Out of State Gift Registry

eschmid367

My fiancee and I recently moved to Ohio but we are getting married in Wisconsin since that it where all of our families and friends live. Right now we are trying to figure out where we should register as we plan on flying for the showers and potentially the wedding and even if we were to drive we would have very little room to bring presents back as we both have small cars. I have heard that Bed, Bath & Beyond provides free shipping if you bring back the presents so that you don't have to return them and purchase them again- has anyone done this? Or has anyone heard of any other stores doing this? We are just starting out and will be struggling for money as is saving up for the wedding so we don't really have the money to ship a bunch of stuff from Wisconsin to Ohio. If stores don't do this- would it be tacky to ask people to send to the gifts directly to Ohio instead of bringing them to the showers or wedding? Any other advice for planning a wedding in a different state would be greatly appreciated as well!

Thanks so much!

GoodLuckBear14

If you aren't going to open gifts at a shower then you should decline any type of gift giving shower.  If you can't get the gifts back to Ohio, then someone can always host a tea or a recipe shower for you. 

I have heard of people doing this a BB&B.  We didn't (shipping wound up being a lot less than what we thought and that was from CA to NJ).  I will tell you that exchanging silverware at BB&B that had clearly been used (not in a box and water spots all over them) turned into an ordeal because they tried insisting that I had to pay the difference between the full price and the price our guest paid with a 20% off coupon.  It took me nearly having a meltdown to get a manager there to approve the exchange. 

egm900

I'm getting married a 1,000 miles away from where we're getting married, and getting things back from my shower wasn't a big deal.  All of the guests knew I lived far away, and thought about that when purchasing gifts.  I also tried to register for items that are easily transportable on a plane (think towels, sheets, kitchen utensils, etc., not a bed in a bag).

I've lived several states away from my family for years, and it's really not that hard to get stuff back on a plane.  I brought back 8 place settings of dishes one Christmas, and none of it broke.  It just takes careful packing (you will have to discard the original packing), trying to keep breakable items in a carry on, and paying the $25 for a checked bag. 

Showers without gifts are boring, at my shower I had to open 3-4 envelopes, and that was when the shower started to drag (it's really not that interesting).  People who purchase gifts for you online will more than likely have them shipped to you.  My parents are also willing to store any gifts that we cannot transport home at their house, so we can take some back with us everytime we go to visit.  Since all your family and friends are in WI, perhaps you can find someone to do the same or just make a small registry (guests will realize cash/gift cards are a better gift if there isn't much on the registry).

Cackle6

BBB generally only provides free shipping if there are items on your registry that they don't carry in the store. I only got a few larger items for my shower that I just returned at the BBB in MN and re-purchased at my local store in PA (which is what my registry consultant suggested I do if I wasn't able to bring everything back with me on the plane). As far as wedding gifts, most people had them shipped directly to our house, and again I only had a few larger items to return and re-purchase. Most people will know you're coming from out of state and be mindful of that, so don't stress about it too much.

Also, ditto PP that mentioned making sure you have smaller items on your registry so you'll have a better chance of being able to fit them in a suitcase. I went to MN with my suitcase full of stuff for the wedding (a month before the wedding for my shower), so it was empty after I got there and I was able to fit a lot of shower girfts in it for the trip back to PA.

aragx6

If you want a shower, you have to figure out how to get the presents home; that's just part of the bargain. Hopefully most guests will not bring physical presents to the wedding (I understand this is somewhat circle specific, but I rarely see large wrapped gifts brought to the wedding -- usually just cards)