With weddings come registries and all of the excitement of hunting for the ultimate wedding registry decor – silk sheets, candles, kitchen gadgets, and decorative knick knacks. It’s easy to get overwhelmed when picking the perfect items your close friends and family will select to fill your newlywed home. As a couple, it is actually quite a responsibility picking the right items to start your life together. You have the unique opportunity to start from scratch, really deciding what items you want to fill your home.

For someone like me, who has every kitchen gadget under the sun, creating the perfect registry was quite a struggle. And to complicate things, I had just moved in with Mark, so we were trying to declutter our combined households, not add more items to the ones we already had. Another issue I had when creating our registry is that I hold sentimental value to many of my possessions, making it difficult when it comes time to pare down, organize, and donate old or unused items. If someone gifts us a spatula or flower print cup from our wedding registry, it would be really difficult for me to throw away the items when they break or when the print goes out of style. How could I throw it away? It was from our wedding! I could already see our beloved registry items stacked in boxes in the garage once they pass their prime and no longer have a place in our kitchen.

What’s on our Ultimate Wedding Registry?

As I dove deeper into the registry it became more and more clear what the ultimate wedding registry looks like. In my opinion, the best wedding registry items could be described using that same words you would use to describe your future marriage, like quality, classic, longevity, and timeless. Look for items that won’t go out of style and are durable enough to last forever. As I slowly started realizing the value of quality items and the symbolism I wanted them to have in our newlywed home, we realized that the ultimate wedding registry includes fine china.

Fine China for your Ultimate Wedding Registry

Fine china is something that will never go out of style. It represents quality, a proper home, family meals, and (bonus) is something you can show off to your new in-laws when you host Thanksgiving. I also love the idea that your guests are putting together a collection of items to create one thing that you will share with others. Your aunt buys you the china soup bowl, your cousin gets you the accent plate, then when it’s date night in or friends come to visit, you can bring out the china that your friends and family collectively came together to give to you for those exact moments. To me, the moments where you break bread with your friends, family or loved ones, are the most valuable. Sticking with the ‘breaking bread’ theme, other items we added to our ultimate wedding registry were Waterford crystal wine glasses, a Waterford flute set, and the All-Clad slow cooker with all-in-one browning.

Think you can’t add fine china to your ultimate wedding registry because it’s too expensive?

Believe it or not, even some of the most prized fine china comes in a variety of price points depending on your guest’s budget. Yes, the five piece dinner sets are expensive, but the full dinner set items are also sold individually and the prices are much more reasonable. From our Wedgwood Vera Wang Lace fine china set a tea cup saucer was $12, a salad plate $32, and a coffee cup $16. If these prices are still too high, choose a more affordable china style and brand, there are many quality china sets for a variety of prices. Breaking down a five piece china set will make the ultimate wedding registry affordable for any budget.

Rules for the Ultimate Wedding Registry:

Below are some rules and guides to help you navigate the wedding registry process. Sticking to these rules will help you put together the ultimate wedding registry and start your life as a newlyweds with items you will love and cherish as much as each other.

• Go in with a Game Plan – When you first create an online registry, it can be overwhelming. You are flooded with suggestions for items that you may or may not actually need. Yeah, the items they suggest are cute but you probably don’t need the gold polka dot accent pillow or monogrammed stool. Create a game plan so you can steer clear of the registry distractions, helping you pick the items you actually need. Remember, you can always buy that gold polka dot pillow later. Now is the time to add quality items on your list.

• Make the Registry Decisions Together – It might be tempting to go in and create the wedding registry without your significant other because you are excited or maybe you already know what you want (psst, fine china!). Although, I’m sure it’s much easier to set up the registry yourself, I would strongly suggest you create the registry with your partner, getting their feedback, preferences, and suggestions. It’s important to include your other half when deciding what items you are going to share in your newlywed home.

• Choose Neutral Color Items – Try to steer clear of items that are overly pink, girly, or feminine. You want your partner to use and love the items too! Feminine pieces have their place, and trust me, I love my girly decor! But the wedding registry isn’t the place to load up on items that make the house cute. It’s a place where you select items that you will both use and love. Great neutral colors for the registry are cream, gold, stainless steel, and gray, or you can select items that incorporate your wedding colors.

• Pick High Quality Items – Keep in mind, you get what you pay for and cheap items will probably not last as long or be as effective. For kitchen gadgets or utensils, choose high quality, durable brands. Stick with the idea that these items, like your marriage, should last a lifetime!

• Choose Items in a Variety of Price Points – Selecting items in a variety of price points for your registry helps your guests select items they feel financially comfortable gifting. You want to make sure everyone can afford the items on your registry and giving them a wide range of prices to choose from removes the financial pressure. The perfect combination is having a few low priced items, a good mix of medium priced items, and also include some items that seem out of reach – you never know who might gift you a top shelf registry item unless you ask!

With all of these rules and considerations, always remember, have fun! Being engaged is such an exciting and blissful time. If you only take away one sliver of advice, just remember to choose quality items and always include your other half in the process in the registry process.

Happy registry shopping!