Hey guys! So, we did a poll on our Instagram stories (If you’re not following us, check us out here!) and asked what topic you’d like us to talk about this week. Surprisingly, it was a 50/50 vote between registry must haves and a wedding day check list!

So, this week we’ll be diving in deep and sharing our best tips with you on how to create a registry that helps you get some amazing items for your new marriage, but also keeps your guests in mind and shows them that you were thinking of them while creating it. 

By now, you’re probably planning away and you’ve probably found some of the best vendors to bring your ideas to life until it hit you… what SHOULD I put on my wedding registry? How many items should I include and at what price points? Well friends, we’re about to give you ALL the details so you’ll be able to create a registry that will help you get the necessities and help your guests too!

Registry must haves

Your wedding registry is important, and it’s not just because you get gifts. These are items that will help transition you into marriage and living with your new hubby! And even if you’re already living with your fiancé, chances are you could upgrade many of your current items (yup, this means you can ask for that amazing dyson vacuum you’ve always wanted!) or you can finally get the things you’ve always had your eye on but never got for whatever reason. So, with that said, here’s a list of ALL the must haves we recommend you include on your registry!

• A good set of plates, bowls, glasses, and silverware. No more ikea plates and bowls – it’s time for a solid set of dinner ware! Make sure you put enough on there to take into account friend and family get togethers and for when your family grows. 
• Pots, pans and other cooking ware. We highly recommend getting a la cruiset Dutch oven! Girl, you will not regret this and it is definitely an item you NEED on your registry. And of course, get a solid set of pots (we like cuisine art!) and pans (Calphalon is a great choice!), as well as spatulas, ladles, etc. 
• Napkins and place mats. You may not use these often, but trust us, these will come in handy when you have guests over for dinner. 
• Cleaning supplies. Now’s the time to get those cleaning appliances you’ve thought about getting but never found the right time to purchase. Our favorites and must-haves in this category are the Dyson vacuum cleaner, OXO Good Grips Microfiber Extendable Duster, and while not exactly cleaning related, we love the Salav Performance Garment Steamer (because let’s face it, we’ll never iron our clothes and this is way faster.)
• Honeymoon contributions! If you’re like us, while we definitely want to have nice things, we’d much rather have an experience we’ll never forget. Instead of straight up asking for money for your honeymoon, ask people to contribute to specific parts of your honeymoon (people like to know where their money is going, ya know?) such as romantic dinners, round trip airfare, transportation, Air BnB, etc. Some of your guests would much rather gift you an experience that will add value to your life than an item for your home, so this is a great way to cater to them.
• Don’t forget to add items that you’ve never thought of before, such as the Escali Velo Luggage Scale! We love to travel and weighing our bags to make sure they stay within the weight limit is kinda tough on a bathroom scale… so, this little guy comes in handy big time!

These are just a few of our must-haves that we’ve found to add the most value to life as a married couple. Don’t be afraid to add everything you think of… more on that in the next section!

How to create the perfect wedding registry

There is definitely a way to make you and your guests happy when it comes to creating your registry. You’ll want to make sure you have a certain amount of items in various price ranges, and the amount of items you include in each price range depends on the number of guests you have. 

The MORE items you have in various price ranges, the better. Add as much as you can think of – trust us, guests won’t think you’re being selfish. They’ll be happy that you included enough for them to choose from at a price point they can think with. 

We know this is a topic most brides don’t know a whole lot about! So, we wanted to create a freebie that tells you exactly how many items you should include in each price point based on the number of guests you’re inviting – sound like something you need? Just click here to get instant access to the freebie!

Where to host your registry

There are a TON of stores that allow you to create a registry. Target, Crate and Barrel, and Amazon just to name a few big ones.

However, our FAVORITE registry ever is Zola. This isn’t sponsored in any way, we just love it so much and use it for our own registry! It’s super easy to set up. You can add items directly from Zola’s inventory of items or you can add items from your favorite stores directly into Zola so that all your items are in one place. This means you just need to send your guests one link and they’ll have complete access to your entire registry. Guests can easily pay for the item online and decide to ship it to themselves or have it shipped to you at a later date. It is seriously the easiest and most convenient registry we’ve found. And the best part is that if you create your wedding website with Zola, all guests have to do is go to your wedding website, click Registry and boom! They’re right there!

When to send guests to your registry

No matter which place you decide to host your registry with, there comes a point where you’ll wonder when and how to send your guests a link to your registry. We recommend adding the link to your registry either on the bottom or backside of your Save the Date or Invitation, OR another option would be to have a small insert that says, “Visit our wedding website and view our registry at www.yournames.com” It’s simple, sophisticated and lets your guests know where they can go.

We really hope this helps give you a better idea of what to include in your registry so it shows your guests you were thinking of them and how to make the most out of it. If you ever have any questions, feel free to email us or send us a DM on Instagram – we’re always happy to help!

Until next time!

xoxo,

Matlock and Kelly