Wedding Timeline for Gift Registry

[lucy.lucy.80]

Just some background information: We chose not have an engagement party and our wedding is in 6 months. We are waiting to do our gift registry until the end of may (5 months prior to wedding) because we are currently looking for a house and that will alter our gift registry should we find one soon. I also feel if I do it now, by the time the bridal shower and/or wedding date come half the stuff is disconintued or sold out.

However, I have noticed a lot of people create their registry 10-12 months prior (and I have read that also in the wedding timeline things online) and I guess I don''t understand why. Yet when I go to the registry, I notice people have not bought a thing from it until it gets to about 3 months prior to wedding date.

My question is why do people create registries so soon (if they are not having an engagment party)?!? I am wondering if I should do it ASAP versus waiting another month. Did you find things got discontinued/sold out or was everything still as you had originally picked?

Insight would be great. Thanks

 

[Haven]

We just created our registry last month and we''ll be married in July, but we just waited because we''re slow to get things done, not because we were worried about things being discontinued or anything.

I will say that we weren''t sure if we were going to end up with the house we are (now) in the process of buying (YAY!) so it was difficult to choose some linens and such. But we just went back online and changed those choices once we got the house.

I imagine people register early because guests will often send wedding gifts (traditionally, at least) as soon as they hear of the engagement if they know they will be invited to the wedding. Technically, gifts are not expected for an engagement party, so I can''t imagine that''s why some people register so early.

I say go ahead and register whenever you know what you want. If you have really trendy (versus classic) taste then perhaps some things will become discontinued in the process, but you can always update those things as needed.

We went to a Crate & Barrel registry event and it was actually fun. They provided some food and beverages and the store was closed to customers.

 

[mimzy]

i would think that you don''t really need to register until right before your shower (if you are having one). it might be more convenient for some couples to register early (teachers getting it done in the summer, etc), but there''s not really rhyme to it i don''t think.

our wedding is in december and my shower is in october, so we probably won''t really register until august or september (because that''s when we''ll probably have time). however i did create an online register at amazon one night because i was bored. it''s sort of a rough draft, and i didn''t put a whole lot of thought into it, and it will probably be revamped closer to the shower.

but yeah, i have heard about a lot of items being discontinued if they were registered for too early! a lot of people get frustrated because they have to start all over with certain things!

 

[zoebartlett]

I can''t remember exactly when we registered but I know it was sometime over the winter (after Christmas I believe). We''re getting married in mid-July. I check our registry often to see if some things have been discontinued and so far, so good.

 

[Asscherhalo_lover]

i work in a registry and people register anywhere from two years to a month before their weddings. the ones who register early are usually having an engagement party and people are asking, the ones who register last minute are couples who are either having a short engagement or just don't really care.

what i recommend people do depends on their situation. if you know that you're a picky person, you'll need time to get it right. those people should give themselves more time to register and figure it all out. i've had couples spend 4 hours on just their china. other couples know what they want and just want to get it over with. they can wait awhile and do it quickly closer to the wedding if they want.

what i think is best for anyone is to start a registry when you get engaged, don't go crazy, just put on some stuff so if people want to get you a congrats present they can, as you get closer to your showers and wedding, update as necessary.

 

[ladyciel]

Our wedding is 9/13, and we did the bulk of our registering in the past month or so. Why did we do it now? Because we had time and we knew we''d need a while to think it over. One thing to watch out for is that some stores are VERY seasonal, enough so that their staff warned us of this fact when we asked them for registry information. In particular, stores like Crate and Barrel, Target, Pottery Barn, etc, where they are always doing their best to match the latest trends and the season, can be tricky for early registries. One strategy might be to register early for the things that aren''t likely to go anywhere (some of Crate and Barrel''s glassware has been there for 10+ years, for example) and then go back and add more risky items as the time comes closer.