| Life Events Life events pose a unique challenge because each is a new or infrequent occurrence for which many people have little or no prior experience. A wedding is no exception to this rule. When planning your wedding, a little dose of commonsense advice can help tremendously. Here is our advice on this topic. |
/ | Marriage / Wedding / How to Register for Gifts |
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The custom of giving gifts to a newly married
couple is centuries old. The idea is
to help
provide them with the necessities for
setting
up a new household. These days, many
engaged
people already have many of the basic
necessities
for life own their own, so registering
for
gifts either at several stores and/or
at
online sites is more helpful than ever
for
friends and family. There are three
occasions
for giving presents: an engagement
party,
a shower, and the wedding itself. You
should
register at least a month before each
event
to allow enough time for your guests
to select
and order a gift. Ideally, your registry
should be complete four to six months
before
the wedding. Chose shops or online sites that have the things you want and that your guests can afford. Picking more than one place to register is often helpful, especially to invitees who live out of town (online sites are great for this.). Shops with full service registries will probably ask you to make an appointment to pick out your choices in person. They will provide your guests with a list of presents that also shows what has already been purchased, which helps to eliminated duplicate gifts. Many stores now have there own online sites that perform this same service. Regular online shopping sites may or may not do this, so you need to check. When you select a store or site, keep in mind the impression and budgets of your guests; for this reason alone, you may want to select a variety of sites. While nothing says "trailer park wedding" more clearly than to register at a discount store, your guests may only be able to buy you useless sliver-plated trinkets if you aim too high. That said, you may decide to toss out appearances in preference for practicality and head for the local home improvement store. Finally, inquire about the registry's return policy to determine whether you can return gifts for cash or store credit should someone not use the registry and buy you a duplicate present. Make sure the registry includes the names of both you and your intended spouse, your addresses, the wedding date and where you want the presents sent. This will make it easier for guests that only know one of the couple. Register for a variety of presents from different price ranges so your guests have enough items to choose from. Review your registries on a regular basis. You may want to add more choices at prices where very little is left on the registry. If you do receive duplicates, get presents you don't like, or change your mind about certain items, it is proper to exchange gifts, but you should thank the givers for what they actually picked out in your thank you notes. Registries often remain active for months or years after the wedding, allowing friends and family to continue to give things you may still desire at other opportunities. |
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