Ahhh. The wedding registry. It’s like Christmas/Hanukkah every day you have it up and running. Coming home to a beautifully wrapped gift can somehow melt all your wedding planning stress away (for the moment…and until you have to sit down and write all those thank you notes). While receiving wedding gifts is definitely fun, you can make the entire process even better by registering at stores that offer you the best discounts and experiences. I previous wrote about the best stores to register at, and while those are definitely still on my list, I’ve added a few as well as included a couple wedding registry aggregates. Also, you’ll be thrilled to know (if you don’t already) that West Elm finally has a wedding registry!! I totally wish they had one when I registered, but even back then I was (thankfully) able to use any gift cards I got from Pottery Barn or Williams Sonoma at their stores. This perk still exists, and it’s even more reason to think about adding at least one of those stores to your registry list.
Another thing you’ll want to consider before you choose a store to register at is location, location, location. If you live outside of New York City you most likely won’t want to register at the MOMA Design Store or Michael C. Fina (which are both based there and do not have other locations.) Also, if you love Bloomie’s but there’s not one near you, choose a different retailer instead. You’ll want to be within close proximity to any store you register at so the return process is made as simple as possible (and trust me, there will be returns and exchanges).
A quick note before we get into it: Yo’ll want to register with stores who specialize in wedding registries, such as the ones below. While stores I love such as Restoration Hardware and Target offer wedding registries, one look at their registry functionality and it makes me NOT want to register there. It’s not that they’re not awesome, it’s just that you’re not going to get the ease of use when signing up or purchasing from stores who make wedding registries a focus/priority.
West Elm: 10 percent completion discount. You also get a 30 percent discount with the wedding website designers at Riley & Grey and special discounts via wedding stationery partner Minted emailed to you within a week of signing up. Gift cards can be used at sister stores Williams Sonoma and Pottery Barn.
Crate and Barrel: 10 percent off all full price items for 6 months after your event and free registry gifts (such as a Santoku Knife and a nonstick griddle when you complete $500 or more in Calphalon purchases).
Williams Sonoma: 10 percent on unlimited purchases for up to 6 months. You also get $10 towards cooking classes for 6 months after your wedding. There are also bonus gifts such as an All-Clad Stainless Steel 9″ French Skillet monogrammed with you and your spouse’s initials and your wedding date when your guests have purchased $800 of qualifying All-Clad products from your registry. Gift cards can be used at sister stores West Elm and Pottery Barn.
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Pottery Barn: 10 percent completion discount for up to six months after your wedding. You also get discounts with their wedding stationary partner, Wedding Paper Divas. Gift cards can be used at sister stores Williams Sonoma and West Elm.
Bed Bath and Beyond: Free gifts, such as a Mikasa Brewmaster Pitcher when your guests purchase $500 worth of Mikasa products. Bed Bath and Beyond also offers a 10 percent completion discount on items for up to three months after your wedding.
Bloomingdales: You get exclusive savings, such as 2 percent off all dresses at Bloomingdales and 30 percent off a single regular-price men’s purchase of $500 or more in store and online. There is also a 10 percent completion discount for up to six months after your wedding. If you’re planning a honeymoon, you can also get savings via their travel partner, The Travel Siblings. There are also bonus gifts, such as $50 worth of Nespresso credits when you receive $149 worth of Nespresso products.
Michael C. Fina: They offer both a 15 percent completion discount and 15 percent off your wedding bands.
Macy’s: If you have a Macy’s Card and enroll in the Registry Star Rewards, you’ll get 10 percent in Macy’s rewards (money you can use at the store) with every eligible purchase you make, and 5 percent in Macy’s rewards with every gift you receive. For example, if you get $700 worth of gifts you’ll automatically get $35 back in rewards. They also offer a 10 percent completion discount for 180 days on most items.
MOMA Design Store: 10 percent completion discount, plus every purchase supports the Museum of Modern Art.
A word on wedding registry alternatives
Say you want to register at several of these stores but want an easy way for guests to see everything you’ve registered for in one place? There are a couple websites that allow you to do this, though honestly I still think none of them are perfect. I really like the functionality of MyRegistry.com, but I hate that guests have to GO BACK to MyRegistry.com to indicate that they’ve purchased an item. The Amazon Wedding Registry does the same thing, but without the pretty interface that MyRegistry.com has.
Websites like Simple Registry allow you to register for wedding gifts that guests “buy”, and the gift arrives to you in the form of cash (after a 5% transaction fee). I’m not personally comfortable with that idea and think it kind of defeats the purpose and pain of registering for items in the first place. Why not just register for cash?( Though that’s not something I’m personally a fan of, either).
If you’re looking to register for unique brands in one place, you might want to consider a site like Zola, where you can register for different brands/designers as well as have guests contribute to a honeymoon or cash fund, or even buy you and your husband a fun date night.
