tips for registering?

rsmiles77

I'm already starting to feel anxious about registering as I've heard that the process is very stressful and overwhelming! Already FI and I went to a few shops that we're considering though we'll prob go with BBB and Macy's. Any tips for making the experience less overwhelming or stressful?

jagore08

BB&B will offer to have a consultant walk you through the store.  If you're like me and don't want someone following you around and making recommendations for things you know you'll never need, but they assure you you have to have it, then ask them to show you how to scan a few items and go off on your own.  They also give you a little booklet of suggestions for your registry.  DH and I actually had fun registering.

LeiselEB

I have really loved registering for things!

I did a lot of researching online before going to stores - I read reviews, compared models and prices, etc. I didn't want to go to the stores and just start scanning. 

A lot of things I actually just added online, and then went in to add things I wanted to see in person. This made it a lot easier, I think. 

Definitely make a list of what you guys will use - what's listed in the booklets stores hand out is not for everyone. 

Be mindful of price points, but pick out what you actually want and will use. You might be surprised at how generous people are Also, some stores will say that if you have X amount of guests you need Y amount of gifts. Don't follow that rule, it can be totally ridiculous. Yeah, you want guests to have options, but don't add things for the sake of it. Add what you would like to receive, and would want to buy for yourself if you don't receive it.

Think of things you may not need right now but will want in a couple of years. We probably could do without fine china for a couple of years, but I know that some of my family friends love buying that sort of thing so we went ahead and registered for it now. 

Happy registering

annmarie2526

I went to Macy's to register, but didn't end up staying long. I walked around and took a look at things then completed the registry online. Sitting at home with a cup of tea was much less stressful than walking around the store for hours picking things.

You can change and update it at any time as well. The website also tells you which items are recommended for registries and which items are located at the store you think most of your guests will be shopping!

hoffse

I suggest taking one of those lists you can get off of BBB's websites of things you "have to have" to see what you need.  Then I suggest starting your registry online and then going into the stores to see things in person and scan a few things that may not be online.  Macys, for instance, has a stock of stuff that isn't online.  

We have begun registering even though it's a bit early (13 months or so) because I'm graduating from law school in May and moving to a new city.  My family and some friends have asked me to make a "wish list" of stuff for graduation, so we just went ahead and started registering.  Personally I dislike talking to the wedding consultants in the stores because many of them pressure you to get certain things without giving you the time to look at it yourself.  With me they got really disappointed when I told them I was only registering for serving pieces for my china (because I have place settings) and no crystal (because I inherited some), and they actually asked me to add a second pattern.  Ummmm no.  When I tried the method of setting it up mostly online and then going to the store to add a few more things, they saw that I already had 30 or 40 things on my list and left me alone.  I found it went a lot faster that way and was a lot more enjoyable.  

I also recommend what PP said about reading reviews.  People on amazon, for instance, seem to make it their job to leave really detailed reviews about home goods, small appliances, etc.  It's a great source of info.

rlavach

Try not to do too much in one day. Just do one store. If you feel too tired or overwhelmed, stop & go back another day. Or, just do the bigger items in the store & add the rest online. That's what we did. It's really easy to go back & review your choices online to make sure that you didn't put any duplicates between stores.

meganb1977

Fiance and I just registered at one store (which I considered less stressful) because we really don't need much anyway and basically just wanted to register for china and extra flatware.  We have pre-shopped and I had already selected the patterns which saved a bundle of time, but it would probably also save time even if you've just browsed the patterns online and picked two or three favorites that you want to look at more closely in the store.  We made a date night out of it on a Friday evening so maybe if you look at it that way and kind of like a fun thing it will seem less like a chore?

ElisabethJoanne

If you have your own list, organize it by department. I had a short, unorganized list, and we kept walking back and forth and up and down through 6 storeys of Macy's, going through my list.

If you want sales people to be hands-off, come in looking prepared. I had my own legal pad and pen, and my lawyer's attitude on (at Macy's, I had my lawyer's suit on, too). We got minimal sales pressure.

I wish I'd had a prepared answer for the sales pressure we did get at Sur la Table. Maybe, "We live a simple life" or "We plan to move frequently" would have been better than what I ended up muttering when they insisted a third garlic press would make a perfect shower gift.

melaniemcdonald

Right now Macy's is hosting nationwide "Sip & Scans" where you can RSVP for a store event (which is free BTW), and they have drawings for prizes, DJ, and mocktails and catered hors d'oeuvres.  I went to one with my fiance' and it was alot of fun.  It's always better when you can feed your man to distract him while he's scanning.  I think you'd have to call a store in your area to find one.  Totally worth it to go.  Also, if you are wondering what you may need for registering, if you have a good idea in your head as to what you need, go with it, or if you will feel stressed, go through your house and see what you may want to update, like if between you and your fiance' you have 4 different kinds of flatware, but not a full matching set, you will want to add it to your registry.  Same goes for casual dinnerware, or serving pieces.  You don't think you need it until you REALLY need it with friends coming over for a dinner.  A registry is a dream list, so don't be shy about putting down extravagent items on your registry.  If it's something you really would like to have, you never know who may suprise you.  Sometimes items in a higher price point are going be more quality and enduring than items in a lower price point.  Enduring items you won't have to worry about replacing in the future.  If you have a family member that received their cookware for the wedding, and that was their favorite gift, they will be more apt to give that to loved ones.

torrj28

Pampered Chef wedding registaries are easy, fun and a great way to get what you need for your kitchen. Anything that is not purchased as a gift you get a discount on and you get a discount for an entire year from the start of your registary. If you insterested a stress free registary feel free to check out my site www.pamperchef.biz/jesschieffo and you can let me know if you interested

JaxInBlue

We did a lot of the things PPs have suggested.  We made a list of stuff we generally wanted to upgrade or add.  We thought about places in the house we wanted to develop consistency in color or decor.  When it was actually time to register, we tried to focus on one room at a time - first kitchen, then dining room, then bathroom.

Something that helped us a lot was figuring out where each of us really wanted to upgrade and working on those places more than others.  Our list was really skewed toward kitchen stuff, as we wanted to get better quality and more consistently similar stuff there.  I also wanted to have some nicer table linens, so we spent a little more time there.  We didn't have much in the line of decorations or bedroom stuff. 

We also added a few higher-end items to our registries soley for the purpose of getting the completion discount, but we made sure we ran the price gauntlet from individual napkin rings to (shocking!) the stand mixer. 

Have fun with the process!  Good luck!