Not everyone starts from scratch when they get married. In fact, most people already have all their living essentials. So what do you put on a wedding registry if you already have everything you need?
Some people still like to give gifts to help out the newlyweds, and others don’t like to contribute to honeymoon funds.
So today we’ll go over some options you might not have thought about to add to your wedding registry.
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What Do You Add to a Wedding Registry If You Already Have Everything?
I already had all my kitchen dishes, bedding, and even some furniture from when I went to college. I had collected things I needed over the years. So when it came time to make a wedding registry, I was at a loss.
Now it can be nice to get upgraded items, but people don’t want to give useless gifts either. Why give you nice utensils when they know you already have some? These cheap or cliche gifts often just take up space.
What you should really add to a registry would be things that your wedding guests want to gift. These include fun items like family board games, yard games, or entertainment. Gift cards, date night activities like a paint-by-number, and others that help you bond would make great wedding gifts.
You can also add things like books to read together, decor that matches both your styles and things that make memories. Read on for more specific ideas you can put on your wedding registry.
What Is a Wedding Registry?
A wedding registry is a list of desired gifts from the couple. Usually, it contains items from a specific store or multiple. The store or program the couple registers with then updates items as wedding guests buy them to help avoid multiple people purchasing the same item.
But when did the wedding registry start? It dates back to the 1920s when couples were receiving many duplicate items from new department stores like Macy’s. In fact, Marshall Field, which later became Macy’s, first began wedding registries in 1924.
Now it has expanded to online and digital lists and programs that allow you to add gifts, cash funds, and experiences.
Most people don’t need china, silver, or linens anymore. But that doesn’t mean they don’t need help building their new life together. Building a home and a future is expensive.
And the ones you love most often wish to contribute to congratulate you and help provide a good start to your marriage with a thoughtful and useful gift.
What Do People Normally Add to a Wedding Registry?
Because building a life is expensive, people often add items they need for their home and kitchen. These often include pots and pans, cooking supplies, vacuums, furniture, bedding, lamps, and others.
Back in the day, people would get married and leave their parents’ homes. This meant they often didn’t have much of their own when they moved out.
Nowadays, people move out long before they get married. These common wedding registry items are also common graduation gifts for those heading off to college.
And speaking of gifts, should you be getting your bridesmaids one? Find out in our Love Letter “The Complete Guide to Bridesmaid Gifts: Etiquette and Expectations.”
Photo by Wijdan Mq on Unsplash
The Perfect Gifts for a Wedding Registry When You Have Everything
So what can you add to your wedding registry if you already have everything you need for your home? While you may have a furnished house, you can request items to make that house a home, and that can strengthen your marriage and health.
Let’s look at some gifts you can add to your list that you and your guests won’t find useless. You don’t want them wasting money on things you already have.
Replacement and Guest Items
Just because you have some things, doesn’t mean they don’t need replacing. Additionally, if you want to host guests, you may need some extras.
- Pillows: You should replace pillows every one to two years. So those pillows you got in high school and took to college might need an upgrade now.
- Extra Bedding: You can never have too many new sheets and bedding. Especially with two people in the bed, they get sweaty and dirty much quicker. And if you have a guest room, you’ll need some new sheets in there.
- Guest Room Supplies: Lamps, fans, and chairs can make a guest room more comfortable.
- Pet Items: If you and/or soon-to-be-spouse have a pet, you might need some pet supplies.
- Pots and Pans: I got my pots and pans from a thrift store and they definitely needed replacing. But a good new set of these can last you a lifetime.
- Luggage: You may have inherited your grandpa’s luggage like I did. If so, you might need some new suitcases for your honeymoon trip.
- Gift Cards for Car Maintenance: Car maintenance is so expensive and so necessary. A gift card to Jiffy Lube or Auto Zone may come in handy before you know it. This may be a hit for your guests. They can feel like they can help keep you safe and provide a much-needed and useful gift.
Lifetime Big Budget Items
You may still need some big budget items that you’ll hopefully only need once in your life. You can often add these gift ideas to your wedding registry with the option for people to contribute to the gift. This makes it easier for guests with a smaller budget to still help out.
- Dyson vacuum: You need a good vacuum, especially once you have pets and kids.
- Expensive Kitchen Items: Bosch mixers or Kitchen Aids are expensive but so useful. I also highly recommend a Ninja Foodi. It literally cooks anything and everything for you. I use mine every day.
- Snow Blower: A snow or leaf blower helps you keep your yard and patio clean so your new neighbors don’t complain.
- Lawn Mower: If you have a home, you’ll need this big-budget item. If you plan to live in an apartment for now, you can leave this off your registry.
- Power tools: We needed a power drill to assemble furniture and hang mirrors and pictures. It’s so useful for everyday maintenance. You can also get tool kits for basic home repairs. I promise it’ll come in handy.
- Carpet/Upholstery Cleaner: It doesn’t matter if you have pets and kids or not; you need a carpet cleaner for when you spill your spaghetti while watching a scary movie.
Hobby Items
If you already have everything, then why not add some fun things to your wedding registry? People like to give fun gifts that will make you happy. And what better way than to do some hobbies, especially with your new spouse?
- Yard Games: Yard games are a blast on any holiday and summer weekend. Even if you don’t have a yard of your own, you can play these at parks or bring them to your friend’s house.
- Board Games: You can get two-player board games or ones that require more players. Then you can invite your friends and family for a game night in your new place.
- Decor: Your design style changes over time. And once you get married, you may be ready to move on from your college girl aesthetic. Home decor can make a great and sometimes budget-friendly gift.
- Art Supplies: Whether you are an artist or not, art supplies can make a fun date idea and a new hobby to try.
- Outdoor Gear: You may enjoy camping, barbecuing, picnicking, riding bikes, or so many more outdoor activities. Consider putting a tent, camping chair, or picnic basket set on your wedding registry.
- Home Gym Equipment: Going to the gym can be very expensive. Newlyweds often need to pinch and save. So getting some home gym equipment can make a perfect gift to help stay healthy while on a tight budget.
Memories
Another great wedding registry gift idea when you already have everything, is to make memories. As newlyweds, you are in a prime time of life to grow your relationship and have fun. However, money is tight when you first get married making going out, taking trips, and simply having date nights difficult. Allowing people to gift you fun things makes this so much easier.
- Photo Frames: Once you make memories you want to display all those pictures. Photo frames make a great gift and can also get very pricey quickly. You can also get a digital photo frame where others can upload pictures to it too. We love the Frameo digital picture frame. We get to see photos of nieces and nephews and all the family memories we’ve had.
- Photo Albums: Similar to photo frames, picture albums make wonderful gifts. You can get empty ones to fill, or gift cards to create your own photobook from places like Chatbooks.
- Experiences: You can add gift cards or experience funds to your wedding registry. I used Zola and it allows you to add honeymoon adventures, excursions, date nights, and other experiences to your wedding registry.
- Date Nights: Painting pottery, movie and dinner, sports games, bowling and arcades, and the zoo make exciting date night activities. Getting out of the house and doing an activity can help you bond and make memories. Add things like this to your registry.
- Hotel Rooms or Room Service: You can get hotel gift cards to fancy or nice hotels and resorts. Or you could pay for room service for a night. They can also get Airbnb gift cards to book a weekend away.
Is It OK to Ask for Money Instead of Wedding Gifts?
You can ask for money instead of physical gifts. However, you might have people who don’t know how to contribute to Venmo or your online cash fund.
You may also have some more traditional people who would prefer to give you a gift. Additionally, you should consider whether people would consider it tacky if you ask for honeymoon money versus a home or furniture fund.
You can also call it a newlywed fund or emergency fund. If you do ask for money, make it clear, as some people may ask you for a registry. Clearly state on your invite or wedding website that if they would like to give a gift, they may contribute to your cash fund instead, either online or in person.
I feel like this option isn’t as lucrative as most people expect. Many people will see that you don’t want physical gifts and likely won’t contribute anything at all.
But this is a great option for those who want to receive some assistance who already have everything from a traditional registry.
Where Should I Make My Wedding Registry?
I made my original wedding registry on Zola. It worked great because you could link anything to it and it even had options for incorporating a honeymoon fund.
However, I highly recommend Amazon Registry because they have nearly everything you could want. It is easy for most people to order there. And after your wedding, you can get 20% off anything not purchased from the list.
It also gives you an option for people to go in together to buy big-ticket items. You can have people contribute money to a $300 vacuum for example.
However, you can find many other sites for creating the perfect wedding registry. One benefit of having one is that it prevents people from buying the same thing. That being said, not everyone will look at your registry either.
My brother and sister-in-law received three crockpots. Some people may look at your registry to see what you want but then buy the item from another location. Then you may still end up with duplicates.
What do you think? Are wedding registries worth it for those who already have everything?
Love, Laurel
