38 THE QUEENS COURIER • BRIDAL • JANUARY 17, 2019 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
bridal
From essentials to extras, what’s on your wedding registry?
BY KRISTEN CASTILLO
A gourmet cooking set? Check. A new
digital camera? Check. Hiking gear?
Check.
Modern wedding registries have a mix
of the traditional and the not-so-traditional.
It’s not like it was when your parents
got married and they received a toaster,
a slow cooker or a blanket. Th ese days,
couples want their wedding registries to
refl ect their wants and their needs.
“People want to get you things you want
to use,” says Nancy Lee of MyRegistry.
com, a universal wedding registry, who
fi nds couples registering for gift s such as
hiking boots, his-and-her mountain bikes,
sleeping bags, dishes, lawn mowers and
his-and-her iPads.
“People are going to buy you a gift ,” says
Lee. “You may as well make sure they buy
you something you need.”
Making a List
According to a 2011 Brides magazine
American Wedding Survey, 93 percent of
couples register for wedding and shower
gift s, with 82 percent registering with
in-store and online retailers.
Th e same study found the average couple
joins about two registries and start registering
about seven months before the
wedding.
“Registering far enough in advance
allows family and friends to consult
your registry for other milestones in the
months leading up to your wedding,
including wedding showers, birthdays and
holidays,” says Vicki Shamion of Kohl’s,
which off ers a “Wedding Wishes” gift registry.
Be sure to register for a variety of gift s,
available in a range of price points.
“Give people a lot of choices,” says Lee.
“Have things in every price. Make it something
guests are comfortable giving you.”
Shamion agrees, saying, “It is important
to give guests options on a registry to
allow them the opportunity to pick out
something special regardless of their budget.”
Where Are You Registered?
It’s a popular question every bride and
groom is asked: Where are you registered?
Family and friends want to get you a
gift to celebrate your wedding, but what
about etiquette? While you don’t want to
look like you’re begging for gift s, fi elding
this question is pretty common. Simply
have your bridesmaids or family members
spread the word about your registry.
For a bolder approach, some couples
even post their registry information on
their wedding website or on their social
media pages, like Facebook and Twitter.
Amazon.com off ers couples registry
announcement cards to share the information,
as well as the “Th ank You List”
feature, which allows you to match gift s
you receive to their gift giver.
Cash, Please!
Many couples want money so they can
save for big-ticket items like a house or
car, and others want to pay off loans and
other debts.
Still, asking for cash can be a tough
request. Sites such as MyRegistry.com
help soft en the request, however, by letting
you to set up a “Cash Gift Service,”
allowing you to label the fund to tell
guests how the money will be used, such
as “Honeymoon to Paris” or “First Home
Fund.”
Registry Incentives
Many retailers off er brides and grooms
discounts and other special off ers for
choosing their registry.
For example, with a Kohl’s registry,
“from the day couples register until the
day of their wedding, 10 percent rewards
are earned on eligible gift s purchased from
their registry,” says Shamion. “If guests
purchase $2,000 in gift s off a registry, the
couple automatically receives a certifi cate
for $200 -- and as always, it’s good toward
anything in the store.”
Couples also receive a 15 percent discount
(for up to three months aft er the
wedding) on items remaining on their
Kohl’s registry.
Returns
MyRegistry.com’s Lee says most registry
return rates are low -- about 1 percent.
Th at’s likely because the bride and
groom have preselected the items they
want to receive.
“Couples who return items purchased
off of their Kohl’s wedding registry will
benefi t from our hassle-free return policy
and can exchange anything they don’t
want, anytime, no questions asked,” says
Shamion.
Returns through Amazon.com are easy,
too. A spokesman says, “Couples are sent
an Amazon.com gift card for the value of
the product to be used on anything they’d
like, and the gift giver won’t be notifi ed
that his gift was returned.”
Whether you register for kitchen towels,
a new TV or camping gear, don’t forget
to send a handwritten thank-you note
to all your guests showing your gratitude
for their wedding gift .
Courtesy Creators.com
/Amazon.com
/Amazon.com
/Amazon.com
/WWW.QNS.COM
/MyRegistry.com
/MyRegistry.com
/Creators.com
