How to create a wedding registry: a step-by-step guide

To create a wedding registry, decide together what you actually need (things, experiences or cash), choose a registry platform, add gifts across a wide range of prices, and share the link on your wedding website. Start about four to six months before the wedding — before save-the-dates or the engagement party, whichever comes first.

When should you create a wedding registry?

Aim for four to six months before the wedding, and have at least a starter registry ready before any pre-wedding event. Guests buying engagement or shower gifts will look for it. If you're having a bridal shower, the registry should be live by the time invitations go out — see our bridal shower registry ideas.

You can keep adding items until the wedding. Many couples do a second pass about two months out, when they see what's been given and what price ranges are running low.

Step 1: Decide what kind of registry you want

Have this conversation first — it shapes everything else.

• Traditional registry — physical items from stores. Best if you are setting up a home from scratch.
• Cash registry — named cash gifts or funds, like a house fund or date nights. Best if you already live together.
• Honeymoon fund — experiences from your trip. See our honeymoon fund ideas.
• Mixed — a few things plus a few funds. The most common choice today.

A quick way to decide: walk through your home together and write down what you would genuinely replace or upgrade in the next two years. If the list is short, lean toward funds and experiences. If it's long, a store registry still makes sense — with a cash fund for the big goals.

Step 2: Choose a registry platform

Compare fees on cash gifts, how the money reaches you, whether guests need an account, and whether a wedding website and RSVP are included. Our comparison of the best cash registry sites goes through each option.

Step 3: Add gifts at every price point

This is the step most couples get wrong. Guests have very different budgets, and if your registry jumps from $25 to $400 many people won't find a fit. A balanced mix looks like this:

How many items should be on a wedding registry?

A common guideline is two to three gift options per guest invited, counting each item and each share. For 100 guests that means roughly 200 to 300 options if you're registering for small physical items. For a cash registry, fewer items work, because shares and "any amount" funds can be given many times: 20 to 40 named gifts are usually enough for 100 guests.

Wedding registry checklist

Use this as a starting point and cross out what you already own.

• Kitchen: cookware set, knives, stand mixer, blender, coffee maker, baking dishes.
• Dining: dinnerware, glassware, flatware, serving platters.
• Bedroom and bath: sheets, duvet, pillows, towels, bath mat.
• Home: vacuum, tool kit, storage, plants, art.
• Experiences: honeymoon activities, date nights, concert tickets, classes.
• Funds: house down payment, honeymoon, home renovation, future family.
• Charity: a donation to a cause you care about.

Step 4: Write a short welcome note

Thank guests, say their presence is the main gift, and explain any cash funds in a sentence. If you're asking mostly for money, our wording examples help you say it gracefully.

Step 5: Share the registry the right way

• Link it from your wedding website — the place guests look first.
• Mention the website on the save-the-date or invitation, without listing gifts.
• Tell parents and the wedding party, since guests often ask them.
• Share it on shower invitations, where including registry information is accepted.

If friends ask you directly, it's fine to send the link with a short personal note. What to avoid is posting the registry on social media in a way that reaches people who aren't invited — it can read as a request for gifts from strangers.

Step 6: Track gifts and write thank-you notes

Keep a record of each gift, the guest's name and their message as gifts arrive. Etiquette calls for thank-you notes within about three months of the wedding (or two weeks for gifts received before it). Mentioning the specific gift — "thank you for our first dinner in Lisbon" — makes a huge difference.

Should you register together?

Yes. A registry is the first big shared shopping list of your marriage, and doing it together avoids surprises — one of you may dream of a stand mixer while the other wants camping gear. Set aside an afternoon, open your kitchen cabinets, and agree on a few priorities before you add anything. If one of you cares much more about a category, let that person lead it.

Physical gifts or cash: how to decide

Ask yourselves three questions. Do you already live together with a furnished home? Do you have a big goal coming up, like a down payment or a honeymoon? Will you move soon, making boxes a burden? If you answered yes to any of them, a cash registry or a mixed registry will probably serve you better. A house fund or a honeymoon fund turns cash into something guests feel good about giving.

What to do after the wedding

Leave the registry open for a few months, since some guests give afterward. Many stores offer a completion discount on items left on your registry, so check before you buy them yourself. If you used a cash registry, reconcile the gifts you received against your account and finish your thank-you notes — then close or archive the registry so it doesn't linger online.

Common wedding registry mistakes

• Registering only for expensive items.
• Waiting until after the shower to create the registry.
• Adding things you won't use because a store's checklist suggested them.
• Forgetting to update the registry when popular items run out.
• Asking for cash in a way that feels like a bill instead of a gift.