Wedding Etiquette Forum

WR: Is it BS, or is it true?

FI and I went to register at BB&B this weekend (awesome, btw! Good tips on going there). The guy there said that we should register for at least 3 items per guest, the idea being that some people will buy several small things and that showers will reduce the total available items left.

We're having 100 guests, and I can't imagine registering for 300 things. DId you go by this ratio?

Re: WR: Is it BS, or is it true?

  • When we went at BB&B, the guy told us to register for an insane amount of stuff, too.  We just registered for what we wanted, which was a lot less. 
  • We're not registering as far as I know, but that number seems really high.  I mean, not everyone is going to buy off the registry right?
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  • We just registered for anything we wanted and figured if there was too much, we'd use the completion discount to buy it later.  If there wasn't enough, people will see the completed registry and most likely give gift cards or cash.

    Although I can't imagine everything gone from our registry.  There's tons of stuff on there.  Barely anything bought and only 4 days left.
  • Is this the only place you're registering? Because 300 seems like a lot for one store. Plus, not all guests will be giving you shower gifts, right? I imagine if you got a nice dinnerware set or something from a guest, that they might not also get you other things. And some people might not gift at all. Are you allowing for gift certificates? You might get a lot of those from OOT guests who can't make it. Good thing BBB has a lot of neat stuff! :)



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  • Definitely not.

    We weren't suggested anything like that. Honestly, a huge portion of guests will do gift cards or money, some won't bring anything and the rest will likely buy off the registry (but some won't.)

    Register for the stuff you want. Don't be excessive. Only register for the stuff you would actually use, and try to make note if you have room for it all.

    Ignore that 3:1 ratio. I don't feel that it's accurate.
  • Umm...yeah that is ridiculous.  
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  • Last time I bought off of a registry, i ended up buying 6 items. They were all different kitchen utensils and a cute holder, all sold separately. Maybe that's what he meant.
     
    If you are registering for linens, each person will not get you 1 washcloth or 1 towel, but will more then likely get you a set. Technically they are separate items. I think that is how he was thinking, not that you should register for 300 large items...
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  • They recommended a ton of stuff we didn't register for.  Just pick what you want, and go with that.

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  • We're also registering at Crate & Barrel and Anthropologie home (only about 10 things at Anthro). I figured it was good to have a variety of store options.

    I'm kind of hoping we get some gift certificates for C&B, since there's an AWESOME daybed that we're going to put on the registry the day before the wedding so we can get the 10% off discount. Our guests won't see that it's on there, so I'm hoping nobody will think we expect somebody (or even a group of people) to buy it for us.

    Allright, I'm glad I'm not the only one who thought that seemed high. I wasn't sure what was standard (I'm the first of my friends to get married).
  • Also, know your crowd.  FI's family buys off the registry for both shower and wedding gifts, but my family gives cash for weddings usually.  I definitely don't think you need that much stuff if your crowd tends to give cash.
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  • I'm sure BB&B would love if you registered for 300 items and they were all purchased Wink
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  • This kind of money making scheme really turns me off. I would probably take my business elsewhere.
  • In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_wr-bs-true?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:482b2f0a-b5aa-46fd-9662-29a11fa334f6Post:97d924cd-6058-4cec-b4b3-f8b6bf80203f">Re: WR: Is it BS, or is it true?</a>:
    [QUOTE]I'm sure BB&B would love if you registered for 300 items and they were all purchased
    Posted by vallyhoo[/QUOTE]

    Yeah, that was pretty much my thinking :)
  • We registered for a shiit ton of stuff and got most of it.  If you are having showers then it's a good idea to register for more.  We ended up registering for more stuff after my shower. 

    Also on a random BB&B tidbit.  We returned some stuff expecting store credit and they gave me cash.  A lot of cash.  Maybe my store is stupid and not following rules but I thought it was pretty awesome.
  • Ooh, you're registered at C&B? That's awesome. In that case, you can definitely limit your BBB registry to what you really want. And it's good to see you put a pricier item on your registry! You will be thankful for the discount on it later, and people will not judge that it's on there if it's only one or two things.



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    Taco cat: Always a palindrome. ALWAYS, okay J&K?

    "cool......insult my size 2 body or my natural brown hair...or the fact that my parents own a country club, I have no budget for a wedding, and I have horses. I really dont care. Its better then having roots." ~ futurepivko
  • We registered at C&B, only for the stuff we really wanted, which wasn't a lot. I wound up putting a few more things on the list later on when it was getting low a couple of weeks before the wedding. You can track your registries and add stuff as needed; that way, the stuff you want most will get purchased first, and the "optional" stuff can be added at the end.

    The 300 items thing sounds like a bogus moneymaking scheme.
  • In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_wr-bs-true?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:9Discussion:482b2f0a-b5aa-46fd-9662-29a11fa334f6Post:38e59583-cf9b-4061-90a8-34211df865ec">Re: WR: Is it BS, or is it true?</a>:
    [QUOTE] Also on a random BB&B tidbit.  We returned some stuff expecting store credit and they gave me cash.  A lot of cash.  Maybe my store is stupid and not following rules but I thought it was pretty awesome.
    Posted by caritravis[/QUOTE]

    That's actually how BB&B works.  Some friends registered there simply because they figured they'd return some stuff for cash.

    Re: registering at Anthro.  Be sure everyone knows it's an online registry.  We put that on our registry page on our website and still one of my friends bought us a present in store.  I had to quick take it off the registry so I didn't end up with duplicates.  Also, I was a sad more people didn't get us Anthro stuff :(
  • Thanks for the tip, julez. I'll put a note on our website right now.

    I'm sorry you didn't get more things from there...  They have some adorable stuff! I'm assuming the only people who look at it will be my college friends, since not very many people know what it is.
  • Haha, don't be sorry.  It's just me being a brat! 

  • The people at BB&B told us the huge number of stuff crap too, but we didn't listen.  It worked out fine.

    Also, after registering there, check your registry online.  We registered for plate/bowl sets and they offered to put it on our registry for us for convenience.  They also snuck on EVERYTHING else that matched those plates/bowls like butter dishes, sugar bowls, etc, that we didn't want.  Glad I caught it early.

    They did have a sweet event the other day that was a deal if you registered in the last year, you got 20% off anything in the store that you wanted to buy that day, and a bunch of freebies and cookies.. DH went because I had to work :(  Good luck!
  • In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_wr-bs-true?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:482b2f0a-b5aa-46fd-9662-29a11fa334f6Post:38e59583-cf9b-4061-90a8-34211df865ec">Re: WR: Is it BS, or is it true?</a>:
    [QUOTE]Also on a random BB&B tidbit.  We returned some stuff expecting store credit and they gave me cash.  A lot of cash.  Maybe my store is stupid and not following rules but I thought it was pretty awesome.<div>Posted by caritravis[/QUOTE]</div><div>
    </div><div>I wish this was true at my location!  I got duplicates at my shower and when I went to return then they would only give me store credit, no cash.  :(

    </div>
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  • That has probably been my biggest pet peeve about registering. Both Macys and BB&B said that for 250 invited guests that we needed to register for ~350 gifts. We just registered for what we wanted and that was that. I think they just want you to register for more in hopes that people buy it all and then the store makes money.
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