More than Matching Dishes: How to Create Your Wedding Registry

One of the most exciting and most daunting to-do items during wedding planning is figuring out how to create your wedding registry. Have you and your fiance started creating your registry? If so, you probably know exactly how awesome and overwhelming the process can be. Sure, it's fun to go fake shopping and envision all these shiny new things in your future home together. On the other hand, it can also be stressful to curate a registry with things that you'll actually use, and things that will be well received by your guests.

If you haven't started your wedding registry yet, then you're in the perfect place. I'm sure you're asking yourselves things like, "Where the heck do we even start?," "Why do we need to register for more stuff when we already live together?," or "Do I actually need crystal serving platters and matching china dishes?" Well, I have a few feelings about the subject. Below are my best tips for how to create your wedding registry.

clean white kitchen and dining room table with flowers

1. Start with what you need now.

Easy, right? Consider this - are you still using mismatched glasses from your college days, or kitchen utensils that are on their last leg? Your wedding registry is the perfect opportunity to replace these items and freshen up your kitchen. What about the rest of your home? Could you use a new set of matching bath towels? Could your bed sheets use an upgrade? Start making a list of things that you could really use now. Remember, you are beginning a new chapter of your lives together, and you'll truly feel the difference if you give your home a clean, fresh start.

2. Consider what you may need later.

You may not be the hosts of all the family gatherings yet, but down the road you just might find yourself hosting holidays and barbecues. Consider adding items to your registry such as casserole dishes, serving platters, wine glasses, and drink pitchers. You may also want to consider items for hosting overnight guests, such as spare bedding for your guest room, a blow up mattress, and extra pillows.

Dinner party, friends gathering together, making a toast

3. Being practical isn't lame.

Sure, plastic storage tubs aren't the sexiest items on the registry, but you will need them and other storage items to keep your combined lives organized. Here are some of my personal favorite storage solutions to get you started: plastic tubs to store your holiday decorations, a bin to hold wrapping paper, organizing baskets for bath towels and sheets, and storage cubes to hold shoes and winter gear. Marie Kondo your newlywed lives, girlfriend.

wooden crates with succulents displayed as wall art

4. Add plenty of items.

You may feel like you don't need a lot of stuff (and we'll get to that later), but when you're creating your wedding registry, you need to consider how many guests you're inviting. You can't put 20 items on your registry and direct 150 guests to buy gifts from that registry. People want you to give them ideas for things to buy so they're not just guessing. I know it might feel like you're being selfish or asking for too much, but I promise you, you're not.

5. Select items in various price ranges.

In addition to adding a wide variety of items, you should also consider items in various price ranges. It's okay to add that $200 set of knives you've been dreaming about, but make sure your pricier items are balanced out with plenty of affordable items. Another way to make sure you cover your bases is by creating registries at two or three different stores. This also helps your guests who live in different cities or states. You can even use Zola or Blueprint Registry to create one registry that includes items from multiple stores - so awesome for you and your guests!

kitchen counter and sink with lots of clean dishes — Photo by raxpixel.com

6. There's something to be said for tradition.

Let's just get a little sappy for a sec. Think about the items you currently own and which ones mean the most to you. Those items may include things passed down to you from family members, including a sacred pie pan, a well-loved cast iron skillet, an engraved platter, or a true silverware set. You two are starting your family and new family traditions - even just between the two of you - so consider which items would be meaningful for you to have for a lifetime.

7. Stay true to your #couplegoals.

With all that said, let's flip the script now. I fully stand behind tips 1-6, but I also fully believe that you should stay true to your needs and interests as a couple. If you honestly don't have a need for dishware that feeds 10 or plastic tubs to organize shit you don't have, then don't register for it! You shouldn't feel obligated to ask for things you don't want. What kinds of things would you get the most use out of? For instance, maybe you love tailgating - register for coolers, grilling supplies, and a Bluetooth speaker!

Grill with chicken, potatoes, and corn with a beer on the side

8. Think about experiences over stuff.

Similar to the suggestion above, think about adding experiences to your registry instead of more stuff to your home. Instead of creating a traditional wedding registry, why not create a registry full of activities to make memories together! One of the most popular ways is by creating a honeymoon registry such as Honeyfund. Your guests can put money towards your plane tickets, luxurious hotel stays, or adventurous excursions (skydiving and whitewater rafting anyone?)! After the stress of planning a wedding, having an all expenses paid vacation sounds pretty incredible, don't you think? There are lots of other options for alternative wedding registries, so that might have to be my next blog post!