Calling all brides. Bride of mine….brides of another, whoever, wherever. This blog post is for you!

So much of my blog is about giving back to my photographic community that I love and adore with all my heart. But please lets not forget another group of people I love with all my heart….MY BRIDES/GROOMS!

Once you get engaged, a millions things run through your mind. MOST of my brides have a date, venue, and theme in mind within 24 hours. I LOVE IT!

On the flip side, I know I have some brides out there that are not so much in to the planning, and more into the “I just want the day to be here already”! Both mind sets are 100% normal.

But whether you are the most planned of brides, or not…there are elements of the wedding planning process that are stressful! Creating your wedding registry SHOULD NOT BE one of them. Your registry is meant to be fun, a bonding experience. A right of passage if you will! So sit back, relax and let the pro tell you how its done! : P

Wedding Registry Tips:

 

1. Why wait…go for it! So many brides are under the impression that they have to wait until the months leading up to their bridal shower (which is typically 1 and a 1/2 months prior to the wedding date) FALSE! Go in the immediate weeks after being engaged. This does one of two things: EXCITES you about the wedding process and planning. Over the next year or so of planning, you will be showered with gifts! Embrace this! Two, this allows guests that want to shop early, provide an engagement gift, and other gifts along the way…they will have plenty of options and time to make their gift decisions. People searching for engagement gifts, particularly for women, may stumble across things like Adina’s Jewels, which you can learn more here, or perhaps something more homely to add to your comfort in your living space together.
2. To get organized before registering, make a list! Both of you should go through your apartments, if not living together already, and make a general list of what you DO have and what you plan to keep when houses are conjoined or when you move into a new house together. Also make a list of things you KNOW you don’t have and will need or basically would LOVE to have. Its important to think about what colors you want to incorporate in a home together and how fancy or not your style is. If you plan on having kids right away, maybe you would want to spend more on cleaning supplies than fine crystal china! hehehe
3. Do Your Research!! Unlike me, I got the scanner gun thingy and scanned anything and everything under the sun…sadly, based on how CUTE it was! LORDY ME! I knew nothing about the best brands out there. I would register for a $2.00 spoon and the next item was 500.00 vacuum. Priorities and limits people.
4. Don’t be a Poser! Meaning just because your best friend registered for something and tells you its a must have…doesn’t mean it has to be a must have for you. If you are not much of a baker/cooker….MAYYYYBE that 400.00 Kitchen Aid mixer can be better spent on a killer wine rack and wine fridge. See what I am getting at? If you don’t plan on hosting large dinner parties or don’t have a large family…there is NO NEED for a 16 piece setting for 12.
5. Necessity First!!! Again…just because the toe socks, the yankee candles and the car fresheners are right by the stores door when you walk in….DONT SCAN THEM FIRST! You may like them and certainly use them….start with what you need the MOST first! It will be a sad day when you register for all those silly things, a random gravy boat and a vacuum…. and then thats all you really get! lol Those little things can be bought with any extra wedding cash you may get inside those pretty envelopes.
6. Inform With Class! It is technically RUDE for a bride and groom to expect or ask for gifts. ITS 100% GIVEN ANY RESPECTABLE WEDDING GUEST KNOWS TO GET A GIFT…But there ISSSS a tacky way of asking for them and then a tactful way. Here is the tactful way: First, do NOT include registry information with your FORMAL wedding invitations. Allow your bridesmaids and wedding planners to help spread the word via mouth, include it on a card inserted with the shower invitations, or include a link to where you are registered on your custom wedding website.
   
7. Prepare for Procrastinators! Be sure to know the length of which your registry can be viewed and accessed. Technically they should be valid for an entire year from which you register, but go over with the stores about extended registry listings so that it can be up a few weeks after the wedding for any guests that couldn’t make it, or decided they wanted to add something on to a gift they already gave. (This is popular for guests that travel to your wedding and clearly cant fly with a big box of gifts. So they usually leave a card with some money, and send a gift once they get home.)
   
8. Be Considerate! If you are planning a quiet, low budget wedding…it may be inappropriate to have $300+ items allll over your registry. Make sure you scan a few items that guests whom are on more of a budget can still afford and know they are still getting you something you want and need.
9. Manage Your Gifts!! Either you as the bride or your MOH or even mom should be allowed access to the registry to keep an eye on what has been purchased so they can make sure duplicate gifts aren’t occurring, OR that there is enough of a selection left for those last minute shoppers. Usually the gifts left on a registry are pretty pricey…so you want to make sure there is enough low ticket items on there for them to have a chance at getting as well.
   
10. Give THANKS! Thank you notes, no matter how pain staking they are to write out, mail, etc…THEY ARE WITHOUT A DOUBT A MUST! If you are given gifts at an engagement party or shower, a set of thank you notes are appropriate to send out within 2-3 weeks of receiving those gifts. AFTER the wedding…another set of thank you cards are to be sent out within 4-5 weeks thanking guests for their attendance and any cards or gifts left at the actual wedding.