Shot by Plush Affairs, Delhi

Let's get real, guys! Getting married in India means being bombarded with gifts...errr...UNWANTED gifts. Imagine having your house flooded with endless boxes of electronic items, crockery and house decor supplies and 'gifts' that you will never ever use. Ask a newlywed couple and they'll share the real horrors of how they dealt with this trauma. 

While a wedding gift can be something very meaningful and useful for the couple, we Indians still consider it as a mere formality and do not think beyond the usual dinner sets, lamps, electronic items and bedsheets or at times even pass on a gift lying at our place. Aren't we all guilty of it?

 But luckily, there is a trend floating around, waiting to be noticed by you; it promises to shoo all the wedding gifting blues and helps you get the wedding gifts of your choice (yes, including cash). Wondering what is it? Without any further ado and with some drumrolls, please welcome *Wedding Gift Registry*. A trend that even Priyanka Chopra swore by at her wedding! It is the future of wedding gifting (already big in Western countries), easy and the best way of getting the gifts of your choice.

Wedding Gift Registry India: Everything you need to know

What is a Wedding Gift Registry?

Wedding Gift Registry is basically an online service for wed-to-be couples where they can create a list of gifts they desire to receive on their wedding. The guests can buy or contribute for any gift from the couple's gift wishlist according to their budget. This service is mostly free of cost and is provided by several portals like Wedding Wishlist and Wishtry.com. You can choose from an array of products like kitchen appliances, home decor items, gift cards of renowned brands, cash,  or even generate funds for your honeymoon. 

It is a Western concept that paved its way to India around 3-4 years back. However, it is only now that this concept is gaining momentum. Especially after Priyanka Chopra confessed that her bridal registry had things like luggage bags, dog apparel and bedsheets.

How Wedding Gift Registry Works?

You just have to register yourself on one of the wedding gift registry websites (like Wedding Wishlist) and choose your desired set of things or experiences (or even money) which you would like to receive from your guests. A URL will be generated which you can easily share with your guests on Whatsapp. Your guests can choose and pay on the portal itself - you will receive the gifts at the desired address. The wedding gift registry portal will get it delivered to the address and will also transfer the money to your bank account. 

The portals even keep giving you a track of all who gifted you what or contributed how much. Also, once a product has been bought by someone, no other guest can buy you the same thing. So, there is no duplicity of gifts.

Some trust-worthy gift registry portals are:

Wedding Wishlist

Wishtry

What products/experiences can you add to your gift registry?

The list is endless! Leading wedding gift registry portals like Wedding Wishlist have an association with all the leading brands for each of the category:

• Apparels
• House Decor & Furniture
• Kitchen & home appliances
• Beauty & Grooming
• Experiences like spa, fine dining, honeymoon, etc
• Gift vouchers of brands like Amazon, Pepper Fry, Urban Ladder, etc
• Cash
• Charity Funds

Why should you opt for it?

You are starting a new life and would need some imperative products or might even want to splurge on some luxe experiences. Now that your guests are spending on you for the wedding gift, why not make them spend (according to their suitable budget) on something which you actually want. It is just a practical and modernised take on wedding gifting beneficial for every millennial couple. Here I enlist some of the best benefits of the wedding gift registry. 

• Firstly, it saves you from the heaps of unwanted and similar wedding gifts.
• The entire process is super convenient.
• Your guests get to choose from a vast list of products/services (of your choice) which range from as low as INR 200 to high-end going up to lacs. Guests can suitably contribute or purchase you a gift.
• Makes it easier for your guests to choose a wedding gift for you.
• The services are free of cost.
• Don't want wedding gifts but some cash? A wedding gift registry is the most decent way of conveying the same to your guests. Otherwise, you can't be personally telling everyone that you want cash as a gift.

What do you think about wedding gift registry? Do you have any questions? Ask us in the comments section below.

Medha Chawla

Author, WeddingBazaar

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