"How many items should we add to our wedding registry?” is one of the most common questions engaged couples have while creating their registries.  We have plenty of advice to give on this subject, but the most important is founded on this popular quote:

We believe that you should also have nothing on your registry that you do not know to be useful or that you believe to be beautiful.  If you both hate coffee, you probably shouldn't register for a fancy coffee maker.  If you know you won't use crystal serving pieces, there is no place for them on your registry.  No matter how traditional an item may be for a wedding gift, if you don't love it or know it will be useful you do not need to bring it into your home. 

With that said, there are some guidelines as to how many items you should put on your wedding registry.  First you will want to make sure you know how many guests are expected to attend your wedding.  Many stores and wedding experts suggest that you should register for two to three items for each guest you are expecting. 

We suggest, if you are wanting to register with your goal in mind, that you should register for one item for each guest to begin with.  For example, if you are expecting 100 guests at your wedding you should add about 100 items to your registry.  Take time to think about the purpose behind your registry and decide what items you want to receive the most.  Put your most-wanted items on your registry first.  Then as gifts get purchased, add more items to your registry. 

Most guests appreciate having a wide selection of gifts to choose from when purchasing off wedding registries.  If you know that you won't have time to keep an eye on your registry, you should try to add more items initially.  In this situation, we recommend registering for two items per guest.