Bridal Gift Registry
People like to give gifts that will please, naturally, and it's awfully nice to know what the couple needs and what they'd be especially pleased to have. Everyone knows the stories about brides who receive sixteen teapots, ten casseroles, thirty-three toasters, and two dozen teaspoons but no forks and knives. One graceful way to let friends and relatives know what it's appropriate to bestow is for the bride to enter her name, needs, and preferences in a bridal register; this can be a real service to family and friends as well as bride and groom.
These days, the bride (hopefully with the groom's input) can register for the china, silver, and crystal patterns she's selected. But that's not all. She can also register for linens, cookware, cutlery, appliances, and more -- whatever she needs, in other words.
A bridal consultant can help the couple decide which registry they should use and what they need to put on that all-important list. She'll also advise them to register at least six months before the wedding if at all possible, which ensures that by the time the showers happen and the wedding gifts start to arrive, there will be a completed list...and chances are that the couple will start out their life together with just about everything they need, and no duplicates.