While your guests may be eager to get you the perfect gift for your wedding, there’s no doubt about it: shopping for wedding gifts can be quite a challenging task, especially if the guests aren’t sure what to get you. That is why it’s always important to register for your wedding gifts several weeks- or even months- in advance. Not only will a wedding registry orient your guests towards the type of gift that you would like to receive, but it will also help you acquire quite a lot of useful gifts which will help you start a comfortable life with your new spouse.
There are, however, a few rules and etiquette that you should stick to when shopping for your wedding gifts. For example, one should never even think about including the gift registry with the actual wedding invitation. That’s plain rude. Indeed, wedding invitations should uniquely be used to show your guests how eager you are for them to attend your special day- gift or no gift. Therefore, make sure to include the registry list on a separate date, in a separate envelope or even in the wedding shower invitation. Etiquette also dictates that outer parties such as the groomsmen or bridesmaids are the one who should send out the gift registry list, not the actual couple.
Also, when you’ll go to select your gifts, you will most certainly feel overwhelmed by the staggering amount of objects and accessories that surround you. This is why several couples get overly zealous and end up scanning the most outrageous or the most expensive items for their wedding gift list. After all, this is practically free shopping so you’d better indulge, right?
Wrong.
If you get carried away and scan outrageously expensive items, not only will your guests feel offended by your blatantly greedy attitude, but they might not be willing to stretch their budget to buy the gifts, hence leaving you disappointed. So, try to find a nice balance between affordable gifts that you will use and expensive gizmos that will only look nice on a shelf. Of course, make it clear that your guests do not necessarily have to purchase the items on your list: they should have the freedom of selecting a gift according to their personal preferences and budget.
Couples who have friends and relatives abroad should also consider starting an international gift registry to make things easier for them. In such cases, it would be quite advisable to start a list online.