At How Many Places Did You Register?

stantokm · August 2012

My FI and I have registered at Macy's, Bed, Bath & Beyond, and Williams-Sonoma. There are still some things that we haven't registered for, like everyday drinking glasses and stemware, because we haven't found what we wanted at one of those stores (or just haven't found them yet).

What I'm wondering is how many places can I register at without looking greedy? I only have 35ish things on one registry and fewer than 20 on another so it's not like each one has a million things. I've just never seen someone register at more than three places and I'm afraid of people judging me.

What do you all think?

catwine · August 2012

WE registered at 2 places that offer guests the chance to buy online as well as at the store. several of our guests are OOT so we figured this was easy for everyone...plus in my town, tehre are literally 2 stores to register at and thats it! I'd try to have as much as possible on one registry. more than 3 might look weird...maybe you can go back to your stores and look for the things you still need.

we only created the second registry after learning that a lot of items on our first one have been discontinued.

emswanson613 · August 2012

We registered at 4 places because our guests are from all around the county and we wanted to make sure there was probably a place that was near them that they could visit.

We did Macys, Williams Sonoma, Bed Bath and Beyond, and Crate and Barrel.

And like you, some of ours only has a few things, so far our guests just have liked the variety to choose from.

jessicabessica · August 2012

We registered at 3 places (Macy's, BBB, and Amazon), and the party line around here is no more than 3. I've seen some couples with 4 store registries plus a handful of charity donation suggestions plus a HM registry, so I personally would not side eye 4 store registries (not bad by comparison).

If you don't want to go above 3, you could:
- Make a universal registry at a place like Amazon, and you could add things from multiple stores (negative to doing this is that you don't get the completion discounts, so I would only do this for stores where you only wanted a few things)
- Add a 4th registry only if you see your other registries getting fulfilled. A wedding I recently attended had this (well, started with 2, then added a 3rd), and it was actually great, because it opened up so many more options to get registry gifts.
- Plan to use cash gifts you receive to buy the remaining items after your wedding.

hoffse · August 2012

We've got like 4 1/2 - 4 that people will know about via the website, and one that's local to my little hometown where like 3 people might shop. I don't have the local shop on our website, because I feel that they are overpriced and really only registered there to keep some people happy. It's the only place in town to buy fine china, so a few ladies will go there, but most of our guests are OOT or will use the internet to shop.

4 -6 stores listed on a website doesn't bother me one bit. If you need a store that's more of a free-for-all, check out Amazon like PP mentioned. You can add some odds and ends there that you won't find at the other three places.

Honestly, what bothers me way more is seeing like 2-3 registries that each have 300 things on them. I think it's fine to have more stores with a smaller selection at each place - that shows you thought about it, and it makes me as a guest more willing to buy you the things you clearly really want. Plus, it caters to a wider group of people. Some people won't shop at WS - others won't have a Macy's nearby- but with a larger list of stores you're more likely to hit upon one that all your guests can/will shop at.

stantokm · August 2012

Thanks for the suggestions!

I think that I will hold off on a fourth registry until after the bridal shower if we think that we need more gifts on the registries. Our wedding is in FI's hometown and the closest Macy's and WS are about an hour away for a large portion of guests who live there--though they can always order online. I'll just table all this for now since there's still so much time before the wedding.

cwaggoner07 · August 2012

I think you only need more than 3 if you're using a local store from someone's hometown.
Example: a lot of H's parent's friends bought us things from the local housewares store, even though we didn't register there. I really wish we had, just for the convenience of people living in that small town, and to support local business. People shopped there anyways.

Ali092011 · August 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_registering-gifts_at-how-many-places-did-you-register?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:34Discussion:33d3bbcd-3ddf-4f6e-821c-8f49a87b5301Post:ab2b8c0f-87c8-48c8-b544-017fc85e7a1e">At How Many Places Did You Register?</a>:
[QUOTE]My FI and I have registered at Macy's, Bed, Bath & Beyond, and Williams-Sonoma. There are still some things that we haven't registered for, like everyday drinking glasses and stemware, because we haven't found what we wanted at one of those stores (or just haven't found them yet). What I'm wondering is how many places can I register at without looking greedy? I only have 35ish things on one registry and fewer than 20 on another so it's not like each one has a million things. I've just never seen someone register at more than three places and I'm afraid of people judging me. What do you all think?
Posted by stantokm[/QUOTE]

I know some posters disagree with this, but I personally don't see a need for more than three registries, and two is even better IMO. I would keep looking for stemware and drinking glasses at the places you're already registered. All three of those stores have a pretty comprehensive selection--there's got to be something you like at one of them. I mean, maybe it's just me, but after a while, all of that stuff starts to look the same anyway.

As far as the second bolded part--I think it depends on how well-established you are. If you're just starting out, guests will know you need everything and it won't bother them. As long as it's not obvious that you're using your wedding as a chance to upgrade every single thing you already own, you're fine. One good rule of thumb I've seen on TK is to not register for anything you wouldn't buy yourself at some point.

It also depends on your guest list. Following the patented advice, if you've registered for two items per couple on your guest list or less, you're fine. If you're having 50 people at your wedding and you've registered for 300 items at each of four places, I'd imagine people will judge.

With all that said, though, people who will be looking at your registries are people who want to buy you a gift, so do what makes you comfortable and it will be fine.

Peledreamsofrain · August 2012

I personally think it's like most things that has to do with weddings: Do what fits your personal comfort and circumstances. Its your wedding after all.

I personally registered at 4 stores because we wanted a spectrum of items that weren't offered at all one place, and we wanted to offer guests a variety of price points. For example, we have some friends who are more comfortable with our Target registry, where some of our friends and family are more comfortable and prefer our Williams and Sonoma registry.

Then there's the non-traditional household items that neither store would cover, such as furnature items and lawn-care equipment, which Sears and Mohr covered nicely.

If people judge us harshly by such a small thing that was designed for their comfort anyway, then I am unconcerned with impressing that particular person in the first place (miserable people are pretty determined to be miserable).

Then there's always the fact that every registry you enroll in enters you for coupons and contests!

fargo4 · August 2012

I registered at 3. I was going through the same thing with not finding exactly what I wanted but I just registered for generic drinking glasses (or whatever) and if we decide we don't like them we'll take them back. You also have to remember that you're going to get lots of cash so you don't have register for every little thing, you can just look for the perfect table runner or whatever it may be after the wedding.

PJSPJS · August 2012

We registered at 3 places, and they are exactly the same ones that you chose: Macy's, Williams-Sonoma, and BBB.

tigergirl7 · August 2012

We registered at 3 [WalMart, Target, and BBB]. And we only did that many because our guests are spread out over the country.

At How Many Places Did You Register?

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