If you are planning a wedding on a budget, then you are probably planning to start your life together on a budget, too. Think ahead carefully about what you might need in order to maximize the usefulness of your budget wedding registry. Before you start drooling over the enticing catalogs of your favorite expensive kitchen stores, take stock of what you already have. If you each already have a home, then you probably already have some duplicate items that you may want to sell or give away. Regardless of the situation, it is best to make a list of what you need first, then think about what you want, and then start looking at the catalogs and websites to craft your budget wedding registry.

Budget Wedding Registry Tips

Items to Choose

1. Select long-lasting, high quality items for your wedding registry. Don’t choose items just because they are inexpensive, because then you may need to replace those items in a few years.

2. Select solid colored or neutral patterned pieces when you are choosing items that will be around for a lifetime. If you ask for high quality white dishes, for example, it will be much easier to match those dishes to different seasonal décor or your own changing tastes over time.

3. Do choose items for your registry in a variety of price ranges so that none of your budget wedding guests feel left out.

4. In addition to more practical items, consider asking for some memorable items that will always remind you of your wedding each time you look at them and the person who gave the gift, such as a really beautiful wooden fruit bowl or handmade pottery mugs.

5. If you’re already pretty well set for items for the kitchen, bed, and bath, then don’t forget to consider having a honeymoon registry instead to help pay for your budget honeymoon!

Items to Avoid

1. It can be tempting, but don’t ask for a bunch of fancy appliances that are likely to gather dust. If you’re not likely to make homemade pasta or funnel cakes but once in a blue moon, you may  be best off asking for a multi-purpose electric griddle and borrowing the other items from a friend on occasion.

2. Don’t select items that are so expensive or fragile that you would be too intimidated to use them – or that none of your guests would be able to afford!

3. Just because you’re planning a wedding on a budget doesn’t mean that you don’t have an eye for quality! Items that are too inexpensive or cheaply made, such as particleboard furniture, is not long-lasting and may not make it to see your first child, let alone your grandchildren!

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