Getting registered
To avoid duplications and to make gift giving easy for
your guests, be sure to register your choices of decorative accessories for
your table and home, as well as dinnerware, flatware and stemware. The
Bridal Gift Registry is a free service offered by many jewelry and gift
specialty stores. Since these stores specialize in bridal services, they
can be instrumental in ensuring that you receive a successfully coordinated
array of gifts.
They generally offer the following services:
* Free in-store consultation by registered bridal
consultants.
* Many prestigious lines of china, silver and crystal.
* Quality merchandise and accessories for your table
and home.
* Liberal exchange policies in case of duplicate gifts.
* Wide selection of attendants' gifts.
* Wedding invitations and paper trousseau selections,
plus professional advice about protocol.
* Pleasant surroundings for shopping.
The store's bridal consultant will guide in the
selection of your table appointments and accessories. Your objective will
be to obtain harmony in your choice of fine china, ageless silver and
brilliant crystal. Harmony in table settings may be defined as
"fitting together" or a feeling of oneness. By choosing patterns
that complement one another, you will achieve this goal and also have fun
in making your selections.
Today almost every type of store offers a Bridal
Registry. Smart is the bride who confines her choices to only two or three
stores. This practically assures her that she will receive enough of her
choices to use immediately in her own home rather than an array of
mismatched items with nothing completed.
Today's Registries
Armed with hand-held scanners, engaged couples breeze
through the aisles at Target selecting the gifts they'd like to receive.
Others sit at home and click on a favorite Web site to
peruse a wide range of items.
Or they visit with wedding experts at local gift shops
who can show them how to mix and match fine china and flatware patterns.
With so much to choose from, it's a wonder couples
aren't totally overwhelmed.
But retailers say brides and grooms are pretty savvy --
they know what they want.
Practicality tops the list for most couples, who tend
to shy away from knickknacks and doilies.
At Target, they're stocking up on the basics.
While females spend more time selecting items for bath
and shower, guys tend to scan the tools and hardware.
Tableware still is a priority and brides are choosing
white dishes.
For a touch of elegance, some white plates are rimmed
in platinum, replacing the ever-popular gold.
