What is a wedding registry?

So, you’ve said, ‘HELL YES’ to the person of your dreams? Firstly, a massive congratulations on your engagement. The adventure starts here! Now, the exciting process of organising your big day can begin. Choosing a theme, defining your guest list and finding your ideal venue will all no doubt be at the top of your rather long wedding planning checklist. But what about a wedding registry? To gift list, or not to gift list, that is the question.

To help you understand what a wedding registry is, and then decide if a gift list is for you, we’ve pulled together the very best advice from our wedding gift list experts into this handy guide.

Put simply, a wedding registry is a curated list of gifts or experiences an engaged couple shares with their wedding guests before their big day. The list is chosen by the couple and is typically made up of various homeware products, cash funds, honeymoon fund requests and experiences. The aim of a wedding registry is to guide guests in choosing gifts that the couple really want and need.

It’s absolutely the same! Wedding registry is just a more common term used in the U.S, but it's becoming increasingly popular in the UK too.

Wondering do I need a wedding registry? The answer is yes! Wedding gift lists are useful — 99% of guests will want to buy you a wedding present. Avoid the guesswork and make it easy for them to find you something you'll love. Plus, there's no risk of duplicate gifts. Who really needs three sets of champagne flutes?

Creating a wedding registry is simple if you use a service like Prezola. There are five easy steps and then BOOM, your ultimate unboxing experience awaits.

1. Set up an account - It takes a matter of seconds to create a free account online with Prezola. We only need are a few basic details about you and your partner to get started.

2. Get building - Start adding to your wedding wishlist. Fill it with all the products you really, really want. Be inspired by our gift list collections, explore your favourite brands and discover the curated lists we love for handy gift ideas. Simply add your choice of registry items to your list. Yes, it really is as fun as it sounds.

3. Publish your registry - Then share it with your loved ones. Put the link on your wedding website, on your wedding invitations, or pop it over via email, social or text. Now your friends and family can start gifting! Guests can purchase an item with our secure online checkout from the moment you set your registry to visible to the second you close your list.

4. Keep track of your gifts - Prezola makes it easy to see which items have been bought and by who! Changed your mind about a gift? No problemo. Exchange it at any time for another product we list on site.

5. Confirm your list - After your wedding day you’ll have the chance to make any final present swaps before closing your list. That’s when we get ordering and can arrange your free delivery on a day that suits you.

6. Enjoy the second best day of your life - The perfect cure for post-wedding blues? Wedding gift delivery day, of course! Don't forget to tell us all about it using the hashtag #PrezolaDay.

The simple answer is whatever you want and need. To begin, we’d suggest adding a few products from each core homeware category — Kitchen, Dining, Bed & Bath, Home, Outdoors and Lifestyle. We've put together a good starter checklist you can use as a reference — download the wedding registry checklist here.

Wondering how many gifts to add to your wedding registry? There's a simple formula that will allow you to work out the minimum number of items to include — and it's 60% of your guests. So, if you have 100 people attending, add 60 presents at the very least to your list. However, we actually recommend going much higher. If you have at least one gift per guest it provides your loved ones with plenty of choice, so they can pick something they and you love.

We recommend giving your guests plenty of choice. Avoid filling your wedding registry list solely with expensive gifts. A range of differently priced products to cater for everyone's budget is a must. Everything looking a bit spenny? Check out our inspiration lists for gorgeous gifts under £25, £50, £100, and £200.

Trending items are great too, but there’s a reason so many couples select timeless pieces like a Le Creuset dish or the iconic Kitchen Aid. If you can’t see yourself using the item longer term, we’d suggest scrapping it from your list and replacing it with a traditional wedding gift instead.

Of course! If saving for an epic adventure is at the top of your list then you can absolutely use your registry as a tactful way to save up. Prezola’s honeymoon fund is designed to be different from the rest and a little more discreet. There are no ties to any tour operators and the cash is yours to do with as you wish.

We know that guests often like to feel like they’re contributing to something tangible. That’s why we've created hundreds of exciting funds your guests can gift, from a romantic dinner to flight upgrades, champagne in your room or breakfast in bed!

And if you can't find exactly what you're after in our honeymoon fund department you can add a personalised honeymoon fund in the Cash gifts section of your dashboard. This way your guests will feel that they've bought you something truly personal and memorable and not just given you cash. Next stop, Fiji!

So you know what you want but you can’t seem to find it on your chosen gift registry? No problem, Prezola is the UK's most flexible gift list for a reason. All you have to do is pop the details into the Custom Gift section in your couples' dashboard and we’ll add it to your list as a cash fund. Even better, if our team can source the gift from one of our brand partners in the meantime, we’ll swap the cash fund for the real thing. Sorted!

It’s certainly not rude and it’s important to remember that buying a gift for the couple is in no way mandatory. However, we recommend sticking to their list. Not only have the couple likely spent a lot of time carefully deciding what to ask for, they have the best idea of what they want and need.

Are you a wedding guest wanting to get your head around the process? Head to our ‘how it works for guests’ section for wedding gifting 101.

No problemo. We’ve got answers. Browse our articles for all the wedding registry advice you could dream of. Or alternatively, head to our FAQs section to get down to the nitty gritty.