10 Tips for creating wedding registry

Armed with a hand-held scanner, you can traipse down the aisles of your favorite department stores zapping the barcodes of items you want on your registry. Or, if you prefer to shop online, you can click your way to a complete wedding registry.

Registries are easy to set up, but not reading the fine print or researching your choices could cost you later on. Hidden fees, poor quality items, strict completion packages and other registry caveats can give you a large financial headache.

Before you say "I do" on the big day, say "I do" to these registry tips:

    1. Do register with two or three different merchants. It gives your guests more options, especially if one or two of your selected stores aren't familiar or appealing to your guests.

    2. Do register at physical, as well as online stores. The last thing you want to do is register with just one Web-only retailer and confuse Aunt Edna who has never shopped online. Pick a combination of merchants that will accommodate the Web-savvy and the traditional, in-store shoppers.

    3. Do read FAQs and check hidden fees before setting up a registry. "Read the fine print very carefully, and be aware of what you're signing up for," says Joyce Scardina Becker, certified wedding consultant, president of Events of Distinction and author of "Countdown to Your Perfect Wedding." You might be dinging the person who's buying the gift with a hefty service charge.

    4. Do remember your general retailers. Unlike some department stores, you can register for fun items such as Rollerblades and things for your pet, says Leah Ingram, a certified etiquette and protocol consultant.

    5. Do register for items to fit every budget -- but don't shy away from big-ticket items such as that nice luggage set. A big trend among wedding guests is to pool money and buy expensive gifts as a group, says Sharon Naylor, author of "The Ultimate Wedding Registry Workbook."

Making gift-getting easier for groups, Felicite.com, lets each guest contribute a "partial payment" toward the total gift amount. When the gift has been paid for in full, the company orders the gift. If the gift is not physical, the company will collect contributions, then send the bride and groom a check. Felicite charges a fee for this service.

    6. Do check for a completion package. Some retailers will offer a discount of 10 percent or 20 percent on unpurchased registry items. Some will even let you add last-minute gifts before you close the registry, so be sure to ask before you sign up. Also add things as you go so you can get more items at a discount and keep gifts in everyone's budget.

    7. Do become a connoisseur of household essentials. Read up on information about thread counts, knife tang and silverware chromium-to-nickel ratios before you make selections or you might end up with items that feel rough, break or rust easily. A rule of thumb: If a product's description involves jargon you don't recognize, conduct a simple Web search on the unfamiliar terms. It could save you from buying replacement items sooner than you'd like.

    8. Do ask that your address remain hidden from guests but on file. Guests don't need to know your mailing address to send you a gift, and that way strangers can't find out where you live, says Naylor.

    9. Do appoint a reliable person to check on your house while you're honeymooning. "You don't want a bunch of Crate & Barrel boxes sitting out on your porch," says Naylor.

    10. Do consider keeping duplicate gifts, says Becker. That second set of drinking glasses might come in handy when some start breaking, for instance.

Ultimately, remember that registries are meant to make your guests' lives easier by providing them with a wish list, but they are by no means bound to that list or obligated to buy you anything. That said, according to Becker, "Look at the things that you need, treat yourself to things you might not need, and don't be afraid to think outside the box."

Modern wedding registries are going beyond towels and toasters. To learn about the trends in wedding registries, see "Offbeat wedding registry ideas."