What’s Changed in Wedding Registries Over the Last Decade?
To get a sense of modern wedding registry trends, I checked in with some trusted sources like The Knot, Macy’s, and The New York Times. Macy’s has a comprehensive wedding registry checklist that includes some surprising items like air purifiers, grills, and even wine fridges! I thought millennials had killed wine? New York Times’ offered a more practical and forward-thinking approach, with the only real surprise being a dinner bell. The Knot’s list seemed like a nice middle ground between Macy’s and the Times—practical yet with a touch of splurge.
Reflecting on Our Wedding Registry Choices: 10 Years Later
Looking around our kitchen and home, I’ve started noticing things and thinking, “Wow, we’ve had this for 10 years!” It’s a fun way to reflect on our wedding registry choices and see what has truly stood the test of time.
When to Create Your Wedding Registry: A Timeline
The short answer: create your wedding registry before sending out any shower or wedding invitations. As soon as you start communicating about your wedding (save-the-dates or invitations), guests will inevitably ask, “Where are you registered?” The general recommendation is to have your registry complete 4-6 months before your wedding, which aligns well with sending out save-the-dates and invitations.
Wedding Registry Must-Haves: Our Top Picks (10 Years Later)
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Ultimately, your wedding registry should reflect what’s important to you. If you want an ice maker and a wine fridge, go for it! For us, the kitchen was a priority, so our registry leaned heavily in that direction. Looking back, there are clear winners—items that have proven their quality, functionality, and style. If we were creating a wedding registry today, these are our must-haves: See these items and more on our registry on Amazon!
Cooking and Baking Essentials:
- KitchenAid stand mixer: A classic for a reason. Ours has been a workhorse for baking events, holidays, and countless cookies. If we were registering today, I’d choose the “pistachio” color!
- Calphalon contemporary 10 piece cookware set: Dishwasher-safe is a must for me. This set has held up well, though we’ve replaced a couple of pieces over the years. It’s a great starter set.
- Baking sheets with cooling racks: These are essential for any baker. The oven-safe cooling racks are a bonus.
- KitchenAid Mixing bowls, set of three: Our original Martha Stewart mixing bowls are still going strong, but these KitchenAid ones are nearly identical.
- Calphalon knife set: A solid starter set. Do your research if you want something higher-end, but these have served us well for 10 years.
- KitchenAid blender: Our original model is discontinued (which is a little scary!), but this newer version looks like a great replacement.
- KitchenAid ice cream maker: We don’t use this all the time, but it’s fun for occasional treats.
Serving and Eating Essentials:
- Tall and short glasses: Simple, modern, and versatile—perfect for everyday use and cocktails.
- Margarita glasses: A must for our signature “Marquisritas!” These were a gift from my aunt and uncle, and we cherish them.
- Noritake Colorwave Stoneware dining set: We’d choose this set again in a heartbeat. It’s durable, stylish, and perfect for everyday use.
- Mikasa satin flatware: A great starter set with a clean design. These have held up remarkably well.
- Kate Spade cake knife set: A sweet reminder of our wedding day, engraved with “Mr. and Mrs.”
Miscellaneous & Practical Items:
- Drying rack: Invaluable for apartment living and still useful during holidays and photoshoots.
- Drying mats: We use these daily and they’ve held up surprisingly well (though they probably need replacing soon!).
Wedding Registry Upgrades and Additions for Today:
Looking back, there are a few things we’d add to our wedding registry today:
- Geometry kitchen towels: Highly absorbent and stylish.
- Nutribullet Pro: A worthwhile upgrade from the basic model we originally had.
- Le Creuset Dutch Oven: A kitchen staple we use constantly.
- Glass food storage containers: A must-have for avoiding stains and keeping food fresh.
- Food processor: A larger, more powerful model than the small one we have.
- BEIS Luggage: We splurged on this later and love it.
- Champagne flutes: We didn’t register for these originally but appreciate having them now.
Wedding Registry Regrets:
- Formal Place Settings: We’ve barely used them.
- Bedding: We ended up returning our initial choices for upgrades.
- Turkey Roasting Pan: Only useful for large gatherings.
Choosing the Best Wedding Registry Platform:
There are so many wedding registry options available. Each has its own perks:
- Amazon: Offers a completion discount (20% for weddings).
- Macy’s: Also has a completion discount (10-20%) and the benefit of seeing products in person.
- The Knot: Helps aggregate registries from multiple stores into one place.
We used a combination of Macy’s and Amazon, using The Knot to tie it all together. If we were doing it today, we’d likely stick to one main registry (probably Amazon) to maximize the completion discount.
What are your wedding registry must-haves? What would you do differently? Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below!
