Where to Register

Where do you recommend that I register?

Generally brides register at major department stores in their area (Macys, Bloomingdales, Robinson May, JC Penney, etc.). Also stores like Target or Wal-Mart have a large variety of merchandise which are good for bridal showers as well as wedding gifts. Other interesting places to register are stores like Williams Sonoma, Crate and Barrel, or Pottery Barn. You can register at any store that has items of interest to you and your fiancé, including sporting goods stores or Home Depot. We recently went to a wedding and the only place they registered was Amazon.com (where you can get almost anything). You can register in as many stores as you like. Many stores and other merchants also have Internet on-line registries for your convenience.

When to Mail Invitations

When should invitations be mailed out?

Go to Plan/Order Invitations and Announcements, click on the light bulb on the right. This gives suggestions for when and how to mail. For example: Wedding invitations are to be mailed four to six weeks prior to the wedding date. They should all be mailed at the same time.

When to Have Engagement Party

How for away from our wedding should we be having the engagement party. None of the books give a general time.

You can have an engagement party as soon as you become engaged. Some people time it for just before or just after a newspaper announcement of the engagement. I have found one source that said no farther out than one year and no closer to the wedding than six months. Obviously this is not firm, since some people get engaged and married within a six month time frame. Also, some people have 2 years or more of engagement before the actual wedding.

The engagement party is really for both families to get together and get to know each other better. So, the earlier the better, especially if wedding finances need to be discussed and agreed on by both families.