The Gift Registry

The Details

You’re engaged! You’re thrilled. You’re in love. You’re ... overwhelmed. Whether you’ve dreamed of
the big day your whole life or never thought about it until the moment you said yes, the actual process of planning your wedding is uncharted territory. Let this guide be your road map — and leave the details to us.
When the wedding is over, the marriage begins — and you’ll needs lots of things to help you build a new life together. That’s why creating your gift registry is one of the most fun parts of planning your wedding: you’re literally thinking ahead. What’s more, while some registry gifts are fine and unique, most are quality items you’ll use every day.

According to Beverley Reynolds at The Cottage Shop in Savannah, it’s great to get an early start on your registry. With so many different patterns, styles and options for china, crystal and other tabletop entertaining items, the process can be overwhelming. And that’s just part of a wedding registry. There are also linens, kitchen staples, barware and so much more. Take it one step at a time: start with the china.

“I always tell our brides, ‘You’ve done the hard part — you picked the groom’,” Reynolds says. “So now let’s go to the next thing you’ll have for the rest of your life — the china and crystal.”

Decide if you’d like to register for fine china or an everyday china or both. Fine china is certainly a financial investment, so consider which colors and patterns you’ll still like year after year. Gold and silver metallics integrated into simple patterns paired with more colorful salad or bread-and-butter plates are on trend, Reynolds says, as is the prevalence of blue-and-white patterns.

It’s important to include a range of differently priced items in your registry, as some guests prefer to choose less expensive gifts for wedding showers and save the higher ticket items for the actual wedding gift. Reynolds also recommends registering for a few pieces of local artwork — they feature pieces from Charles Leonard and other local painters in their store — and warns not to forget to register for a salt-and-pepper set, a good salad bowl, covered butter dish, cheese platter, steak knives and a carving board, as these household items are often overlooked but always needed.

Any gifts you receive on the occasion of your wedding are talismans of past, present and future, and in that sense, they are gifts that keep on giving.