You and your fiancée are ready for the fun part of wedding planning- your registry. But before you start listing all your favorite items and dreaming of those amazing kitchen appliances… (wow, I sound really old and boring, dreaming of kitchen appliances, haha!) you need to figure out what stores your going to register with. Here are my top 3 tips for your wedding registry. They’ll help you choose the best stores, and ensure you have a good mix of items for every price point!

Tip #1: Choose stores you want gift cards from

You’ll be shocked at how many people don’t look at the items on your wedding registry at all. So many people just buy you a gift card for the store instead. If you’re thinking about adding a store in the hopes of getting a few specific items, but you know it’s not a place you would shop at otherwise, I wouldn’t bother putting it on the registry. You’ll receive a lot of gift cards, so you want to be able to use them all! One of the best tips for your wedding registry is to chose a shop with a large variety. This way you can buy helpful things with your gift card money even if your registry gets bought up.

Wedding Registry Tip #2: Pay attention to the price points of your registry items

You can run into trouble if you only have really high ticket, expensive items on your list. And if you only have low price-point items, you could be missing out on some nicer things your loved ones want to spoil you with! This tip helps you make sure everyone can get you something from your wedding registry that fits their price range.

A good way to make sure everyone can find a good gift is by making sure half of your registry items are $50 or under. These items are usually kitchen utensils, small appliances, and some less essential (but still fun!) gifts. After you’ve got a nice selection of lower priced items, have about 40% of your registry between $50-$100. These can be light furniture, décor, or more appliances. I’ve found that this price range is where a lot relatives and friends like to shop. The last 10% of your wedding registry should be big ticket items over $100. Don’t limit yourself here, you can put big furniture items, TVs, or any other major purchases on your registry! Those closest to you with the means to spoil you will want an opportunity to give your something really valuable.

Tip #3: Look at your store’s return policy for registry items

Once you actually start moving gifts into your house, you might realize your registry could have done with some tweaking. Maybe you got a piece of furniture you don’t actually have room for, or maybe you realized you got a bunch of tiny stuff and didn’t actually get the bigger items you really needed! Ask your store about their return policy and make sure you can return any gift items in exchange for either cash or store credit. It might also be a good idea to look up reviews of previous brides talking about how easy or difficult the return process is. If you’re a person who really wanted to ask for cash instead of physical gifts, this tip is extra important for you so you can make sure you’re making the most out of your wedding registry!

Now you know my top 3 tips for making your wedding registry work for you! Did you get any picture frames or decor for your wedding? Check out my cheat sheet on how to arrange your photos to decorate your house!