Wedding Registry Glossary

Additional Charges

These are any services the hired company did not include in their original/ basic agreement but are charging you for. These could be caused by numerous factors depending on your choice of the registry, such as additional transfer fees if the process involves sending money to your bank account or changes to your honeymoon date. Remember to read through your contractual terms and conditions carefully!

Bridal Registry

This is another name for a wedding registry (below). However, this seems unfair as the wedding gifts are also for the groom; remember, it’s his big day too!

Cash Gift Registry

You can opt to ask guests to donate to a fund instead of providing physical guests. This fund could be for a new kitchen, necessary house renovations, for a car, towards the deposit to buy your home, or whatever else your heart desires. Guests can transfer their money to the account in numerous ways and it can all be maintained easily online. This is ideal for any of your wedding guests who are living abroad.

China

a. China is used to define all kinds of dinner dishes and sets, regardless of their material.
b. This word is used to describe “bone china”, which consists of a finely ground clay. This is known as bone china because it uses bone ash, which also gives it its white appearance. It is widely considered to be the best form of China as it is both strong and elegant.

DIY Wedding Registry

a. Creating your own list of wedding presents using the many versatile tools available, especially online.
b. Asking your gifts for Do It Yourself related products such as tools and supplies. You should select relevant DIY stores, online and on the high street, but you could combine this with a gift card registry and solve your DIY needs with gift cards. This is ideal for DIY fans and those wanting to renovate or flip (renovate them and then sell on) a house.

Dowry

This is not an official part of the registry but it is relevant to the area. A dowry is a mostly outdated concept, during which the bride’s parents provide a financial sum for the bride to bring to her husband. This originates from the days when the man responsible for the finances, but now it is much less common. Instead, in modern society, the parents of both the bride and groom provide gifts along with the rest of the guests, although they often provide larger gifts than other guests might.

Earthenware

Also known as pottery, crockery and ceramics. This is a substance made of clay that is used to make everyday dinnerware such as plates, saucers and cups. It is often glazed to make it suitable for food and drink, as it is a porous material.

Flatware

This refers to kitchen items such as cutlery, plates and saucers. It’s so named because of the flatness of the items. These are traditional wedding registry gifts, but you and your groom should only request flatware if you’ll make use of these items.

Formal/Fine China

All items of dinnerware are referred to as China (see the definitions above) and so all high-quality dinnerware items can be called formal or fine china. However, bone china and porcelain are most commonly referred to in this way due to their cost and quality.

Gift Card Registry

This is a simple and modern form of registry. You simply select which stores and online shops you would like your guests to purchase gift cards for, and the guests do the rest. Be sure to choose shops that sell products. Avoid selecting too many item-specific stores, such as music shops as this will restrict your options when you come to redeem the gift cards.

Gift Registry

Not to be confused with Gift Card Registry, this is the generalised term for registries that allow guests to pay into a fund. This accumulates until the sum total of payments from guests equals the cost of the gift you wish to receive. You can create your own online, not only allowing you to incorporate a variety of different gifts and stores but also providing you with the options of physical, virtual and monetary gifts for during and after the wedding. This could include your photo booth (see Photo Booth Registry below), your honeymoon (see Honeymoon Fund) and items for your home.

Home/House Savings Registry

See Cash Gift Registry (above).

Honeymoon Registry

 This is a modern type of registry which allows the couple to ask guests for gifts in the form of holiday treats. If you’ve spent much of your resources on the wedding festivities you could ask them to pay for a luxurious meal out on the town or a pamper session in the hotel. This is a lovely present that guests love to give.

Kitchenware

Without a gift registry, you may receive a lot of kitchenware, regardless of how much you want or need it. This includes cutlery, china, toasters and indeed any useful household item. You can find numerous checklists of such essentials online if you and your partner are in need of items for your new home. If this isn’t for you, consider using one of the many alternative wedding registries available.

Masonware

 Also known as Ironstone. This is a heavy type of dinnerware made of a hard, opaque and durable material. It looks like porcelain and is made of clay.

Personalised Gifts

Any number of items – essential and fun – can be personalised by companies online and on the high street. From tankards and artistic prints to cushions, vases and even cheese boards, anything is possible if you look hard enough. The internet is an invaluable source for such gifts as it’s quick and efficient. Ensure that you’ve considered shipping times for all of your gift registry companies when you’re choosing a date and a method to inform your guests about your wish list.

Photo Booth Registry

If your dream is to have a photo booth to record and remember your day but it’s out of your budget, this could be the option for you. Guests can log onto the website of your chosen company and pay towards the cost of renting your dream photo booth package. This could also be an option for other forms of wedding entertainment and decoration.

Porcelain: This type of dinnerware is created from the same material as bone china but without the bone ash. It has similar properties of strength, durability and it’s glasslike. Porcelain generally shouldn’t be placed in the dishwasher; this is also true with bone china.

Reverse Wedding List/Registry

Instead of asking for new items, engaged couples can sell their unwanted and unused household items to their guests. This money could be used to renovate your kitchen, to pay for your honeymoon or even aspects of the wedding itself. This trend was started in 2010 by a couple who had been living together for some years; they successfully carried out this plan and, after a wonderful wedding and honeymoon paid for by their guests, they started their own business helping other couples to do the same for their registry.

Scanner

 A device used to select specific items by scanning their barcode, usually in a large shop or mall. This is becoming an outdated method as more brides and grooms look to the internet; online registries benefit from their paperless, quick and tidy nature. They are easy to organise, manage and claim, so scanners are used less often.

Silver Sixpence

The tradition of giving a bride a coin stems from the Ancient Greek and Roman civilisations at least. Most people are unaware that the full bridal rhyme reads, “Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue and a silver sixpence in her shoe”. This custom in particular is an old British custom and the rhyme originates from the late 1800s. A bride could request a silver sixpence, as well as suggestions for the other items in the rhyme, as gift registry items. Ensure that none of your loved ones have already planned for this before adding any items to your registry!

Wedding Registry

This is a list of items given to guests. They will have a selection of appropriate wedding gifts, hand-picked by you, to choose from and purchase for you and your husband. It’s useful because it ensures you don’t receive the same gift twice, and it’s easy to organise through an online company or a store.

Always check the terms and conditions so there are no nasty surprises, and have an empty gift table ready on the day. If you’re having a themed wedding this could fit in well with the gifts you ask for, and don’t be afraid to use an unusual wedding registry just because others you know have opted for traditional presents.

Wedding Registry App

A program created specifically for smartphones, such as iPhones and Androids, which allows the user to select items they wish to include from any store they visit. Effectively, it serves as a modern portable scanner and is ideal for busy brides on the go. There are many such apps available, for free and for purchase, so read the reviews before paying.

Wine Registry

For those of you who are wine aficionados, a wine registry might be perfect for you. You can easily select your favourite wines online to add to your list. Perhaps your new home has an empty wine cellar – guests can simply select a bottle of your choice for you, which you’re guaranteed to like!

Wish List

 This is another (slightly more fanciful) name for a wedding registry (above).