This entry is from our Expert Guest series where wedding and honeymoon professionals share their best tips on creating memories that last a lifetime.

Creating your wedding registry is one of the more fun things to do when you’re planning your dream wedding. And with the massive collection of online shops on the internet these days, the possibilities are endless.

But, before you dive right in and add a million things to your wishlist, here are things you should know about wedding gift registries.

Before you start your wedding registry search

Going on the quest of finding gifts to add to your list can become overwhelming. You might find yourself at a later point, where you just mindlessly add things to your wedding registry search list – even if you don’t really need it.

You will soon be flooded with questions like “how do I know which gifts I should add?” and “how many gifts should I add and in which price ranges?”

You will find the Wedding Registry Kit very useful because it will help you to decide which items to add, how many of them, and in which price range so that it suits all of your wedding guests’ pockets. It also comes with a checklist of over 30 items, and a wedding registry ideas list.

The difference between a bridal registry and a wedding registry

Another confusing thing about searching for wedding registry gift ideas is the difference between a bridal registry and a wedding registry.

The bridal registry is a gift list you set up for the bridal shower. In contrast, the wedding registry includes gifts your guests can buy for the wedding – and may include gifts for the groom, too.

The great thing about having both is that many guests will buy gifts for one or both occasions. So you can just add the gifts from your bridal registry which you haven’t received, to your wedding registry.

How to locate wedding registry stores

Another way to go hunting for wedding registry gift, is by finding wedding registry stores which provide a service.

You can find these stores by either going online to their websites, or by going to the mall and asking at each store’s help desk or customer services desk.

Most large homeware stores have them, and you can easily go to their website and add things you want on your wedding registry list.

You can create your gift registry online

The most convenient way to add gifts to your wedding list is by creating your gift registry online. We are all connected to the web nowadays, which makes it even easier to create your wedding registry from the comfort of your own couch.

There are many online wedding registries which will make it easy for you to add gifts from different stores to one place. You can then share the link to your wedding guests, either through your wedding website or by printing it on your wedding stationery and including it in the wedding invitation.

The best collective online registry where you can add items from multiple stores is the one provided by The Knot. The Knot also makes it super easy for you to add your Honeyfund account to your wedding registry – which you can share to your wedding guests and add to your wedding website!

Where to find wedding gift registry ideas

Save yourself all the trouble of searching for wedding gift registry ideas, by firstly creating your Honeyfund account. Your wedding guests will love the unique idea of contributing to your honeymoon in any way they choose to. When you’ve created a wedding website, you can simply add your Honeyfund account link to it, so that your wedding guests can start contributing.

Next, look on Pinterest for more unique wedding gift registry ideas, and be sure to look out for posts that tell you what NOT to add to your wedding registry!

Can you have more than one wedding registry?

Of course, you can!

If you like many things at different stores, you can simply add them to your wedding registry online, or you can have a registry at multiple stores.

However, don’t list the stores of the entire mall in your wedding registry info! If you want to add more than one store, limit yourself to 2 to 3 choices, at most.

Can you have a wedding registry if you’re having a destination wedding?

The answer is yes!

I would suggest that you consider a registry fund, rather than listing homeware items, because it might seem rude to your guests if you have a destination wedding – which you know most guests won’t be able to attend – and then ask them to buy you expensive gifts…

That is why Honeyfund is so perfect! It will allow your wedding guests to contribute to your dream wedding, by adding a little something to your honeymoon. It is still a wedding gift, but it is a more subtle way to ask for it…

BIO: Tanya Viljoen is a wedding expert who chose to help brides who plan their own wedding, as well as wedding planners who are new to the industry. She has completed her Advanced Wedding Planning & Styling Course at The SA School of Weddings in 2016 and now owns a very successful wedding blog: The Wedding Club.