A bridal registry is a system designed by department stores for the purpose of allowing a newlywed couple to manage the purchase of gifts for their wedding. From what is available at the store, the couple creates a list of items that they would like to receive, then the list is mentioned or provided to their wedding guests. Some implementation methods allow participating stores to provide the list to guests. As a gift is purchased by a guest, the department store's list is updated and the item is removed from the list of desired items, preventing a single gift from being accidentally bought redundantly by multiple people. This can be greatly efficient both for the couple to be married as well as convenient for guests who don't have to make decisions over what to buy.

The concept of a bridal registry was first instituted by Chicago-founded department store Marshall Fields in 1924, and has since been turned into a well-known experience of many large stores. Some registries track more detail than others. Even Home Depot, the gigantic home improvement warehouse, offers a bridal registry. Registries such as [TheBigDay] have sprung up for honeymoon travel as well. Marshall Fields State Street Store interior, about 1910 Marshall Field and Company is a department store. ... The Home Depot (NYSE: HD) is a home improvement retailer that aims for both the do-it-yourself consumer and the professional in home improvement construction. ...

Bridal registries are not always well received. They can be viewed as vulgar, particularly by older guests. Soliciting gifts can be seen as an anathema to traditional gift buying notions such as "being grateful for what you receive", the element of surprise, and leading to gift buying as a type of competition as the couple knows the prices of the presents given. It has led to the more controversial practice of couples asking guests to give them money instead of presents, in cultures where this is not the practised norm. Apocryphal tales abound of people making profits off their weddings and sending invitations with space for people to give their credit card details.

See also:

Honeymoon_registry A honeymoon registry is a service, typically on the Internet, that assists engaged and married couples in financing their honeymoons. ...