Is registering for "hobby" gifts tacky? Ie: Bikes

TCbride1

Would it be tacky to register for bikes? We love the outdoors and would honestly get more use out of them then some expensive vase or plate

A couple who's wedding I'm attending this summer registered for camping equipment, along with some household items. I thought it was a great idea!

LeiselEB

It's really not my style - I wouldn't buy  a couple camping equipment or fishing gear or bikes - but there's no harm in putting it on your registry, I guess. 

aragx6

As long as they're presents for the couple I never mind these alternative registry ideas. If you registered for a tent I would totally buy you one. I feel the same about bikes.

RusticGlamour

I know my grandmother has expressed dismay and shock at couples having done this. I think younger generations see this as a little more normal - since couples live together ahead of time and may not need all the start up items people would need.

I've also heard of people doing this, not because they expected it as a gift, but because you could get the discount later and I think people also are aware of this if they're familiar with the wedding industry/have been through it themselves.

Like I said though, theres definitely still a group out there that doesn't approve of it though so if you don't know everyone coming to your wedding all that well (FI's great aunt or something) its a possibility someone could get their feather's ruffled, or more simply that you just won't get it.

The other alternative would be to have a smaller registry, hope for cash, and use the cash to purchase items like that.

mcdoh006

As long as it's something for the couple - I think it's cool.  

jessicabessica

I would also try to have some traditional household items on your registry for people who want to buy kitchenware, dishes, etc., but I think it's fine to add other items that you will use together.  We had a tent and a bike rack on our registry, and both were purchased.

JaxInBlue

I don't think its tacky, but I do think that it could cause some raised eyebrows in some families.  Have a lot of your family members had similar mixes of traditional and less traditional items on a registry?  DH and I had a couple of "fun" items on ours - board games and a flip camera - but I think they made up less than 10 items total.  I think if there's a a good mix, it's okay, but I wouldn't completely skip what people regard as traditional items. 

If your hobbies aren't that well known, you could have more people that think it's weird and I'm not sure I'd feel comfortable registering for two pricier bikes or very specialized pieces of outdoor equipment.  I guess I'd just make sure that having such a focused registry doesn't preclude you from covering a variety of price points and that there's still something for Great Aunt Millie.

ingramnusz

As a wedding guest, I've always gravitated towards nontraditional registry items-- probably because I tend to wait til the last minute to buy wedding gifts, but that's beside the point! But it's fun giving someone a board game or something like. Plus, when I was broke and in college, some of the nontraditional gifts more like a "real gift" than the single towel or kitchen gadget that I could afford otherwise. We've got a good mix of traditional and nontraditional items--probably 80/20 traditional/hobby. We've got a few tools, some Board games, and a DVD boxed set.

erbear84

I heard of someone who registered for toilet paper and paper towels, so, no, I don't think registering for a bike is tacky at all.

librababy

You can register for anything you want within reason... but it doesn't mean you'll get it.  If you are fine with putting a set of bikes on your registry, go ahaed... people who know you well and know it's what you want just might get it. Just make sure to have a variety of other trdtional registry items in different price ranges for people to choose from.

On a side note, Fi expressed wanting to register for a PS3.  NOT going to happen.   Personally if I saw that on a registry, I would LOL.  

sbelle85

I don't think it's a good idea. If you want/need those things, maybe one or two novelty items, but I personally would limit it to that. 

We had some friends who registered for a bunch of - for lack of a better word - toys for their wedding. They asked for guns, bikes, kayaks, water skis, camping equipment, and any combination of accessories for those items that you could imagine. They also offered guests the opportunity to mail cash donations that would go towards these things. I was appalled, and so were my fiance's parents. I know from talking to other friends that we were not the only ones who thought it was in poor taste.

I have always been of the belief that the purpose of wedding gifts was to give "housewarming gifts" that a couple will need as they start a new life together. Dishes, towels, linens, serving pieces... things that young couples generally don't have and that it often doesn't occur to you that you may need. If you don't want/need things like that, don't register. But I don't personally think that registering for a bunch of toys and games is appropriate. 

klwpaz

We have been to several weddings where people registered for camping equipment, board games, etc. Personally, I want to buy something for the couple that I know they will use and enjoy, whether it's fluffy bath towels or a camp stove... we registered for both.

j-harvey