To Register or Not to Register (for Wedding Gifts)

I say always register for gifts! You see, people tend to spend more on wedding gifts than any other occasion! For example, when I got married, my husband's grandparents gave us $1000 and we never get gifts from them, not even for Christmas!

Think about it, there are all sorts of things that you will need and want for your new home. (Or even your old home) Register for them all, everything from bath towels to good china and anything in between, even the non-traditional stuff, don't be scared.

Give your registry diversity so that there will be plenty of items with varied prices to choose from so no one feels left out. But again, don't be afraid to add some of the higher priced items too. Even if you don't have the generous grandparents I did, you never know if several of your family members might decide to go in together to get you something really nice.

It helps to register with national chain stores that are common in most cities and states, and/or those that have websites to shop online. Like I said before, you may still get a toaster or two whether you register for it or not, but you won't get anything good if you don't ask for it!

Got everything you need? Here is an idea; set up a gift registry with your photographer! The easiest way to do this is to have cards made that have the photographers contact info on them as well as your name too. Many photographers would give you these cards for free. Your friends and family could call in or send in monetary gifts that would build up a credit for you with the photographer.

Another option, you could have your guests donate to your favorite charity on your behalf instead of the traditional wedding gifts!

Or, have a "Honeymoon Registry" and have people help contribute to that as a gift. Perhaps have a little notice in the shower invitation that reads "In lieu of traditional wedding gifts, the bride and groom are taking monetary contributions to the honeymoon". Sometimes your travel agent can help set this up for you.

"No, really we just want cash!" I hear ya ;-) this is OK too, but be careful not to be rude. You can create a cash registry by setting up a PayPal account, best of all it is free!

Etiquette says not to include information about the Registry in the actual wedding invitation, many see this as rude. Like the gift is more important than having "the honor of their presence" at your wedding. It is perfectly acceptable to put your registry cards in with the shower invitations, as gifts are expected there, that is the purpose of a shower. Some people still do mention the Registry in the wedding invitation, if you choose to do so, put in a separate card, but do not put it in the actual wording of the invitation!

The traditional way to spread the word about the Registry is through the shower invitations and through friends and family. Another great way is to have a personal wedding website. This lets you tactfully let people know where you are registered and allows them to easily view the Registry online with the links provided. All while sharing all sorts of important details and fun stuff about the wedding. And since it is online, it is available to friends and family everywhere, anytime of the day!

"Having a background in many aspects of the wedding industry I have seen a lot of weddings and worked with a lot of vendors. I have seen mistakes some brides make in trying to save a few dollars. I have seen a few vendors take advantage of unsuspecting and uneducated brides. I have seen some of the good the bad and the ugly of weddings"

Check out our e-book "The Definitive Wedding Planning Guide" for more tips and ideas for planning your wedding. http://www.southsidebride.com/ebook.htm