One of the most exciting post-wedding activities for newlyweds is the opening of their wedding presents. Like little kids on Christmas morning, they usually go for the biggest gift or the one with the prettiest wrapping, curious to discover what treasures lie within. But the excitement soon turns into disappointment as they unwrap tea set after tea set from family, friends, and other well-wishers. Nothing can be more frustrating than getting multiple gifts of the same thing, especially when you won’t have an immediate use for that item. To avoid getting multiple gifts, and to make it easier for your wedding guests to figure out what you will need as a couple starting a life together, prepare a wedding registry for your guests.

A wedding registry is basically a wish list that you create through department stores (Rustan’s) or online stores (Amazon) that offer this kind of service. You can either include the wedding registry in your invitations, or create an online account that can be viewed by your wedding guests. Every time a guests purchases an item from the wedding registry, the list gets updated and the purchased item is removed from the list.

Although using a wedding registry does remove the element of surprise when the couple opens presents, this is a small price to pay when you consider its biggest advantage: you will get exactly what you need, and your guests won’t have a hard time figuring out what to give you for your wedding. Wouldn’t it be better if they could get you presents you can use and enjoy, instead of an item that you have no use for because you already have one too many?

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