When to start your wedding registry or gift list

If you haven’t started your Prezola gift list yet, or want to schedule every aspect of wedding planning checklist, then it’s good to know when exactly a wedding registry fits into it all.

Essentially, the timeline is based around your invites, because typically that's when you'll share your gift registry information with your guests. Some couples like to include gift list details on their Save The Dates, but more commonly, they're shared on the wedding invites or wedding websites.

Save The Dates are usually sent 9-12 months before the big day (and destination weddings are sent out even further in advance). This allows people to book holiday from work in advance, and save money on accomodation and travel costs by booking early. Not only that, but guests can be invited to multiple weddings in a short timeframe, so if you're getting married over the summer or on a bank holiday weekend, you'll want to get your guests committed to your wedding before anyone else!

Having given them the heads up with a Save The Date beforehand, wedding Invites and ‘Wedsites’ are usually shared 4-6 months before the big day. Send them too early and guests may lose them, but send them too late and guests won’t have time to buy anything (or will have already bought an unwanted gift from elsewhere).

So, when should you start your wedding registry?

Working backwards from when you plan to send your invites will allow you to calculate when you should start your gift registry. Allow anywhere from 1 day to 3 months to create it. If you know exactly what you want to add to your registry you'll be able to pull it together in minutes — especially if you're creating a honeymoon fund or other cash fund! If you want to browse and pick the perfect items for the next stage of your life together, and make a fun experience of it, allow at least a month and dedicate a couple of date nights to it.

We suggest starting it at least three months before you intend to share it. With so much choice on Prezola, you should give yourself time to look through all our wedding gift ideas, including our most popular wedding gifts, and gifts under £100 — we wrote a guide on how much to spend on a wedding gift, and the typical amount in the UK is between £80-£100. That will also give you time to remember anything that might have been missed, because you'll be surprised at how often retail inspiration will strike in the weeks that follow!

And when should you finish your wedding registry?

You don't need to have your list finalised before you send it out with your invites. Most wedding guests shop for their gifts 4-6 weeks before the wedding, which means you want your list to be complete (or almost complete!) roughly 8 weeks before the big day, which will allow for a few early birds! There are always at least a couple of guests who buy gifts enroute to the wedding (or even after the event!), so you can definitely keep adding to your registry right until the last second if you find something else you love, or the choice for guests gets low.

A handy wedding registry timeline

• 9-12 months before the wedding: Send Save The Dates (send these sooner for destination weddings).
• 6-9 months before the wedding: Begin your wedding gift list.
• 4-6 months before the wedding: Send your wedding invites and wedding gift list details to your guests.
• 2-3 months before the wedding: Ensure your gift list is complete, or nearly complete so guests can begin purchasing.

If you need help creating the perfect gift list, reach out to our team. Get in touch, our gift experts would love to help.