Professional bridesmaid Jen Glantz shares her off-the-beaten-path recommendations for your wedding registry.
If you randomly stumbled upon a big chunk of cash, what would you buy? You’ve probably asked yourself this hypothetical question, but if your wedding’s coming up, the registry could be as close to that fantasy payday as you’ll ever get. While you’ve probably logged “quality time” with your parents, eye-rolling over the length of your (their) guest list, keep this in mind: that lucky crew is officially on the hook to get you a wedding gift or two.
Wedding registries were once a hodgepodge of boring items you’d unbox, forget, rediscover, and throw to the curb—but not anymore. Say goodbye to wedding registries loaded with blenders, coffee makers, and crock pots. As you and your fiancé consider what you want on your wedding registry, don’t overlook these uncommon—yet extremely practical—things to put on the list.
Tools to Up Your Fitness Game Plan
Even if you’re already spending months sweating to get into wedding shape, that doesn’t mean the hard work ends when you say “I do.” Fight your future dad bod and use your registry as a fitness game plan to keep the pounds off, the muscles on, and your suit fitting perfectly.
Include things like Classpass, which lets you take workout classes all over your city, Nutrient Foods, which gives you a ton of on-the-go snacks and meals so you can drive right past Micky D’s, or even a Peloton bike, so you can ride while you’re at home binging Netflix.
Non-Honeymoon Travel Fund
After the honeymoon is over, you’ll likely catch the travel bug, and it’s really hard to shake. Instead of (or in addition to) asking guests to donate to your honeymoon fund, create a general fund on your registry earmarked for future travel. Ask them to gift-fund individual items like plane tickets and hotel stays using a registry like Simple Registry.
Z’s for Two
Why does the typical registry include so many gifts for the kitchen? Do you really spend that much time in there? Maybe so, but even the amateur chef spends a majority of their life in bed. And if you want that one-in-a-million marriage, you need a comfortable sleep environment with borderline-hypnotic pillows and blankets.
But let’s be real: A quality mattress is expensive, so let your favorite aunt or that loaded cousin your mom made you invite hook you up. Add a mattress like Casper or Purple to your list, along with a comforter, like Buffy, that will make your skin feel nice all. night. long.
Jen Glantz is founder of Bridesmaid for Hire and author of the Amazon best-selling books All My Friends are Engaged and Always a Bridesmaid for Hire.