37 of the Best Wedding Registry Ideas For Every Room of the House

wedding registry ideas

Creating your wedding registry is one of the most exciting parts of planning your wedding. Yet somehow it can also feel like the most stressful! Figuring out the which dinnerware to get or how many wine glasses you’ll actually need can get a bit overwhelming. When I was picking out gifts for our registry (which was around the same time I started this website!) I honestly had no clue where to start. My partner and I had a lot of basics, but there were things I wanted to upgrade (like the luggage I’d had since I was a teenager) and all the pots and pans we each brought with us from our single lives. Truthfully, I wish I had this guide! In this article we’ll go through the most useful wedding registry ideas by room, as well as how to figure out what you really need.

Where to Start

We’ll get more into where to register (we have other articles for that) but for now let’s assume you’ve set up your wedding registry on your favorite platform or store website.

The best place to start is by taking your phone (or pen and notebook if you’re old school like me) and write down every room/area in your house, along with other potential parts of your life you’d like to contribute to with tangible items, experiences, or money. Here’s a list to start you off:

  • Bathroom(s)
  • Bedroom(s)
  • Kitchen
  • Living Room
  • Dining Room
  • Bar
  • Outside
  • Optional Add Ons: Pets, Interests/Experiences (Such as Traveling or Cooking), Honeymoon or Other Cash Fund (Like Buying a House)

Once you have that list, begin to think about what you’re missing in each, or wish you had. You should also think about what you want to upgrade. Your wedding registry is a great time to upgrade so many things, from your sheets and towels to your wine glasses and dishes. As you stand in each room, think about what you would get it you went on a shopping spree. Because let’s be honest, that’s what a wedding registry is!

WGM Says: As you go through each room, think about the small, medium, AND large items you need. It’s become more and more common to register for larger items such as outdoor grills and even furniture, which you can often mark as a “group gift” on your registry. These are the big-tickets items that typically cost over $500 and guests can contribute however much they choose for them. It’s also important to include small items to your registry (IE: under $50) so there’s something for everybody’s budget on there. The general rule of thumb is to have 1/3 of gifts fall into each price range. So that would be 1/3 of gifts under $50, 1/3 between $50-$150, and 1/3 over $150.

Aside from the actual rooms in your home, more than 50% of couples we’ve spoken to add cash funds to their registry (especially honeymoon funds) as well as experiences. This can include a monthly wine subscription, cooking class (or any Masterclass), or gift card to your favorite restaurant. Also, don’t forget about your pets! If you’re upgrading your dishes, why not upgrade theirs? Registries like Zola, Joy, and the Knot have some great options for pet supplies.

Now that we’ve gone through the rooms or areas of your life you’d like to “upgrade,” we’ve come up with registry ideas for each. These ideas are based on years of feedback we’ve gotten from couples on the best items they’ve registered for, or later bought for themselves and wished they registered for. We’ve also included our own personal experience. Now, let’s get into the rooms…

Kitchen Wedding Registry Ideas

Your kitchen is one of the most complex rooms in your home to add wedding registry items for. That’s because everyone is different when it comes to their cooking needs. But truthfully, these are items that are helpful to have, no matter how often you cook or what you cook.

Food Processor:

One might argue that this is one of the most important kitchen tools you’ll use. We’re not saying you shouldn’t register for a stand mixer (you should!) but a food processor can make everything from bread dough to pesto. We registered for a Cuisinart food processor and still love it.

Dutch Oven:

Yes, you should probably get a complete cookware set. (We like All-Clad.) But the biggest workhorse in your kitchen will most likely be a Dutch Oven. We make soup, pasta, stews, roasts, and basically everything else with our 7-quart Staub.

Wine Fridge:

Even if you don’t consider yourself a wine connoisseur, you’ll want one of these. Not only can you can keep your white and red wines at the perfect temperature, but it will encourage you to buy wines that need to age a few years before you can drink them (since you know they’ll finally be stored properly). Just make sure you measure your space for the right fit, then check out this list of the best wine refrigerators to find the right match.

Cutlery:

A dull set of knives will ruin just about any meal. While you should consider registering for a complete knife block set, we’re also fans of starter sets like this Shun 3-piece collection.

Dining Room/Tabletop and Bar Wedding Registry Ideas

As you move from the kitchen to where you’ll be serving all those yummy meals you made with the help of your new stand mixer and knives, the dining room, tabletop, and even your bar are a bit more fun and are based on how often you entertain, as well as your personal style. Below, we’ve included some tried-and-true favorites.

Dinnerware:

We’re a fan of mixing everyday dinnerware with more eclectic patterns of bone china, which is super resilient. Our advice? Don’t be afraid to use it everyday! Most china (even the very expensive brands) are dishwasher safe. However some finishes (like those with gold or metallic) can’t go in the microwave, so be sure to check first.

Wedding Registry Ideas Plates
The Heath Coupe Line

For everyday dinnerware we are big fans of Heath. We mix ours with a vintage Fitz and Floyd pattern we found on Etsy (yes, you can register on Etsy, too!) and it’s such a fun combo!

WGM Says: Depending on how much entertaining you plan on doing, you’ll want to register for 6-12 place settings. If you have small dinner parties, 8 place settings is a great place to start. Same goes for glassware and flatware.

Glassware:

When it comes to glassware, you’ll want to start off with the basics:

  • Wine glasses (red, white, and champagne)
  • Water glasses (or tumblers)
  • Juice glasses
  • Rocks glasses (also called an Old Fashioned glass)
  • Coupes

From there you can add speciality glasses like Nick and Nora glasses (popular for cocktails), whiskey glasses, highball glasses, etc.

For water glasses, we really love this affordable 16-piece set from Libbey. And for wine glasses, you can’t go wrong with Riedel.

Flatware:

Avoid going too trendy with your flatware…you want something that will age well and goes with everything! Fortessa makes really great flatware for a good price, and you can register for it at most big-name stores.

Serving Platters:

I registered for some great serving pieces from Pottery Barn, and I still use them constantly 13+ years later. We have a large serving bowl that can be used for pasta or salads. We also have large oval and rectangular serving platters for turkey, meats, and even a whole fish. One item I wish we registered for was a cheese and charcuterie board! I really like the organic shaped olive wood boards that allow you to do some fun designs.

Linens:

Don’t underestimate what nice quality napkins can do for a place setting! We’re a fan of linen, which you can easily dress up or down depending on the occasion. These frayed linen napkins from Pottery Barn are our top pick.

Wedding Registry Ideas Jug and Glasses
Crafthouse by Fortessa

Bar essentials:

If you’re a fan of cocktails, you’ll want a good setup for a home bar. Must-haves include:

  • Cocktail shaker (start off with the easier Cobbler style, and as you get more comfortable you can try a Boston shaker).
  • Mixing glass and spoon. Bartenders say the perfect mixing glass size is 18.5 oz. or larger.
  • Cocktail strainer (this one from OXO is consistently voted the best).
  • Jigger for measuring (most bartenders prefer a Japanese style, which has a 1 oz. and 2 oz side). This one from Cocktail Kingdom is perfect.
  • Muddler

Electronic Wedding Registry Ideas

While not specific to one area of your home, there are so many great electronic appliances and devices you can register for that can help you with cleaning, communication, and more.

Smart Home Devices:

Whether you use Google Home or Amazon Alexa to control everything from your lights to your thermostat, your wedding registry is the perfect time to get a complete setup. And don’t forget your sound system!

Vacuum:

Every home should have a good vacuum, but they’re not cheap. Which is why you should consider making it one of your group gifts. The Dyson Cordless Stick Vacuum is seriously amazing (we use ours almost daily). But if we were to splurge even more, I would consider getting a robot vacuum. Having gotten two kittens last year, we went from a house of spotless floors to wiping up bits of tuna flakes and cat hair on a daily basis. I broke down and got the Q Revo during a Black Friday sale, and I don’t think I could love it more. We run the vacuum every two days and mop once a week, and it does a fantastic job of both (without leaving streaks which I was worried about on our porcelain white floors).

Bedroom/Bathroom Wedding Registry Ideas

Are you still using your sheets and towels from when you each had your own place? This is the perfect time to upgrade and splurge on a great set of both.

Bedding:

I’m still on the hunt for the perfect set of cozy sheets, but I think I’ve come close with Boll & Branch as well as Cozy Earth’s Bamboo sheets. While you’re at it, don’t forget the pillows! I found these Nest pillows earlier in the year and I’m hooked.

WGM Says: For sheets and towels, you’ll want to register for 2 sets per bed/bathroom.

Bath Towels:

As with sheets, your wedding registry is the perfect time to upgrade what you already have. We’ve tried A LOT of towels, and while some online reviews might say otherwise, I still think the best ones are the 802-gram Turkish towels from Restoration Hardware.

Patio/Backyard Wedding Registry Ideas

Don’t think your registry is limited to what’s INSIDE your house. Outdoor staples (including outdoor furniture) are becoming an increasingly popular item to register for.

Grill:

For those with a patio or smaller backyard, this electric grill from Kenyon is made of marine-grade stainless steel and can work indoors or outdoors. Read our review here. We’ve worked this grill hard for four years now, and it’s still working great!

Travel Wedding Registry Ideas

Aside from registering for a honeymoon (yes, you can do that! Read our review of the best honeymoon/cash fund registries), there are travel spales you should add to your registry as well.

Luggage:

By the time I got married, I had a beat-up roller bag that was ready to get lost on the luggage carousel. Registering for a great set of luggage for myself and my husband was one of the best wedding registry ideas we saw. Depending on how much you travel, you should consider each registering for a carry-on spinner (bonus points if it works for international flights), a checked bag, and a carry-on tote. From there you can add additional accessories such as packing cubes (these will change your travel life) and toiletry bags. We love our Away bag for checked luggage, and this Victorinox carry-on.

While you’re at it, packing cubes are another essential I couldn’t travel without!

Wedding Registry Ideas Luggage
Luggage set

When it comes to wedding registry ideas, the most important thing to remember is that you should register for what YOU want and need, not what someone says you should get!

What are your wedding registry essentials? Let us know in the comments section below!

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