The Top Places to Register for Your Wedding

Just about every store -- except for supermarkets, but that could be coming -- has a fast and easy way for brides and grooms to register for gifts. Many places don't even require you to set foot in their facilities, you can just search them on-line. When choosing stores to open registries in, consider which places are easily accessed by your guests, who has the best return/refund policies, who has the most easily amendable registries, and, simply, who has stuff you're really going to want in your house.

My husband and I got married less than a year ago, and these were our picks. They are ranked by selection and quality of items in the store, ease of registering and updating the registry, return policy, and overall satisfaction:

1. Bed, Bath and Beyond. The registry department treats its brides and grooms-to-be like near royalty, minus the champagne and appetizers some high-end places might offer. Sales associates have ready-made registry packets that help organize what newlyweds need for their home by category -- and they offer items in just about every home making category there is. This is a helpful feature because it's easy to forget about small things -- garlic presses, wooden spoons, super-high-tech garbage cans -- in the midst of planning your wedding. They have recently upgraded their china and crystal patterns as well to include Kate Spade, Vera Wang, and other popular designers that have been only available in department stores. In short, this is a great place to start.

To register, you can speak to a sales associate at a store or start an account on-line. If you go to a store, you get to use the scanner gun, which can be a lot of fun. You can update your account at any time and discover what items you have received. This is a great feature for tracking packages. Unfortunately, you can't discover who bought the items for you. This can be frustrating when keeping up with thank-you notes.

The return policy at Bed, Bath & Beyond is very reasonable. The company gives you cash for items on your registry that you return, and in-store credit for returned items that are not on your registry.

2. Williams-Sonoma. This store really deserves the number one spot because of its high quality kitchen products, but it has fewer stores than Bed, Bath and Beyond -- which makes it more difficult for guests to access -- and no bed and bath items. They do have an on-line registry, though, so computer-savvy guests can shop without leaving their homes. They offer in-store credit for returns and a stellar on-line registry tracker that lets brides and grooms know not only who bought gifts for them, but their addresses as well.

3. Restoration Hardware. This is a much more expensive version of Bed, Bath & Beyond -- and there are a lot fewer stores -- but the quality of the linens, furniture, and even small accessories are very high. Restoration Hardware has an on-line registry that, like Williams-Sonoma, keeps up with names and addresses of gift-givers. They offer in-store credit for returned items.

4. Target. Target has just about everything a newlywed might need at reasonable prices for guests, but the quality and selection of the linens, dish ware, and cookware is not as high as that of other stores. Guests may find the occasional deal, but Target is really the best place for fun items like board games, electronics, and outdoor accessories.

Brides and grooms can register on-line or at kiosks in the store -- which is a bit impersonal -- and can update their registries at any time. The return policy is a bit ambiguous. Items must be returned within 90 days for refunds, but certain items do not apply to this policy. Whether or not the purchaser bought the gift on-line is also a factor. If you receive a gift that was not on your registry and is on sale, you have to exchange it for something else in the store (at least, that's what happened to me when I tried to return duplicate cookware). They do have a scanner gun, though.

5. Home Depot. Home Depot has an on-line registry, but it is very difficult to navigate. The on-line registry had very few items, and it took a long time to find items in the rest of the on-line catalog and add them. Getting help at a store was also difficult, at least for me. We did open an account with Home Depot, but we did not receive any gifts from it as a result. We did receive gift cards, which were wonderful. Lowe's also has a wedding registry, which might be worth a try.

You can also look for specialty stores in your hometown. Smaller retailers may not have on-line selections, but they can be local favorites. Don't leave them out.

Though it may feel like you're being greedy by opening multiple registries, you are really helping your guests by giving them lots of gift-buying options. The more time you devote to selecting gifts you really want, the less time you'll spend in return/refund lines. Registering can also be a fun bonding activity for you and your spouse-to-be.