Make the most of your awesome wedding registry with these helpful secrets! We’re sharing the best wedding registry tips. Read it below + subscribe now for the latest.

Hi, lovelies! Get ready for one of the most wedding planning tasks: registering for your wedding gifts! It sounds like a funny concept that may feel awkward at first, scanning or adding items to a gift list and asking guests to buy them for you. But don’t think of it that way. A gift registry is so much more than just a list of “we need” or “we want”… wedding registry tools are helpful guides for guests to give gifts they know you’ll truly use and enjoy — for a fact! — since you already added it to your list. And since a gift registry keeps track of items purchased, they won’t worry you already have one, or someone else bought it for you already.

Want the complete picture before you start? Our wedding registry guide covers the essentials of creating a registry, from choosing where to register to deciding what to add.

Wedding registry tools have come a long way!

I mean, Andrew and I walked around the store scanning things and wondering whether we should get this china pattern or that one. (Spoiler: we skipped china cause we’re awesome like that, and instead registered for this awesome Margaritaville machine that we’ve used way more than fine china! But you do you!)

And if you’re wondering, but you guys, we really just want cash!, yup, we get it! In that case, which we’ll talk about in a minute, you should try a wedding registry that allows multiple stores — and registering for cash for anything you can imagine (like your honeymoon or day-to-day stuff) at Honeyfund is one definite option.

But don’t forget to register for tangible gifts, too. Really. Guests know you need the money and some will give that as a gift anyway, regardless of a registry in place.

In this post, we’ll talk about where to register for your wedding along with the best wedding registry tips you need to know before you start your gift list. We’ll be following up with similar posts like these in the weeks to come to cover everything registry-related, so make sure you’re on the list here so you don’t miss ’em.

TIP: Need to know the best wedding registry gifts to add to your list on Amazon? We wrote about it here!

Let’s get started! Get those scanning guns ready — okay, I know you’re doing this on your couch because it’s 2020 — get virtually ready to “add to list” to your heart’s content! Enjoy!

WEDDING REGISTRY TIPS, #1: Register together.

Do you know what would be super boring? Opening presents at your wedding shower with gifts you didn’t pick out at all or had no interest in using. That doesn’t mean EVERY gift has to be obsessed over and agreed upon by both parties, but make sure you are both doing some “Add to List” action on the registry.

If one of you isn’t interested in most of the things — i.e. if one of you is more into cooking and the other would rather focus on comfy bedding or awesome speakers, just as an example — it is totally possible to separate things into “zones”. But it’s still fun to talk about the items together and pick them out as a team.

The important rule of thumb: this is a list of gifts for both of you to enjoy together, so make sure you choose them together. And make sure you get exactly what you want in one area, for instance, I really love coffee… as in, I want to learn all the cool ways to prepare it, try different types of beans, grind it myself, etc.

For me, a coffee maker like a Keurig or similar would be an item I would be excited to register for… this would be the holy grail, IMO.

Not so keen on coffee? In that case, you may be excited to receive a unique cookware set, or super-soft plush bedding, even a new mattress (THIS!).

Maybe you want luxe bedding, super soft sheets, or the plushest pillow ever made. (Truth: this is the pillow that changed my sleep FOREVER. I’ll be talking about it soon.)

Or maybe phenomenal speakers or unique artwork to personalize your space.

You get the idea! So, work together, but make sure you get to choose favorite must-have gift registry gifts in an area YOU love. :)

WEDDING REGISTRY TIPS, #2. Give yourself plenty of time to register.

Registering for your wedding can take a while, especially because you’ll add items one day and then think of something else to add, change the quantity, realize you changed your mind, etc.

If you’re wondering when to make your wedding registry, the rule of thumb is at least four months before the wedding day. You can keep adding to it: start your FREE registry here as soon as possible. You can start your registry as soon as you get engaged if you’d like: the sooner, the better.

Some guests like to send an engagement present20 Best Engagement Gift Ideas for 2020 to you upon the exciting news and a registry with a few suggestions is a great starting point.

WEDDING REGISTRY TIPS, #3. Register at a few different stores.

It’s great to offer a variety to guests to register. Don’t forget places that you might not expect even HAVE a registry — like these awesome suggestions.

– Amazon

Amazon has one of the best wedding registries we’ve ever used ourselves. Guests already love the ease and convenience of Amazon for shopping, so it’s a no-brainer. Every couple should have an Amazon registry, even as just one option. (Get yours here for free.)

– Honeyfund

Register for — you guessed it! — cash! Use it for anything, anywhere. This is probably the easiest way to tell guests — um, money works! ;) You can use it towards anything you’d like: your honeymoon, a down payment for your home, gifts, large purchases, etc.

– Etsy

Did you know you can register at Etsy? It’s true and it’s a secret many couples don’t even know about! We wrote an easy guide how to register on Etsy to help, along with the top Etsy registry items to add to yours.

– Target

Register at Target if you love the style! We registered here when we got married; they offer many online products and in-store registering, too. Plus, who doesn’t love a Target run, even online? Start your FREE registry here.

– Zola

They offer a ton of beautiful gift ideas for your wedding registry. They also offer things like invitations, wedding websites, and more. Get your FREE registry here.

WEDDING REGISTRY TIPS, #4. Include a universal registry option.

We already talked about how it’s a great idea to register at multiple stores; even better yet, also create a wedding registry that allows multiple stores.

This is called a universal wedding registry and it’s awesome. I wish they had these available when Andrew and I got married.

Now you can register at one store and add other store items to it.

This makes it super-easy for guests to shop and easier for you to maintain just ONE registry. Here are a few options for a wedding registry with multiple stores.

Universal Wedding Registries

– Amazon

The best place to do this is with the Amazon Registry.

Register here.

– MyRegistry

You can also register for free here at MyRegistry. This registry is another great option that allows you to register at multiple stores and manage one central registry, all in one place.

Register for yours here.

WANT MORE PLACES TO REGISTER? Read: The 7 Best Places to Register for Your Wedding.

WEDDING REGISTRY TIPS, #5. Don’t register for something unless you’re going to keep it.

Guests want to give a gift you’ll keep (and enjoy). Don’t register for a gift you don’t like only to return it later. And, most importantly, have fun picking out items (and opt for a few fun items you wouldn’t normally buy yourself). Don’t register for items you feel necessary because it’s your wedding if you already know you’ll probably never use it (like fine china – unless you really, really want it). Ya know, like the margarita maker. ;)

WEDDING REGISTRY TIPS, #6. Don’t peek!

Some will disagree with me on this, but I love the element of surprise! After your wedding registry is all complete, leave it alone! Resist the urge to keep checking in on it to see what people purchased, when it will arrive, which items are still remaining vs. fulfilled, etc. It will totally ruin the surprise when opening your wedding shower gifts.

But, if you can’t be patient, then I guess telling you not to won’t really change your mind anyway. I know, it’s tough to look away or add more items or change your mind!

Plus, many people buy gifts at the last minute… so you won’t have an accurate list anyway. ;)

WEDDING REGISTRY TIPS, #7. Include your wedding registry as an enclosure card AND on your website.

People ask this question often when creating a wedding registry and it is one of the best wedding registry tips to take away from this post! Make sure you:

a) Include your wedding registry information on an enclosure card with your bridal shower invitation

Do NOT include the registry information itself on wedding invitations or with it, as it is not proper etiquette.

Instead, have your registry information printed on a separate enclosure card (or have a short mention of it on the bridal shower invitation itself).

Here is an example of an enclosure card with registry information on it (by PaperPassionDesigns):

As an alternative, you can use a sticker. This one is by XOXOKristen.

And here’s a bridal shower invitation with the registry information wording (available here):

You can shop more bridal shower invites here.

b) Add your registry information to your wedding website so guests can access it from anywhere

YES! You need to add your bridal registry links / information in an area of your wedding website. If you don’t already have one, get a FREE wedding website here. It’s easy to create, edit, everything — and really, every couple should have one. It is essential for guests to find out any last-minute updates to your wedding day and other festivities.

Here are some examples of what the wedding websites look like! You can completely customize the website with your colors, styles, and photos. These are so cute! (See more here.)

WEDDING REGISTRY TIPS, #8 — BONUS: Send thank you notes for your registry gifts as soon as possible.

One of the best wedding registry tips: send thank you cards as soon as possible once registry gifts are received. If you receive gifts for engagement, send thank you cards like these ASAP.

If you receive a gift for your bridal shower, and it is shipped to your door, make a list of the items and publicly thank the guests at your shower for those gifts received. Send all thank you cards for your bridal shower within 3 weeks of the bridal shower date.

And last but not least, for wedding registry gifts received for your wedding, you technically have one year to send a thank you card — but we recommend sending the cards as soon as possible! Again, the sooner, the better! :)

TIP: If you want to REALLY show your appreciation of a gift received at home, snap a photo of you opening the gift at home and send a digital photo via email or text to the giver immediately upon receiving it. It’ll mean a lot to the gift-giver knowing you liked the gift and they’ll also rest assured knowing the gift arrived in time (and in one piece).

Which wedding registry tips would you add to our list?

Which tips are your favorite? Which bridal registry tips would you add to the list? Where are you registering for your wedding? Tell us in the comment box below! We’d love to hear from you.

Happy Planning!

xo
Emma

P.S. You’ll also enjoy: What Should a Bridal Shower Invitation Say? We’ll tell you!