How to Create a Wedding Registry that Might Actually Get Filled

Wedding registries have become easier and more available to brides. The World Wide Web has made registering for your gifts as simple as the click of a button, all without leaving the comfort of your desk chair. While this adds the benefit of accessibility, more and more couples are creating wedding registries that are close to impossible to fill, and many brides find themselves after the honeymoon with thirty towels and only one place setting of their china. These simple rules to registering can keep your wish list manageable and affordable to your guests.

Rule #1: It's all about the china: Your china pattern is the most important part of your registry. It is the most traditional of all wedding gifts, and the one thing you are least likely to purchase on your own. Pick a pattern that is timeless and flexible, these will be your showpiece serving pieces for life and the last thing you want to do is redesign the dining room of your second home to match your outdated china. 12 place settings plus serving ware will be in most cases sufficient. Along with the china, register for 12 place settings of complimentary utensils and a serving set, as well as enough red wine, white wine and fluted stemware to go around.

Rule #2: Limit your other items to what you really need: A set of 8 "everyday" dishes and flatware, 8 tumblers, towels and 2 sheet sets is a good start. Keep the extraneous gifts to a minimum. Now is not the time to register for what you will not buy for yourself, and you don't want to sacrifice your full set of china for a stainless steel garbage can. Consider the number of guests attending your wedding and cut that number in half to allow for couples. If you register for more gifts than guests, you could end up with more useless items than necessary ones. Do register for a couple of more expensive items for coworkers and guests who would like to buy in a group, but only one or two.

Rule #3: Keep registries at as few stores as possible: While it may only take minutes on line to register at 10 different locations, this only makes it harder on gift givers to keep track of your lists. Guests at weddings vary in age and ability, and many of your elderly guests may not be web savvy. It is easier on them to keep longer registries at two or three stores than to send them driving around town searching for a registry that hasn't been filled. Three is a good number to follow, a higher end retailer for your fine china, crystal and flatware, and everyday store in the median range for decor and linens, and an inexpensive store for small appliances and general use items.

Rule #4: Consider the disposable income of your guests: Nothing makes a gift giver feel more inadequate as a registry they can not afford to purchase from. Make sure your registry has enough items at lower price points to allow those with less income to buy a present without breaking their banks. Linens, kitchen accessories, picture frames and small appliances are all traditionally lower priced items specifically for these guests. A good rule of thumb is to make sure than none of these items costs more than half of one of your place settings of china.

Rule #5: It is never appropriate to send registry information with the wedding invitation: If you use the same registry for your bridal showers as your wedding, in which case expand your registry to include these events, then you can send registry information with your shower invitations. If you are not having a shower or you are using a different registry, then you should only bring it up when you are personally asked. In this case, make sure the wedding party and the mothers of the bride and groom have this information as well as they will most likely be asked also.

Rule #6: It is rude to ask for money on your registry: Instead, consider registering for gift cards if that is an option at the stores you have chosen. You can also open a "honeymoon fund" with a travel agent as an alternative and let guests contribute to your honeymoon.

Wedding guests want to celebrate your new life as a married couple with a gift they know you'll love, and registries are designed to make that process easier for them. If you follow these rules for registries, you'll find yourself with everything you need to get off on the right foot, and your guests will be happier as well.