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Wedding Registry Help & TipsGreat wedding registry help & tips that make gift giving easier for you and your guests. What can be better than making a wish list, of the things you want or need for your new home? This wedding registry help guide will assure that you will receive gifts, which you have personally picked out. Each gift will coordinate with the colors and style of your new home and you will spend less time returning unwanted gifts after your wedding day. Places to register: Major Department Stores, Home Furnishing Stores I.e. Crate and Barrel, Pottery Barn, IKEA, Linens & Things, etc.) Sporting Good Stores (I.e. Big Five, Sports Mart, etc.) Building Supply Stores (I.e. Home Depot, Lowes, etc.) Gardening Centers (I.e. for those who might be planning to landscape or spruce up a new home.) Travel Agents (Can be used towards your Honeymoon or a separate vacation.) Mortgage Lenders. (Register for contributions if you are planning to purchase your first home.) What to ask when registering: Take these wedding registry help questions along with you when registering. Do you need to set up an appointment? What is their store return policy? What type of system is provided to keep track of all registry gifts and purchases? How often will you wedding registry be update? Can you add to your registry after it is set up? How long does it take to get your registry started? Do they have a web-site where your guests can order or purchase on-line? Do they accept phone orders? Do they have a 1-800 phone number? Do they ship gifts and is there any additional charge for shipping? How long will they keep you registry active. Up to one year is a good length of time to give guests plenty of time to purchase gifts for you. Things to register for: Traditional choices: For these choices, couples should decide on pattern styles you both like before you go register. This can be done by viewing patterns on-line or in magazines. China Silver Crystal Linen/Sheets/Towels Small Kitchen Appliances Home Accessories Not so traditional choices: Couples who have special circumstances such as, the upcoming purchase of a new home, or home improvement needs of a present home. Some couples may be a little short on funds to afford a honeymoon, can let their guest contribute to their honeymoon fund. Sporting Goods Tools Home Improvement Garden Supplies Mortgage Down Payments Honeymoon or Travel More Wedding Registry Help Do’s & Don’ts Do's: Get your wedding gift registry started at least 5 – 8 months prior to your wedding day. Make it fun! Learning to compromise is something every bride and groom will face when they get married. Agreeing on your wedding gift registry items, will be a great time to practice this skill. Take your time! Rome was not built in a day; neither will your wedding gift registry! Most important wedding gift registry help tip: Register before you send out any invitations, both bridal shower and wedding invitations. Bridal Shower Thank You Card Tip: Purchase a stack of thank you cards before your wedding shower. When you guest begin arriving, have the hostess ask each guest to place their name, and address on the front of an envelope. After your shower, all of your envelopes will be addressed and all that will be left for you to do is sign each thank you note, stuff, stamp and mail. Be sure that one of your bridesmaids is ready with pen and paper to make a list of all the gifts you receive as well as guest name for each.
Find fun & unique bridal shower ideas? Click Here Your wedding registry helps you select enough gifts to match the amount of guests on your wedding list. The more selections you make on your wedding gift registry both in price and in items, the easier it is for your guests to purchase a gift that will accomodate their budget. Consider what your guest can afford when selecting gifts from your wedding gift registry. Two or three wedding registry's helps you select some high end department stores, as well as some discount department stores such as Target or Wal-Mart, to accomodate all budgets. Testing your wedding registry helps assure that your gift list has been set up correctly. Go back to the store a few days later, or go to another location. It is important that each registry is easy to access and understand. This will assure that your guest will have an easy and enjoyable shopping experience. Checking on your wedding registry helps you to make changes or add new gift items. Keep track of every gift you receive as well as the person who gave you each gift. Helpful Thank you note tip: Purchase your thank you cards early, and keep them handy. Fill out a card as soon as you receive a gift. This will help you include a personal message with each gift example: Dear Rob & Mary, Thank you so much for the beautiful crystal vase, Tim and I can’t wait to use it in our new home.) Each guest will probably include their return address with the gift, so go ahead and address the envelope as well. You may prefer to send thank you cards at a later date. You will then need to keep good records of each gift recieved, as well as names of each person(s) who gave you the gift, and return address. It is appropriate to to mail out thank you cards 2 - 4 weeks after your wedding date. Important Wedding Gift Note: Remember that, many of your guests will not purchase a gift through your wedding registry. Instead they will bring you a wedding gift on the day of your wedding. Many of those guests may give you a monetary gift. Every wedding should have a gift table set up, as well as a place where guest can drop off greeting cards and monetary gifts. What about gift giving for destination weddings? Everyone who receives an invitation to a wedding should provide a gift. On-line wedding registries are a great way to shop for this situation. If you have been invited to a destination wedding, the gift should be sent to the bride and groom's home (if they live together) or to the bride, prior to the wedding. You may also mail the gift no later than 1 month after the wedding, giving the couple enough time to return from their honeymoon. Brides should send a thank you note to all guests who were thoughtful enough to provide a bridal shower gift or wedding gift. Even if the bride opened the gift in front of the guest and thanked them in person. Your guest will really appreciate it! Don’ts Don't register at too many stores. It’s better to choose a few (3 to 5) large department stores that carry many items, instead of dozens of small specialty stores. You don’t want to make your guests feel like they are hunting for the gifts you want. Don’t expect to receive all the items than you place on your wedding registry. Don’t register for gifts that are extremely expensive, unless you are sure that the persons on your wedding guest list can afford such pricey gifts. Wedding registry help for situations that may occur after you receive your gifts. What to do if you receive a gift that is damaged or broken? Contact customer service immediately . Most store return policies require that the item be returned within a few days of being received. Some stores also require that you obtain a “return authorization number” before you return the item. Being aware of each store's return policy regarding your wedding registry helps in returning gifts smoothly. What if you receive two gifts of the exact same thing? Contacting the customer service department regarding duplicate purchases from your wedding registry helps exchange your gift for another with ease. There is no need to tell you guests that you returned or exchanged the gift, but be sure to thank them for the original gift they sent. What if I receive a gift, without a name? Contacting customer service to track the gift giver through your wedding registry helps you save time, because a record of each purchase is kept on file. You can also try and track the gift or at least narrow it down, by the delivery company it was shipped through, as well as the city or state it came from. What to do with gifts if the wedding is called off? Return all gifts (including monogrammed or engraved gifts) to each guest with a small note, thanking each guest for their thoughtfulness and explain that the wedding will not be taking place. No other explanation is needed. Your wedding registry helps your guests return gifts to each store with ease as well. Thanking your guests for each gift. You must send a thank you note for every gift you receive including engagement, bridal shower and wedding. Each thank you note should be hand written by the bride or groom, not your parents, maid of honor or some other person you may have delegated other tasks to. Your thank you notes should be sent out 2 weeks after your wedding or immediately after returning from your honeymoon. If you receive a gift after your wedding day, the thank you note may be sent out two weeks after receipt of the gift. Another helpful thank you note tip: Select your stationary or thank you cards early and keep them handy. Remember your stationary, thank you cards, menu cards, programs, etc. should all coordinate with the theme or style of your wedding. Keep good track of each gift and the person who gave it to you, along with their address. Write the thank you note as soon as you receive it. (Example: Dear Rob & Mary, Thank you so much for the beautiful crystal vase, Tim and I can’t wait to use it in our new home.) If you mail a thank you note before the wedding day, be sure to use your maiden name. Both the bride and groom should sign each thank you note. When appropriate, provide your new address in your thank you note. When sending a thank you note for a monetary gift, never mention the amount. Thanking each guest for their “generosity” is enough. You may mention what the money will be used for, such as “your generous gift helped us pay for a beautiful piece of art, which hangs in our new dining room.” Each thank you card should be hand written and signed, and addressed. If the process seems too daunting, consider printing out a second set of address labels when you send out your wedding invitations. Set the second set of address labels aside until it’s time to mail out your thank you notes. This will make the process a bit easier and assures that you will get your thank you notes mailed out in a reasonable amount of time. I hope that these wedding registry help tips have been useful to you! Congratulations!!
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