Cross Atlantic Wedding... shipping costs way too much

krcran06

So I am shortly moving to England for a few years while the fiance finishes his graduate degree.  We are getting married back in the states and plan to move back when he is finished.  Shopping across the Atlantic twice is insane (once is bad enough). 

Ideally people give us cash, we get a CD for a few years and let it grow....

Semi- ideally we register in the UK for everything (we are buying a house as well)

un-ideally we register at the US stores I and my family is familiar with and ship crap back and forth.

I know cash is a major etiquette issue... but has anyone else done this crazy back and forth over the atlantic? 

golden1215

Cant say that I have shipped anything but what are you going to use for the next few years, stuff you already have?  Wont that cost the same to ship back and forth?

Whether youre shipping a nice new coffee maker or an old crappy one from college, don't they weigh the same?

LalaLondon

I can relate to your post.  I am originally from the US but engaged to a Brit and currently living in London.  We are getting married in the UK, and plan to stay here for the next few years (after that, who knows?)

Transporting items across the Atlantic can get very expensive either way.  Ideally, most guests will give you money that you can invest...but you can't really ask for that. If you do want to register--where ever you decide to do it, I would suggest going lightly.

If you only plan on staying in the UK for a few years...maybe you should think about registering for items in the US and perhaps storing them with a parent?  Not sure if that is a possibility.  Perhaps you could select items that would store well, like pots. dishes, etc and skip electrical appliances, linens, etc.

The benefit of registering in the UK, is direct shipment to where you are living in the UK. However, I think that your guests will have to pay an extra charge on their credit cards for purchasing in a foreign currency--(I'm assuming that most of your guests are from the US).  If you are headed back to the US after a few years, again go lightly, that way you will not have to bring it all back with you.  I doubt that you will really want to pay the shipping cost associated with shipping it all back.

If you do register in the US and want to start using the items right away in the UK, plan on carting those items back with you, so I would suggest not picking anything too large or heavy.  Don't register in the US for any electrical appliances as the plugs and voltages are different in the UK.  Also. sheets sizes are slightly different so proceed with caution if you plan on getting it in the US for the UK. 

Hope this helps!

quotequeen

If you want money, just don't register.  If people ask, mention that you are moving across the ocean for a few years and won't be able to take very much with you.  Most people will get the hint.  If you receive gifts anyway, you can decide whether they are worth bringing or just store them somewhere until you return to the US.

However, as PP said, you are going to need some stuff when you are there anyway, so if you are going to have to transport a version of the item, you might as well transport a nice new version.

AmoroAgain

I recommend using amazon for a registry too.  That way you can use both the UK and the US site.  But, when H and I got married, we were living in Italy, with the plan to come back within the next couple of years.  We have a storage unit for things already and were just going to put things in there.  Sadly, no one got us anything from the registry.   So, I have a feeling that people who know your situation will just cash you out anyway.

jessicarabbit501

i think you should sell/get rid of your US stuff and have people send you things in the UK.  like PP said, it'll cost just as much to ship things overseas so why not just register for things there and not deal with the hassle?