A wedding registry is a personalized collection of gifts that an engaged couple has specifically chosen for their guests to shop from in order to make the wedding gifting experience simpler, easier, and more satisfying for everyone.
Last updated February 5, 2024
Call us biased, but we’re in the business of believing that creating a wedding registry is one of the most exciting tasks for engaged couples. As you add registry items, your wedding registry becomes a one-stop-shop for the gifts you really want—whether that’s gorgeous dishes for dinner parties or that’s money towards a dream honeymoon or another cash registry. If you’re creating your registry, read on. Here’s everything you need to know about wedding registries, from the most popular registry items to how to really get everything you want to start your married life together.
A wedding registry is a personalized list or collection of gifts that engaged couples have specifically chosen for their guests to shop from in order to make the wedding gifting experience simpler, easier, and more satisfying for everyone.
Wedding registries traditionally existed in brick and mortar retailers like a department store, which couples and their guests were required to visit in order to handpick (or purchase) their desired wedding gifts. Nowadays, registries more frequently exist online, such as Zola’s Wedding Registry. An online registry company such as Zola allows couples to easily choose from an enormous assortment of gifts from the comfort of their living room (or anywhere from their phone), add them to their registry, and then share their registry link with their guests.
Zola is a universal registry and also the only place where you can register for gifts (from over 500 top brands), experiences, gift cards, donations to charities, and honeymoon or cash funds, everything in one place. This means your options for gifts are more varied, interesting, and well-suited for a diverse array of couples than any other registry destination. You can really create a perfectly curated selection.
Zola notifies couples when a gift has been purchased off their registry and allows them to decide whether the gift should be shipped to them right away, or saved for later. This feature i.e. Controlled Shipping can be enormously helpful for couples who might not be ready or able to receive tons of packages in the weeks leading up to their wedding date, or who plan to move post-nuptials.
If you get a gift you don’t love, or change your mind about a gift you actually registered for, there’s no stress when it comes to exchanges on Zola. When couples are notified that a gift has been purchased for them, they have the option to exchange it for something else or convert it to Zola credit before it even ships.
Make your case for why you need that Vitamix, or how those Sonos wireless speakers will amp up your Netflix and Chill game, with personalized notes. Zola lets you personalize your wedding registry with these thoughtful insertions directly from you to your guests, who will love the personal touch and be more inclined to contribute.
Zola’s group gifting feature lets your guests contribute a specific amount towards an expensive, big-ticket item or go in on a gift together. Couples are able to turn on Group Gifting for any gift on their registry, including cash funds and even charity funds. Since Zola handles all the logistics, there is no hassle or extra coordination on your guests’ part.
All couples will have guests with a range of financial backgrounds. Zola’s simple Registry Planner can help you determine just how many gifts you’ll need in each price range based on the number of guests attending your wedding—so everyone will be sure to find something on your registry that fits their budget.
At Zola, you can set up cash funds for absolutely anything—your honeymoon, a new home, a new set of skis, etc. Breaking up your larger goals into specific funds (an amazing dinner during your honeymoon, for example) adds a personal touch. And since Zola has the lowest fee on cash funds, you and your guests will be spared extra transactional charges.
Zola will match the price if you find the same item at an approved online retailer for less. This means that you, and your wedding guests, will be getting exactly what you want for the best value.
Receive a 20% post-wedding discount on all your remaining wedding gifts on your registry for six months after your wedding date. With this kind of significant discount working in your favor, it really pays to add as many gifts as possible to your Zola registry ahead of time!
Zola’s Registry Advisor program puts couples directly in touch with a Zola registry expert who’s on call to help couples get started with building their registry, choose the right amount of gifts at the right price points, and answer any and all questions along the way.
Some aspects of wedding planning, like dress shopping and cake tasting, are all fun and games. But creating your wedding registry can seem a bit more, well, daunting. How are you supposed to know what you need, how much you need, or where to even begin?
That’s where we come in. Zola has got the art of helping you create your wedding registry down to a science. Read on for our simple tips and tricks on how to build the perfect registry for the two of you, so you can keep your sanity intact and focus on the big picture.
Remember, it’s okay to change your mind! Chances are, everyone will have an opinion about what you should register for. Our advice? Listen to your loved ones, but ultimately go with your gut. With over 500 brands and 50,000 products to choose from, chances are you’ll find something you love on Zola.
Have your eye on something particularly pricey from another store? You can add anything from any site with our Add to Zola button and turn on the Group Gifting option so multiple guests can contribute. And if you already have all the kitchen appliances you need, try registering for cash and honeymoon funds, or an experience you can enjoy together—from massages to hiking, we have something for everyone.
Having commitment issues about the items on your registry? Don’t give it a second thought. Zola lets you virtually exchange your gifts before they even ship, and you can control when your gifts are sent to you. So take your time mulling it over.
We get it—it’s tough figuring out what it is you want. That’s why we created our Starter Collections. Carefully curated by the Zola team, they’re the perfect place to get some design inspiration and feel out the look you’re going for. Combined with the Zola Planner and Checklist, which help you decide how many and which gifts you need, you’re on the road to registry success.
Still uncertain? Touch base with our Registry Advisor who can not only help you select your gifts but also import external registries, provide assistance for your guests, and ensure you have the best experience possible.
With Zola, you can truly make a one-of-a-kind registry that speaks to you as a couple. Choose one of our lovely designs, or upload your own custom cover photo. Include a photo of the two of you and write a personal welcome note for your guests. Add notes with your gifts to let guests know why each one is special. You’ll even have you own URL to share with your loved ones so they can easily find your registry.
Keeping tabs on normal life is tough enough, so we created a Gift Tracker that helps you stay on top of who’s given you what, and when. By tracking which guests gave you which gifts, your thank-you note writing just got a whole lot simpler.
And don’t forget about the app! The Zola App for iOS (or for Android) lets you register for gifts on-the-go, and mobile alerts ensure you’ll always be up-to-date when it comes to your registry. The app even includes a barcode scanner in case you see something you like while out and about—talk about registering made simple!
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