No house yet. What to register for?

JD71114

Hello everyone!

I am newly engaged and having my wedding in July 2014.  My fiance and I have not bought a house yet and are having difficulty deciding what to register for while we don't know what kind of space we will be moving into.  Any suggestions?

AddieCake

We were moving shortly after the wedding, so kind of in the same boat. We just registered for upgrades of things and things we needed/wanted that we would need no matter where we lived, liked dishes, pots and pans, crock pot, blender, etc.

daria24

We live in a small apartment, so we registered for things we knew we would use a lot: every day dishes, pots and pans, towels, etc. We skipped formal china, crystal, etc-things that would sit in storage for most of the year and we didn't have any space for. 

hoffse

You're more than a year away.  You have time.  We registered more than a year out but only because I was graduating from law school.  We had a few things bought then, a couple more small things bought around Christmas, and then nothing else until February.

You can register for neutrals ifyou still don't have a house or any sense of what your decor might be when you buy one.  But maybe wait a year until you register unless you have a reason to do it sooner.

itzMS

Definitely wait a few more months and evaluate your needs before registering.

Unless you're planning a cross-country (or other elaborate) move, you can always use the basics and some upgrades to things you already have.

It might be a good idea to keep everything in its original packaging after the wedding if you're planning a move shortly afterwards.

Briannasteve

I actually registered In august 2012 when our wedding is in october this year. I did it because people were wanting to give us engagement gifts/christmas/ whatever... Thank god I started the registry bc it was a thousand times easier to manage, and I felt less awkward whenever my mother would tell me so and so wants to know what you want/need so they can give you a gift for your engagement. 

We also do not have a house yet... in fact we have been down on our luck financially so we are living with my parents... storing all of our stuff in their basement. I registered for all of the things I knew I would NEED and for things like towels I registered for whites/nuetral colors. The best thing about a lot of the registries are most places allow you to return 1-2 years after your wedding date. 

Cackle6

If you register with Bed Bath and Beyond, your registry remains active for 2 years after your wedding date, so you can return/exchange anything in that 2 year period. So if you're not sure on colors/sizes, you can still register for neutrals and what not and always exchange them later. Also, I would register for anything you think you need/want. Better to get it and not need it (and be able to return it) than not get it and end up needing it. The less you have to go buy when you do move into a house, the better. You'll be spending money on lots of other stuff once you get a house, trust me.

xoEmilyRose

I think it would be good to wait until the wedding gets closer to register. So many things get discontunued and out of stock, and it will just provide you way more work in the end. You might even get a house/new apartment by then, so you might have more insight on what you EXACTLY want.