point, a gift registry can help you receive non-physical items like plane tickets for your honeymoon or the cost of a hotel while you’re abroad. In many cases, couples today have lived together for some time before they get married, and this means that sometimes they have a lot of the home stuff that is typically given at weddings. A registry can allow you to ask for the non-physical things that you want or need. As well, more and more people are turning towards minimalism, and this means that not everyone wants a whole bunch of items to keep in their home. A registry allows you to take donations for a charity you care about or a honeymoon you’re saving up for.
Things You’ll Like
Of course, one of the major benefits of using a registry is that you’re more likely to get things that you like or love as gifts. This can save you a ton of time, headaches, and guilt as you’re less likely to need to return things or hide them in your basement where you see them and feel guilty every time you go to do laundry. By asking for the things you would actually value, want, or need, you can help increase the chances that you’ll end up with gifts you appreciate.
Prioritization
Another big benefit of having a gift registry is that the process allows you and your spouse-to-be to prioritize the things you want. Ideally, you want to have more things on the registry than people who are attending your wedding so that everyone has a choice, but you don’t want too much more than that. Taking the time to figure out what’s most important for a comfortable married life is a great way to start off this next stage in your relationship.
The above information should have outlined why a registry is so beneficial if you’re planning a wedding. Don’t be afraid to include non-traditional items, and similarly, don’t feel pressured to put down things you don’t actually want on the list. Remember, this is your wedding and your registry, and it’s you that’s going to have to figure out where to store items and stare at them for years to come.
