What Types of Experiences Should I Add to My Registry?

As your big day approaches, putting items on your registry becomes top of mind. Of course, picking out essentials, such as dishes and glassware, is essential. However, before your wedding registry becomes all business for material gift options, take time to add a few fun things to your list. It’s important to balance out the necessities by adding experiences gifts to your registry. From monthly deliveries to fabulous date night ideas, here are 10 types of experiences gift ideas that you should add to your registry.

Name Change Services

Love to save time? Add name change services to your wedding registry. It’s such a brilliant idea! Instead of having to go through the hassle of switching everything over to your new name, let Née Name Change do it. A few minutes of inputting your information can save hours in the future. Besides, not many folks enjoy researching how to make a name change, so leave it up to the experts.

Meal Plans

Eating out at restaurants can be expensive. Conversely, shopping for groceries and making meals is time-consuming. Have the best of both worlds—cost-effective and quick—by registering for a meal plan service, such as Blue Apron or Home Chef. Choose the frequency of deliveries, and select meals according to your tastes or dietary needs, such as vegetarian or gluten-free. Each meal comes with complete instructions, so there’s no need to fret over your culinary skills (or lack thereof). Cook dishes side by side with your sweetie as you recount your day.

Monthly Drink Deliveries

Whether you crave a morning beverage or post-dinner nightcap, consider adding drink delivery to your wedding registry. Winc is a wine club subscription that works directly with vineyards to deliver the freshest wines. You can also input your taste preferences so that Winc can suggest varietals that you’ll genuinely enjoy. Then, for a treat each morning, register for Mistobox or Blue Bottle Coffee, which delivers select coffee blends to your door. Each bag of beans is sourced from local farms to support small businesses.

Accommodations

Everyone needs a getaway every once in a while. Whether you have a trip already in the works, or you want to be spontaneous, register an experience gift for accommodations. An Airbnb gift card or Airbnb experience is perfect to have on hand for those last-minute trips. Another great option is asking for a hotel-specific gift card or gift certificate, such as for Fairmont Hotels & Resorts. Suppose you don’t have a favorite hotel chain—register for a Hotels.com card for added flexibility. Adding a gift card for accommodations to your registry can even help you pay for your honeymoon stay.

Airfare

Flying can get expensive, and prices can fluctuate depending on when you travel. Adding a gift card or gift certificate for airfare can help you get where you need to go. Airlines, such as Southwest and Delta, offer cards that don’t expire so that you can leave your travel plans open-ended. One point to note is that some airlines limit the number of gift cards you can use per transaction. Therefore, plan the amounts you register for carefully.

Photo Displays

It may not be an actual experience, but putting together an album and selecting photos to display on your wall can be. Register for a photo album from Zola. You can choose pictures and personalize your album to have something to look through to remember your wedding day. Another option is to add a custom frame from Framebridge to your wedding registry. That way, you can hang images from your big day on your wall for everyone to see.

Home Improvement

A new home comes with projects to tackle. Sometimes you simply need curtain rods and lightbulbs, while other times, you may have a large-scale DIY project in mind. Improve your space by registering for a home improvement gift card from Lowe’s, Ace Hardware, or Home Depot. Having something practical on hand for small projects or repairs is a brilliant idea.

DIY Kits

Sometimes it’s fun to try something new, even just once, so add a DIY kit or gift box to your wedding registry—it’s the perfect gift experience that both of you will enjoy. Plan a night in with your partner, and try your hand at making certain things. Learn how to ferment hot sauce, make cheese, or brew beer. Who knows? You may even discover a new talent, hobby, or side hustle that you enjoy.

Date Nights

Registering for date night gift cards can keep the fun going long after your wedding day. Add movie nights and restaurants to your wedding registry, or stay in and order from DoorDash. If you live or plan to honeymoon near a major city, add city-specific gift experiences to your registry. Take a knife skills class at San Francisco Cooking School or experience a dinner cruise in New York City.

Charitable Giving

If you and your partner combine households or have most of what you need, register for a charitable gift. Instead of accumulating things that you don’t necessarily want, offer guests the opportunity to donate towards a nonprofit. GlobalGiving has different types of charities, and couples can choose which ones to support. Even if you need items for your home, registering for the perfect gift that helps someone else just feels good.

When curating your Zola wedding registry, don’t forget to think about spending time together. We all have lots of things, but having unique experiences will create lasting memories. From date nights and weekend getaways to hanging beautiful wedding photos in your home, use your Zola registry to enable friends and family to give you the gift of bonding moments.