What Kinds of Gifts Do You Really Want on Your Wedding Registry?

Help me, APW: You're my only hope

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In my dream gig (universe? Were you listening?), next week I’m flying out to NYC to give a talk in front of wedding movers and shakers about wedding gifts, wedding registries, what is happening, and what… should be happening. Besides the fact that I’m bringing my husband and leaving my kids and spending two nights at a fancy hotel (I told you it was dreamy), I’m always looking for a chance to influence the wedding industry to get folks to realize what people’s real needs are and try to, you know, meet them.

Meaning, I want your opinions so I can shove them in my suitcase and take them to that capital of the wedding industry. And I know there is a whole bevy of intelligent minds and sharp eyes right here at APW, just waiting for me to ask what you think. After all, a lot of you are wedding registry pros: You’ve been there, done that, and are happy that it’s over. But others are just now trying to figure out where to register and why, which registry service to use, and how to politely explain to older family members that, no, china isn’t actually that useful a gift.

Since more couples than ever are living together before they get married, the nature of the wedding registry game has changed. For starters, a lot of couples already have tons of stuff that previous generations used to register for—think plates, cutlery, and waffle irons in the shape of the Death Star. And many folks have less need for the fancy things your grandmother might have used to entertain (china, silver, the works). Which can leave you in a quandary. What should you register for? What will your family and friends actually want to get you? And what registry items will you actually be using in five years anyway?

So I thought today, we could open up the floor and let you guys speak:

what did you love about the wedding registry experience? What did you dislike? What gifts are you still using, or do you think you’ll use the most? Which gifts do you really wish nobody would ever mention to you again? 

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