When my husband and I got married, we had both been living on our own for sometime so we had a lot of basic items that would usually go on a registry. I didn’t quite understand what the point was for a wedding registry since we already had all the essentials and I didn’t want my guests to necessarily spend any money on us. But the thing is, people want to get you something as a congratulatory gift and a registry makes it really easy for them. The question is where do you start? This is why I have created a complete wedding registry checklist for you to reference.

So, instead of thinking “what don’t I have”, sometimes it is helpful to say “what can I upgrade”. I came out of college with a lot of hand-me-down supplies. I had random spatulas, different color towels, and one tiny crockpot. A lot of my stuff came from my grandma when she moved out of her house. My husband on the other hand was a single dad that doesn’t like to cook so his supplies were also rather limited. Therefore, our registry was all about upgrading the things that we wouldn’t normally buy ourselves.

When making a wedding registry, it is important to provide enough gifts for your guests to choose from with a varying range of prices. This includes everything from big ticket items to smaller gifts less than $20. Some guests will want to go all out, some might pool their money together to buy a big item, and others will want to get multiple little things. So, it is important to give them options.

I recommend registering at stores like Amazon or Target. First of all, their selections are huge and you can get most anything you can think of. It is easy for your guests to order online and you can get gifts delivered right to your house. This eliminates guests from having to bring a present to the wedding and thus you having to haul them all away at the end of the night.

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Kitchen

• Pots & Pans: Quality pots and pans are great items to add to your registry. If you are like me, you might have had a collection of mix and match pots that you have collected from various family and friends over the years. Use this time to upgrade to a great set that will last you years.

• Mixing Bowls: I use the OXO Good Grips mixing bowls nearly every single day for cooking. I love this set because of the nonstick bottom. When you are mixing ingredients, your bowls don’t move at all making spills a thing of the past. This is truly one of my favorite items we got from our wedding registry.

• Silicone Cooking Utensils: My old set of cooking utensils was a variety of colors and styles and whatever had been passed down to me. Many of them were cheap plastic ones I had bought back in college. This is another one of my favorite things we got as a wedding gift because the silicone utensils make for extremely easy cleaning.

• Knives & Sharpener: Upgrade your knives! All of my knives were super dull from using them over the years but it was always one of the last things on my list to upgrade. My father-in-law bought us an awesome pair of Henckel knives that are the only ones I really use. If I could go back, I would register for this entire block of knives. Be sure to get a knife sharpener as well to keep those bad boys sharp!

• Cutting Board: Plastic cutting boards with a rubber trim are great due to their nonstick grip making cutting vegetables a breeze.

• Dishes: I love Corelle dishes for our everyday dishes. They are hard to break and come in a number of different patterns to suit your style. They are fairly lightweight too compared to fancy china, which makes them easy to load and unload from the dishwasher.

• Glasses: Make sure you register for anything you need for quenching your thirst. Remember to get some basic drinking glasses, wine glasses, & coffee mugs.

• Mesh strainers: This is an item that I needed for a long time but could not convince myself to actually spend money on it. It is definitely one of those extra items that make cooking easier and would be a great add to your registry. This set of mesh strainers offers a variety of different sizes for various uses.

• Silicone Spatulas: I love these spatulas! I find the ones with wood handles harder to keep clean, so I love all silicone spatulas. They are great for baking and having multiple different sizes is a plus as well

• Toaster: Upgrade your toast game with this 4-slice toaster. As a couple, this makes it easier to toast bread for both of you without needing to wait for one after the other.

• Food Processor: This food processor is great for quick chopping veggies or pureéing food. I also use my food processor as a quick way to shred cheese instead of standing there forever doing it by hand.

• Instant Pot: This is a wonder pot and you should definitely register for one. The 9-in-1 version offers a pressure cooker, slow cooker, rice cooker, yogurt maker, steamer, sauté pan, sous vide, sterilizer, and food warmer. You can find many recipes online for cooking in your instant pot. I personally love to use it as a rice cooker and as a way to hard boil eggs. I also use the slow cooker function, which replaces the need to own and store a separate Crockpot.

• Dutch Oven: Dutch ovens are great for making soups on the stove or making bread in the oven. The nonstick nature of this one from Amazon makes cleaning up extremely easy.

• Coffee Pot: My husband and I are not personally coffee drinkers, but we like to have this single serve coffee pot on hand for when we have guests. This uses K-cups to create single servings. My kids personally love it for making hot chocolate in the winter.

• Blender: This isn’t always needed, but can be nice to have especially if you love to make smoothies. I personally love my NutriBullet. You blend your ingredients right in the cup and then just add a lid. It makes taking your smoothie on the go very easy.

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Baking

Even if you aren’t an avid baker, these are great items to have on hand. You never know when you are going to get a craving for chocolate chip cookies.

• Stand Mixer: If there is one item that I cannot live without, it would be my KitchenAid stand mixer. Stand mixers make baking or mixing things so much easier. Hot Tip: Not only are they great for baking, but you can easily use one to shred chicken.

• Measuring Cups: You simply can’t bake without measuring cups. Be sure to add these stainless steel ones to your baking arsenal.

• Cookie Sheets: Even if you don’t love to bake, cookie sheets are great to have on hand for roasting vegetables and baking different proteins. These pans are heavy duty and don’t bend in the oven.

• Cake Pans: These must-have cake pan basics are great to have for baking cakes and cinnamon rolls.

• Icing Spatulas: Upgrade your decorating skills with these icing spatulas. Gone are the days of using a butter knife and accidentally spreading crumbs everywhere. I don’t just use them for cake decorating though, but will grab them for spreading any sauce on top of whatever I am cooking.

• Immersion blender: I always just used a blender for making sauces, but it can be a pain and messy to heat something on the stove, move it to the blender, and then back to the stove. An immersion blender eliminates that step and allows you to just mix ingredients right in the pot.

• Donut pans: These donut pans were on our wedding registry and they have been awesome! I love baking seasonal donuts in these pans without the hassle of needing to deep fry them.

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Household Items

• Towels: Finally throw out the old towels you have with holes in the them! Your wedding registry is a great time to upgrade your towels so they are all new, fluffy, and most importantly all matching. This 4-piece towel set is affordable and gets the job done.

• Robot Vacuum: Make your life easier by getting a robot vacuum. “Eufy” as I like to call ours does a good job of basic picking up. You can set it on a schedule to run at a time that is ideal for you, such as while you are out at work during the day. It runs for a long time and can complete our entire downstairs before it sends itself back home to charge. The only thing to be on the look out for is anything that it can get caught on such as wires and cords. Once you remove those from its path, the robot vacuum is pretty self sufficient.

• Satin Pillowcases: Make your bed more luxurious at night by upgrading to satin pillowcases. These are cooler to sleep on and supposed to be better for your skin and hair. It is truly like sleeping on a cloud.

• Bamboo Sheets: Stop buying the cheapest sheets from Target! These bamboo sheets are extremely soft and don’t easily wrinkle. Invest in some quality sheets (and sleep) for yourself.

• Portable Steamer: I personally hate the old way of bringing out the big ironing board and using an iron. Steamers are effective and can easily cut your time in half. It is quick and easy to use before heading off to work or a special event. Plus, portable steamers are small enough to take with you traveling. I took one on our honeymoon so our clothes looked fresh coming out of the suitcase. I also received this before our wedding and used it to steam my wedding dress before the big day.

• Bathroom Accessories Set: I generally prefer to register for items that are essential rather than just for decoration; however bathroom accessories are where I make an exception. Easily elevate the look of your bathroom with a complete set for storing all your toiletries. They are functional and they look nice.

• Nest Thermostat: By learning your routines, this smart thermostat can help you save on your heating and cooling bill. While it may not be the most exciting gift, it is one of those options that you might be less inclined to buy for yourself or might be lower on your priority list. This makes it a great item to have on your registry and one you will be happy to have in your home.

• Fireproof Safe: This one isn’t that exciting either but a good thing to have and therefore a perfect item for your registry. Once you get married, you will want a safe place to keep your marriage license and all your other documents. This fireproof safe is great for keeping all your important items safe and locked away.

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Outdoor

• Power Washer: We had never previously owned a power washer, but we absolutely love this one from Sun Joe. It is small, but powerful enough to do your driveway, sidewalks, and front steps. There is nothing more satisfying than a freshly power washed driveway. On a lower setting, you could also use it for washing the grime off your car tires.

• Lawn Mower: Having a quality lawn mower is a must if you do your own yardwork. We like having an electrical one so we don’t have to keep gas on hand. We just leave our batteries on charge in the garage so they are ready to go whenever we need them.

• Grill: A grill is a great large ticket item to add to your registry. This grill was on our registry, but when no one bought it, I used the money people had given us and bought it myself. This grill is easy to use and can fit a decent amount of food on it. The side burner is great for sauteéing onions while you cook your burgers.

• Toolkit: Invest in a decent toolkit with a variety of screwdrivers, wrenches, and a hammer. Even if you are not a handy person, you never know when you are going to need to fix something. It is a good idea to have the tools you need on hand.

• Drill & Drill Bits: When you get married, you might be moving into a new place. Having a drill helps tremendously with assembling furniture and hanging items on the wall. Invest in a decent quality drill that can last you years and don’t forget to get drill bits as well.

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For Fun

Now that you have all the essentials out of the way, add a few things to your registry that are fun for you as a couple. Do you like to go camping and hiking? Or are you more of a beach couple? Add a few items to your registry that you can use for whatever hobby you enjoy doing together.

• Projector: In our family, we love outdoor movie nights so this was one of my favorite items on our registry. This projector can accommodate an HDMI cord, which makes it great for connecting a Roku or Amazon Fire Stick for streaming. The picture quality is very good and can get large enough that we can project it on the side of our house. If you prefer a screen, check out this screen which easily folds up and does not crease.

• Tent: If you enjoy camping, invest in that tent you have always been wanting. We like this one with a screened in porch area. You might also be interested in a picnic backpack that you can take with you on hikes.

• Beach Chairs: If you love going to the beach as couple, add some nice beach chairs to your registry. These ones from Tommy Bahama have a cooler pack and have backpack straps to keep your hands free for carrying all your other stuff to the beach. Get a matching beach umbrella to keep you protected from the sun.

• Packing Cubes: If you are looking to travel as a couple, packing cubes are a must. Keep all your shirts and pants together, which makes packing a breeze. The low price makes these a great add to your wedding registry.

• Suitcase: If you plan to travel a lot, then add a solid quality suitcase to your registry for you and your significant other. I recommend getting a suitcase that has four wheels to make it easy to push through the airport. If you want a high end option, try one of the smart suitcases that have locks and charging ports built into them. This suitcase even has a cup holder built in!

• Ring Holder: Lastly, get yourself something that celebrates you as a couple. We got this small dish for our rings that I get to use every day and it always makes me smile.

Explore More: Need help on packing? Check out my Ultimate Packing List.

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If you find yourself already having most of this stuff, another option many people do is create a honeymoon fund. You can create an account with The Knot and they have the ability to create different funds for things like travel or appliances or anything else you might need to save money for.

Wedding Photography Credit: Asheville Wedding Photography