Weddings Unwrapped
Registries are certainly nothing new – according to many accounts, Macy’s invented the concept of gift registries in the 1920s. Needless to say, a lot has changed since then.
Gone are the days where wedding registries only included gifts like fine china or kitchen towels.
Here are some of the top ways registries will continue to evolve this wedding season.
Going Nontraditional With Registries
Wedding registries were once typically relegated to a few big name retailers like Macy’s or Bed, Bath, and Beyond. Today you’ll hear a number of new names (Zola, Blueprint, and WeddingWire Registry to name a few) of companies dedicated solely to creating a one-stop-shop wedding registry for couples.
Zola, which has helped over 500,000 couples to date, allows couples to add just about anything to their wedding registry, from Le Creuset pans to Waterford Crystal drinkware to what the company calls “experiences” such as Blue Apron subscriptions, cruises, or wine club memberships.
Target has recently jumped aboard the non-traditional registry route, announcing a partnership with Honeyfund, a “Shark Tank”-banked registry company that helps couples finance their honeymoons through their wedding registry.
“Wedding registry expectations have changed over time,” Dawn Block, Target senior vice president of digital said. “Guests are looking for a complete registry experience, including product and honeymoon options, and Target is the first retailer to be able to offer all of this in one place.”
All Hail Mix Masters
While Zola offers a variety of experiential gifts, there’s one very traditional registry gift that never seems to go out of style: the KitchenAid Mixer.
That’s so much so that Zola’s director of brand and newlywed-at-large Jennifer Spector says that there are three things you can count on in life: "death, taxes and that the KitchenAid Stand Mixer will always be the top registry gift." For 2017, the number one and number two most-wanted wedding gifts were the KitchenAid Mixer, as always, and Airbnb gift cards, which brings us to our next trend.
More Adventures & Travels
Brides and grooms are looking for more than just kitchen towels. There’s a reason why more wedding registry start-ups are including ways to gift couples experiences and honeymoons.
At Zola, the company is seeing a “huge surge” in adventure and travel. Items like tents, backpacks, or gift cards for Delta or Southwest are being added to registries “like gangbusters.”
Airbnb gift cards, that number two item of most-wanted wedding gifts, is exclusive to Zola.
“Registering for Airbnb lets couples live like locals on their honeymoon, their first anniversary, or even a quick romantic getaway,” says Spector. “Today's couples crave adventure just as much as they do gifts.”
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