What priced items should I register for? I’m registered at JCPenney and Target (just so that family on the East Coast and other areas have a selection). The problem is that most of the stuff we need is what I would consider expensive. We already live together so we have everything for our kitchen except a toaster, so I’ve been registering for things like picture frames, bath towels, bed sheets, etc.
But I’m just concerned the stuff if too expensive. I have some stuff on there that is $20, and a few things that are $120 and the average range is about $50. Is that too much? My mother in law said that I should have higher-priced things for my family that lives on the coast and can’t make it to my wedding, but I don’t want people to feel like I’m trying to sqeeze every dime out of them. I would seriously be ok not even getting gifts, but invitations with registry info are already sent out. I am assuming that people will receive the invitations sometime this weekend, so I am going to go online and update the registry before they start buying things. What is the normal price range for registry items? Is a $120 item too much?
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10 responses so far ↓
1 Wedding Planner and B2B! // Aug 10, 2008
a range is fine, include small items if you can (utensils, frames, ect) for those on a tight budget, average of $50 and a few higher prices if they are something you both really want and would really use!
2 Deanri // Aug 10, 2008
Just make sure you have a range of prices. If people don’t find something in the price range they want, they will likely buy you something from somewhere you are not registered, so keep that in mind. Also consider shipping when you are looking at the higher priced items because it often adds another $10-20 to the item. I think mine ranges from $15-300.
3 geeky // Aug 10, 2008
$120 is not too much for people who have the money and want to spend it on you. And some people might go in together to buy you a “big” gift. But if you have a lot of college-age friends who may be strapped for cash, your best bet is to have more things priced $50 and under rather than over $50.
Hope this helps!
4 mojo_jojo1587 // Aug 10, 2008
I think that price range is fine, and if people can’t afford items on your registry they can always get you a gift card for that store in an amount they feel is adequate.
People can go in on gifts together too. I think having a wide range is a good thing and you will be surprised at the things you do get.
5 duckie // Aug 10, 2008
You should include a wide range of prices on your registry. Usually as long as you have a few items in every price range, you should be ok. Here is a sample of price ranges to follow. As the price gets higher, you should have less items in each category, just as a rule of thumb (not meant to be followed exactly).
$1-$20
$21-$50
$51-$100
$101-$150
$151-$200
$201-$250
$250 and up
You get the idea. If you can, register for more cheaper items (cost, not price) than expensive, so that guests that may not be able to afford something big, or don’t know anyone to buy you a gift with, will be able to purchase.
6 Bride in Texas Oct 4, 2008! // Aug 10, 2008
That sounds like a fine range to me. My fiance and I are in the same situation. We already have a lot of stuff, so we picked out things that we would like to have and could use, but didn’t really have to have. $120 dollars is fine for an item as long as there are some less expensive things to choose from as well. A lot of relatives will spend more on a wedding gift than on a birthday or graduation present because they see it as a chance to splurge on something nice for the couple.
I wouldn’t worry about it, if your relatives don’t see anything they like most of the time they’ll just send cash. Try and enjoy yourself and good luck!
7 SChi25 // Aug 10, 2008
First, I gotta point out that registry information on invitations is wrong, wrong, wrong. If anything, that's what's going to put a bad taste in your guests' mouths.
however, it sounds like you're on the right track with everything else. People expect to spend about $100 average on wedding gifts. I struggled with this as well. When I showed my mom our registry, she told us that there were too few items, and we needed more expensive stuff because she knows her friends look to spend a lot of gifts. Guests like to splurge, and expect to, so we went back and added more things like china and vases that we know we'd like to have.
My mom also pointed out that you should register for things you normally wouldn't buy yourself, but that you'd like to have. At first, we were totally against china, etc., because we thought it was too much and that we'd never use it. However, she make a very argument that our marriage will last forever, and you can't assume you'll never host Thanksgiving or Christmas dinners, or other fancy occasions. You'll need this stuff eventually, and now is the time to get it because people want to give you these things.
We did not go overboard with everything, though. We have things on there for $3 up to $130 (for our china place settings), and most things are around $50-$60.
I hope that helps put things into perspective for you, hun.
8 Chze Whiz // Aug 10, 2008
That is fine but make sure you have more things that are under 20 dollars. You will have many friends that can’t afford to spend more than 20 dollars on a gift, also many of those people on the coast may not have a lot of money, plus they have to pay for shipping as well. Target as many things under 20 dollars. There is nothing wrong with being registered at JC Penny and Target anyway.
9 melouofs // Aug 10, 2008
I don’t think a $500 item is too much. These items are just suggestions, its not as if you’re assigning a gift each person must buy. As long as there are some inexpensive items, it’s totally fine to register for some pricier things. Many times, a group will chip in on a gift, so they are looking for more expensive items.
10 amazon_warrior_98 // Aug 10, 2008
It sounds like you’ve got a very good price range. You should have items on your registry from all price areas. You don’t want your friends and family with less money to feel unable to provide you with what you want, or to have to put together a pot where several of them pitch in to buy you womething. But at the same time, you don’t want your family members with more money to have to buy lots of little things to feel like they’re giving you a great gift.
The important thing about your registry is that you’re registering for what you and your fiance want and can use. For example, if one or both of you likes to cook a lot, then go ahead and register for the fancy set of pots and pans, but if the two of you are more media hounds than anything else, register for DVDs, a new DVD player, that plasma TV you’ve had your eyes on, etc.
But, yes, as far as the price range goes, it sounds like you’ve got a very good one.
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