I hate shopping from registries...

[ead79]

I prefer it when couples register, and I always buy gifts off of the registry. Sometimes it irritates me when people think they know what you need better than you know what you need. For instance, my husband's grandmother bought us a toaster oven. She refused to get the one we registered for (and it was very inexpensive, so cost wasn't the issue) and got us one she insisted was better. The stupid thing takes 3 cycles to toast a frozen waffle and the preheat function doesn't work. I really wish she could've just gone off my registry. It's not that I don't appreciate the thoughtfulness (we didn't even expect a gift from her as she had to travel to the wedding), it's just that it can be a much bigger hassle to try to return off-registry items than those on the registry. We're still stuck with the broken toaster oven, LOL.

That being said, I think it's also very important for the bride and groom to pay close attention to the price ranges of items they are registering for. There should be many choices in the lower price ranges so everyone is able to purchase something that makes them happy. There is nothing wrong with registering for expensive items (we registered for sterling flatware at Ross-Simons), but the couple should take care to keep the lower budgets in mind too. Between Target & Crate and Barrel we had lots of inexpensive items that still made lovely gifts.

I do understand the dilemma. I'm a bridesmaid in a wedding later this month, and the bride did not register for very many low cost items. Unless you want to show up with a $10 ladle and a $9 trivet, you don't have many options. In that case, I think it's more than justified to go off the registry to be able to stay within your budget.