registry questions

Kelki · June 2010

How early is too early to register? Our wedding is 11/20 and the shower is 9/4. I was thinking sometime in July, but sometimes I worry that I am doing everything too early.

Also, for the girls who have an Amazon registry- how did you sift through every thing they have? Pardon my ignorance here but dang!- it seems so overwhelming.

Finally- Obviously I don't live in MI and my shower will be there. Our invite it will say "for registry information please visit our website at (website address)" at the site I would like to include a little blurb about how it would be great to have the gift shipped to my home in WA..any ideas how to tactfully do that? Obviously everyone won't do that, but for the family that wants to buy us a comforter or something big and doesn't want to worry about how It will get it back? I don't want to be rude, but it makes more sense logistically to just ship the big stuff, right?

stebbe81 · June 2010

The only down point to registering too early is that stuff sometimes get discontinued, it doesn't happen often but it does happen. I think you should register close to when the bridal shower invites go out. That's what we did and it seemed to work pretty well for us.

I was in the same boat as you in regards to having an out of state shower. For anything I couldn't fit in my suitcase I just returned in Michigan and repurchased them when I got home to Texas.

I know Booger aka Erin was an Amazon registry bride. I don't think she posts a lot on the weekends though. HTH!

corinne2010 · June 2010

I agree with pp. You don't want to register too early because some things get discontinued. I would say you're safe to register in late July. I would stay away from the seasonal stuff because that is usually turned over every month or so. After you register, check your registry occasionally to see if anything has been discontinued and you can update it accordingly. I think we had one thing that was discontinued so I just took it off the list.

I know if you register at BBB, you fill out the address that you want gifts to be shipped to. Where else would they have the gifts shipped? I would just try to get it out by word of mouth that any large gifts should be shipped to your home in WA.

You should also write on the invite where you're registered. I know if we would have put our website on there, quite a few people wouldn't have looked at it and then wouldn't know where we were registered.

Sue-n-Kevin · June 2010

I think you can put your website on the invitation, but as Corinne has said, a lot of people won't look at it.

I won't be registering, so I'm not sure on the timing. Just make sure you are registered a week or so before the shower, and you should be fine.

You also have to consider the timing of when people will have gifts shipped to your home address, and whether you and your fiance (or hubby after the wedding) will be home to accept the gifts. If you live in an apartment or condo and can have someone accept the gifts for you, that's fine. But if they are shipped to your home and you are here for your wedding or on your honeymoon, and there is no one to pick them up, they could just sit there, or be returned to the Fed Ex or UPS station for pickup. Not sure how long they hold them. I don't think you'd want that, so alternative arrangements would need to be made.

If it were me dealing with this situation, I'd probably register for just gift cards, no items, explaining nicely in your shower invitations that due to the cross country issue, and the cost of mailing gifts, or making sure someone is there to accept them, you'll make it easy on everyone and just do the shopping yourself. I know it's a bit unusual, and not having gifts to open is no fun. Maybe you can think this through, or someone else has an idea. Or you could do what Stebbe said & return the gift in Michigan for a credit and re-buy it in Washington.

Good luck.