Unique Wedding Registry Ideas

Wedding registries are not all created equal!

First of all, what is its purpose? And who started the now ubiquitous wedding registry? Well, apparently the concept was dreamed up by Chicago’s (now defunct) Marshall Field’s flagship store back in 1924 as a means for the engaged couple to indicate chosen china, silver and crystal patterns to family and friends (source).

Wedding registries have come a LONG way since 1924! There are now so many options for the bride and groom who may not want (or need) the traditional household items. Of course there is absolutely nothing wrong with wanting that KitchenAid stand mixer in Martha Stewart Blue, or those shiiiiny All Clad posts and pans… believe me, I went nuts with that scanner thingamajig at Macy’s and Crate & Barrel! By the way, if you need a good checklist of what items to register for, Real Simple has a good one for your reference.

But more and more often as couples get married a little bit older, they may have all the household items they need. So here are some great ideas for untraditional registries:

The Wishpot Registry
This fabulous site lets you add products from anywhere on the web with the easy to install Wishpot Button. You can share items and lists with friends and family and they can reserve items for purchase. Once an item on your list is reserved Wishpot re directs whoever is purchasing the item to the site the item was added from or the site with the most competitive price for the transaction.

Amazon Registry
Yes, you can you register with your favorite online superstore! Anything from flatscreen tvs, Blueray players, DSLR cameras, a Kindle, to books, to anything you can imagine can probably be registered for via Amazon!

Foodie Registry
I just learned about the Foodie Registry not too long ago when I met the founders at a networking event! This is currently still a Chicago-specific site which allows couples to register for gift cards to their favorite Chicago restaurants. Imagine that, date-night every week of your first year of married life at a different restaurant!

I DO Foundation
Charity registries are gaining popularity! This one allows your guests to make secure online donations in support of the organization of your choice as their wedding gift to you.

Honeyfund and  Honeymoon Wishes
Two different companies that allow your guests to contribute towards various honeymoon activities (e.g. airfare, hotel nights, car rentals, golfing, spa treatments, room service, etc.)

Bridal Mortgage Registry
An online bridal registry service for couples wishing to receive monetary wedding contributions that can be applied towards a home down payment.

Upon Our Star
”A wedding registry for wishes, not stuff”. Wishes can be anything – dream kitchen, a piano, artwork for the new home, future education, etc.

{Please note that Sweetchic has not personally tried all of these services! This is for information purposes only, please be sure to read the fine print when you start your registry!}