7 tricks for creating a great wedding registry

A perfectly curated wedding registry will help you and your new partner feather your shared nest. But, don’t leave the guesswork to your guests! Here’s a stress-free guide to creating a wedding  registry that will be easy for your guests to shop^.

We’ve got 7 tips for building a great wedding registry:

1. Take inventory:

Find out what kitchen utensils, cookware, and other household goods you and your spouse-to-be already have and fill in the gaps on your registry. If you’ve got a bunch of mismatched sets, donate them to a local charity and use this as a time to create matching sets for a home that says “ours.”

2. Register for twice as many gifts as guests:

Your guests will appreciate having several gifts to choose from. Count couples as one gift giver. After the wedding, some stores will offer discounts on the items that you don’t get from your registry. Target, for example, will give you 15 percent off everything left on your registry after the big day.

3. Find items at varying price points:

In addition to those big-ticket appliances on your wishlist, mix in some items with lower price points, like beautiful frames, scented candles or something sentimental, like the DVD of a first-movie date.

4. Turn to a checklist:

Creating a registry, while exciting, can be a bit overwhelming. Bed, Bath and Beyond will get the ball rolling with “kickstarter” ideas — including everything you need to build a stand-out bar cart, must-haves for bakers, or collections for travelers.

5. Set up your registry early:

As soon as the save-the-date notes go out in the mail, guests are going to start asking about gifts. Get a jumpstart on your registry.

6. Register at a few locations:

Make it convenient for guests by registering with two or three stores. Your wedding guests, for example, will love shopping at Macy’s because the store is running a promotion that will give them $20 off a future purchase of $50 or more when they buy from your registry.

7. Write thank-you notes:

Show your gratitude with a personalized thank you note and get them out in the mail as soon as possible. We love these “tuxedo style” notes from Target that are apropos for showering your guests with post-wedding gratitude.