Gravy boats, vases, chip’n dips, and herb mills, Oh My. What is on your registry? Hold on a second, registering has slipped your mind? Do not fret soon enough someone will remind you when the person insists “You should have done this by now!” Registering can be very fun and equally stressful. Maybe you are like me when I was planning my wedding: working full-time, planning a cross-country move, feel you have everything that you need, and the idea of heading to a department store for a whole day with salespeople that want to tell you what you need. If this sounds about right then keep reading to learn about how we made it through.
Let’s start by getting something out of the way right away. Like many couples, my partner and I lived together before we were married. During this time we definitely accumulated things together and combined both of our belongings. Sure, we loved sprucing up our place but we felt funny asking for gifts. Maybe that is weird but that is how we felt. Here is a secret: people are going to buy you things even if you do not register. If you register, chances are they will buy you something that you like. Sometimes people just give you things that you never would have picked but the truth is people want to buy you things. They really do. So do not make them try and guess what you would like. Register.
Okay, now that we have that part out of the way onto how to keep it fun. First, talk with your partner. Unless your love is completely uninterested (and that is fine with you) both of you may have interesting ideas. Once you are both on the same page about what you would like then you can focus your energy. Have you thought about doing all of your registering online?
Did you know that you could register for various components of your honeymoon? People can actually put money towards your flight, a bottle of champagne for your room, or purchase a romantic dinner at a local restaurant in your destination. A pal and his wife did this when they were headed to Sicily. It can be fun and a great way to add activities to your plan. All of this can be done online but many travel agents have information too. Check out these sources for more information:
What if you and your darling like spending your time skiing or playing tennis? Plenty of sporting goods stores allow you to register, you can even register for a gift card. This may require you to visit a store and know exactly what you would like first. But you may not need to do the actual registering in-person. You are just going to want to try on the boots or feel weight of the racket, naturally. Personally, I think this is a great idea. We don’t really have mutual sporting interests but I think the idea of contributing to the passions of a beloved pal and their partner sounds great. If gardening or bird watching is more your things, why not draft an email to anyone that asks what you would like with the specific items you want? Or go ahead and register for almost ANYTHING on Amazon. The only danger of this option is that if you are not extremely specific, people may feel overwhelmed and pick out something that you are not interested in. Just be clear. Here are some sites that allow you to register:
http://www.dickssportinggoods.com/giftCertificates/
My man and I registered for “traditional” items on line. We love to cook and were ready to have some decent home goods so here is how we made the process work for us.
First, we made a list every time we noticed something in our home was either getting worn out or we were tired of “making due” with something else. Then one cold winter day, we sat down with our computers at our favorite coffee shop. We took the list with us and searched for the items. When we came to an agreement (or compromised, I am a design snob) we registered for them. During this process we found other items that “would be nice to have.” Still other items one of us would check out in person, but that truthfully only happened once. The beauty of vendor sites is that you can add and remove as you please. We started with our basics and added as we saw things in person. For us this was really fun.
You will find a system that works for you. Do not be afraid to say “No,” to items that you know you really do not want. Many well-intentioned people may insist that you “need” to register for a gravy boat but if you are a vegan who does not eat gravy, it is okay to pass. It goes for the chip’n dip, too.
2 Comments
I recommend honeyfund.com for a honeymoon fund. It's free, has a nice interface, and is easy to set up.
Thanks for the suggestion – I also used honeyfund for my own wedding and loved it!