Time flies when you’re a fiancé.
You’re in between your engagement and your wedding day, and on your seemingly endless list of boxes to check, you see “Register for wedding gifts”. We know how overwhelming that task alone can seem. Before you can even start figuring out what to register for and from where we wanted to give you some advice on the most commonly asked question from couples—how many gifts do I add to my wedding registry?
There are a few factors that go into the number of gifts that should register for: how many guests you’re expecting at your wedding, any additional celebrating you’ve got on the calendar, and how many gifts you register for at each price range.
To begin your wedding registry planning, you’ll want to have already nailed down your guest list, or at least have a pretty definite idea of how many guests there will be.
Once that number is set, our recipe for registry success goes like this: Register for two gifts for every one guest. Try and keep ⅓ of the gifts under $50, ⅓ under $100, and ⅓ over $150.
How do we come up with these numbers? Well, right now we’re seeing guests spending an average of $130 for a wedding gift. Of course, you’ll receive gifts both below and above this value. Generally, distant family and coworkers are likely to give around $50-$75, while immediate family and close friends are likely to spend $150 or more on their gifts.
A sweeping range of prices means everyone should be able to find something you like (and they do too!). Don’t be afraid to throw in a few high-priced items, either. On Blueprint Registry, we can make any gift a group gift, meaning that $500 Vitamix might be the perfect gift for your co-workers to go in on together.
Adding two gifts for everyone guest furthers the idea of giving guests options. It allows even the biggest procrastinator (aka, the one shopping from their phone after their rehearsal dinner) a wide variety of styles and price brackets to choose from. If guests think that your list is too slim (as in, all that’s left are kitchen utensils), they’re likely to start giving you gifts they’ve chosen from off of your registry.
For those of you throwing engagement parties or wedding showers, it doesn’t hurt to add a few more gifts. Remember that registries can be edited and added to at any time, so if you do get a lot of gifts before the wedding, it certainly doesn’t hurt to add a few more! At Blueprint Registry, we offer a 10% completion discount to get any must-haves after the wedding. Many of our top retailers also offer additional discounts to help you round out your registry after your wedding. So leftovers aren’t a bad thing.
And lastly, when registering for your wedding, don’t forget about cash. Creating a honeymoon or cash fund is limitless, so as many guests can contribute to it as you’d like. Even if all you want is simply cash, we suggest phrasing it as an experience (such as home improvement or flight fare). It’s more fun for guests to give you money if they have an idea of what it’s going for. If you use it for something else, well, we’ll keep it between us.
A note on etiquette: Registry guilt is a real thing—we know. We encourage our couples to remember a few things when they’re feeling greedy in the gifting process: One, that your guests want to give you a gift to celebrate your marriage. In their eyes, they’d rather choose from a wide selection of gifts than feel forced into purchasing one of the last products left on your registry.
Two, it’s an exchange—inviting someone to your wedding is a pretty big gift in itself. When feeling guilt, couples default to registering for only inexpensive options—don’t cave. Guests want to give you something you’ll really cherish and enjoy in your new, married life. Aka, not just salad tongs.
No matter where you are in the wedding registry process—from just getting started to wondering if your registry is complete or not, we’d love to help you and answer any questions you may have along the way. If you’re just getting started and not sure where to begin, check out our wedding planning checklist. We also encourage you to check out our wedding registry guides. They’re great at reminding you what you may be missing from your list!