Devour the Details: Registry Etiquette

I was speaking to my boyfriend yesterday about wedding showers, explaining the details of one to him, and he could not wrap his head around the idea of a registry. He kept asking "Well can you register at Home Depot?", "How about Williams-Sonoma?", "Saint Laurent?" Laughing, I told him I didn't think Saint Laurent had a wedding registry. I thought his inquisitiveness was great. I love sharing information like that with others and to boot, when I went on The Knot this morning to see what was new, they had a piece right on their homepage also explaining registry etiquette. So thanks to them, here are some tips to best utilize your registry!

1. Skip the items that might be on your weekly shopping list

Pick gifts that you’ll want and need for years to come. Your wedding is a major life event, and your guests want to give you something that’s meaningful and that fits your personality. That’s why a vintage bottle of your favorite whiskey is a great gift (because you’ll likely sip it together on special occasions). It’s less about how much the gifts on your registry cost, in fact your gifts should range in price, and more about the reason why your guests are giving you these gifts in the first place.

2. Put a few gift cards on your registry instead

Putting a gift card on your registry lets guests know where you’d like a gift card to and that it’s an option. Having this option will potentially make some guests more comfortable giving you cash as a gift if its in the form of a card you want. You can also allow multiple guests to purchase the same gift card that way if there's an item too expensive for one guest to buy, you now have a surplus of gift cards to put towards this item.

3. Let your friends and family add on the staples themselves

If they know you’re coffee lovers they might pair together a new coffee maker along with coffee beans and a pack of coffee filters so you have everything you need to start brewing right away. Or maybe they pitch-in for an excursion on your honeymoon and also provide you with some sandals and monogrammed beach towels. It's a thoughtful way for them to give a complete wedding gift with lower-priced registry pieces!

4. Know your crowd

In alternative to a registry is a “pounding party”, where guests bring items to help fill the couple’s pantry. Jill Duggar and Derick Dillard’s friends hosted a pounding party for them a few days before their wedding. If that’s the case in your culture, then go for it! Guests will just bring staples they think the couple will need, not necessarily items the couple wants; but it's a fun alternative!

So as you can gather, registering for china, gadgets and 500-thread-count sheets is one of the best perks of your engagement, but deciding what to put on your list isn't as simple as it seems. Our advice? Start with the stuff you love the most, add some necessities, and then turn to different lists of the hottest home and registry ideas to fill in the rest. The Knot provides these top eleven trends for inspiration:

1. Cocktail Party Essentials