You should aim to have items in a wide price range on your wedding registry throughout your engagement. 

 
Why should you have a wide price range of items?

You need to have low cost items on your registry because:

• Many of your guests may have a limited budget to spend on their gift.  Simply put - be considerate and make sure there are plenty of affordable options for everyone.
• Some guests enjoy purchasing multiple smaller items.
• There are lots of household items that you will most likely need that will be under $25 even if you get the highest quality available.

You need to have more expensive items on your registry because:

• Some guests will want to spend a considerable amount on your wedding gift and may not want to hassle with purchasing multiple items.  Be considerate of these guests by having some more expensive options.
• Some people may want to go in together to get you a larger, more expensive gift. 

So what prices should your registry items be?

The common price categories for wedding registry items are:

• Under $25
• Between $25 - $50
• Between $50 - $100
• Between $100 - $200 
• Over $200

The percentage of items you register for in each category will vary depending on the goal you have in mind for your wedding registry and also on your guests' budgets.  Since you don't know what your guests are going to spend, we suggest starting with the following percentages and adjusting your registry as items get purchased.

• 30-50% of the total items on your registry: Under $25
• 20-40% of the total items on your registry: Between $25 - $50
• 10-20% of the total items on your registry: Between $50 - $100
• 5-15% of the total items on your registry: Between $100 - $200 
• 5-15% of the total items on your registry: Over $200

Notice that the percentages are based off the number of items, not the total cost.  The dollar amount of the items is fairly even across the price ranges even though the number of items on your registry will be more skewed towards the low-end.

Remember that your wedding registry should have a wide mix of price options throughout your engagement.  If you notice that a lot of the items in a certain category are being purchased, make sure to replace them with new items.  This task will most likely be the hardest part of being well registered, but the reward of keeping your friends and family happy and unoffended will be well worth your time.

We realize how important it is for you to have many options to choose from when it comes to inspiration for your wedding registry.  So we're working to increase the number of inspiration boards available on Well Registered.

We've already doubled the number of inspiration boards for both Target and Williams-Sonoma.  Now we are excited to feature some new inspiration for you from Crate & Barrel.  Check out the Inspiration Board Homepage for Crate & Barrel, and see our favorite new boards below.  (Note: All items are in-stock and linked on the inspiration boards available at Well Registered.)

It's Thank You Thursday again on the Well Registered Blog and today we're featuring some of our favorite thank you stationary in different price ranges.

While Well Registered focuses on wedding registries, each week we will feature some of our favorite wedding day inspirations and tutorials. This week we're inspired by Do It Yourself projects made from yarn.  Like the projects with paper featured a couple weeks ago, using yarn is very versatile since you can use any color you'd like. 

There are many options available for your wedding registry, so how do you choose the perfect stores?  Here are some factors you may want to consider when choosing your wedding registry stores.   


1 – Your Wants and Needs

The number one factor that should drive the choice for your wedding registry stores should be your own wants and needs.  Take some time to think about the purpose behind your wedding registry, and then choose stores that could help fill that purpose.  For example, if you need a lot of basic housewares be sure to register at a large department store with a wide selection of products.  Or if you want a beautifully stocked kitchen for cooking, consider registering at stores that focus on kitchenware.  Evaluate your wants and needs, think about what different stores have to offer, and begin to choose your perfect wedding registry stores from there.


2 – Location

Your location should also affect the choice of your wedding registry stores.  You will want to choose stores that are:

• Convenient to you – Even if you set up your wedding registry online, we suggest that you try to visit the store and see your items in person.  You will want to feel the towels and linens you register for, see dinnerware up close, and make sure colors are similar to their online depiction. If you wish to see the items in person, make sure to register at a store that is reasonably close to your location.

• Convenient to your guests – If your guests are concentrated in a certain city (or cities) try to find at least one store for your registry that is available in that location.  Many wedding guests still prefer to walk in a store to choose their wedding gift, and you want to make sure that option is available for as many of your guests as possible.

3 – The Store's Price Range

When choosing your wedding registry stores you should also think about the price range of products available at the stores.  Consider your wants and needs, but also be considerate of your guests.  Make sure to register at stores that offer a wide price range for their products and will be affordable for your guests.


4 – Incentives and Perks

Many wedding registry stores offer incentives and perks for wedding registrants.  If you're interested in free gifts, cash rewards or completion discounts, make sure to check out the different incentives available to help you choose your stores.  We offer a snapshot of this information for the stores we feature on Well Registered in The Stores section. 


5 – Your Style

Your personal style should also affect the decision for your wedding registry stores.  Many stores offer bedding coordinates and dinnerware, but many stores won't offer products that fit your style.  We created our inspiration boards to help couples easily see which stores offer products that fit their style.  Browse the boards to see which stores are right for you. 


Choosing the stores for your wedding registry is a difficult decision that could affect the look, feel and function of your home for many years.  Take time to think about these five factors and you will likely find your perfect wedding registry stores.

It's Thank You Thursday again on the Well Registered Blog and today we're featuring some of our favorite inexpensive options for wedding thank you cards. 




We like these Hortense B. Hewitt Wedding notes because they are simple yet fun.  As for the details, the bird detail is printed in aqua and the words are in brown.  These thank you cards are currently being sold for $17.76 for a pack of 50 cards and envelopes.

Store profiles for each of the stores we feature are now up on Well Registered.  For each store we've laid out information about:

• The perks offered to wedding registrants such as completion discounts, bonus gifts, and more
• The return policies 
• The options your guests have for gift wrapping 
• What we like and don't like
• And more! 

To learn more about the popular wedding registry stores and what they have to offer, check out "The Stores" page on Well Registered.