The most popular wedding registries are the ones that are easy to use, offer couples special perks, and allow them to choose items they both want and need. Choose one or two places from this list of great registries, and you'll make gift buying easy and fun.
Universal Wedding Registries
If you have diverse tastes or needs that cover numerous factions of life, consider registering online using an all-inclusive registry. These registries allow you to add items from a variety of stores online without limiting you to the selection at one store.
The Knot
The Knot's universal wedding registry allows you to sync registries from various retailers online and link to all of them through The Knot website. Users can also create a cash registry in the same place. You can choose from multiple retailers affiliated with The Knot including Bed, Bath & Beyond, Williams-Sonoma, Amazon, Dillards, and many others. It's a great way for brides and grooms to register in multiple places at once and maintain it all in the same place.
MyRegistry
MyRegistry made Woman Getting Married's list of Best Online Wedding Registries, and for good reason. Items from any online store can be added to the registry - even items from Etsy or other small boutiques. The site boasts smartphone apps to make registering easy in person, along with personalized service online or via telephone.
Zola Registry
Brides magazine recommends Zola as its top wedding registry. It's part of Zola's larger site that helps you plan your wedding. So what's so great about Zola as a wedding registry? It allows you to register for cash, gifts from the Zola site, and gifts from any other retailer available online. It also asks you questions to help walk you through your registry, making it an easy, fun, and interactive experience. Shopping takes place all through Zola, and it allows for group gifting of more expensive items. There's also free shipping, free returns, and a 20 percent completion discount for important gifts the couple didn't receive.
Blueprint Registry
Brides also loves the Blueprint registry, and when you check out the easy interface with this all-inclusive registry, you'll see why. Along with a comprehensive universal registry, you'll also find other valuable planning services on the site so it can serve as your wedding planning portfolio. One great service Blueprint offers is that once your wedding has passed, it will send you a master gift list and who sent it, making it easy to send thank you notes to all who have gifted you.
Traditional Wedding Registries
Brides and grooms often choose big box retailers for their registries with good reason. After all, they have a variety of items at reasonable prices and are in numerous cities across the country. Add these two stores to your list of places to consider.
Amazon Wedding Registry
While you can only add Amazon items to your Amazon wedding registry, Business Insider notes it is now the most popular wedding registry in America. It makes sense that Amazon is so popular given its sheer number of items and it's efficient and fast fulfillment processes. Shipping is free, returns are easy (though limited to 180 days), and Amazon offers a 20 percent discount for any items on the registry not gifted, allowing the happy couple to complete their registry themselves if needed items remain ungifted.
Bloomingdale's Wedding Registry
Bloomingdale's has a list of five great reasons to register with them. Just a few include having your own personal registry consultant, getting freebies from vendors when registering for certain gifts, getting exclusive savings on purchases in different departments, and a thank you card organizer. Bloomingdale's received an A rating from Starlight Registry.
Sears Gift Registry
Sears gift registry offers plenty of perks for couples who want to register with them. Brides and grooms who don't know where to start will benefit from their Wedding Registry Checklist, which will help them realize all of their options. Real Simple's article Where to Register for Your Wedding notes that dinnerware and Craftsman brand tools are popular items to include on the registry itself.
Additional popular traditional gift registries include Dillard's, Target, and Bed Bath and Beyond.
Six Unique Gift Registries
In today's modern world, registries aren't just for getting items like toasters and bath towels. Consider registering at these six unique places to get what you really want or need.
SoKind
SoKind allows couples to create a registry for things they want that aren't brand new items for their home, although physical items can also be included. Whether it's money for music lessons, museum memberships, donations to a favorite charity, or even secondhand items, SoKind allows brides and grooms to choose what they want to receive. Offbeat Bride notes it's a great alternative wedding registry.
Honeyfund
Hosting a wedding can be expensive and leave little left in the budget for a relaxing vacation after their event, which is why some couples may choose to set up a honeymoon registry. At Honeyfund, you can register to have a special meal at a ski resort or swim with the dolphins at your tropical destination. You can also link your traditional gift registry to the site. Transaction fees average around 1.8%. Honeyfund also made Huffington Post's list for alternative registries.
Zankyou
Zankyou is a unique option for couples who want to receive cash gifts to use towards their honeymoon, house, car, or really anything. Create a website with wedding details and a page with your chosen gift items. When guests choose a gift, couples actually receive the cash value of their gift instead of the physical gift itself. While this option is great for people who don't need a lot of "stuff," there is a small fee for using the services. A 2% handling fee and small transaction fee are charged. The website was favorably reviewed by Style Me Pretty and made it into Mashable's Spark of Genius series about unique startup companies.
The Good Beginning
For couples with a charitable bent, charity registries make a great way to allow your guests to purchase gifts that go straight to charity. The Good Beginning allows you to register for up to five charities to sponsor with your wedding registry, and it tracks donations making thank you notes easy to accomplish. This is a great type of registry for couples who don't need more stuff.
Wedding Registries Made Easy
Choosing the right registry is important, as the right place will ensure you end up with what you want without any hassle for yourself or your guests. Once you've registered, don't forget etiquette when it comes to letting everyone know about your registry choices.
