Two Most Popular Wedding Gifts

You've been invited to a wedding and are wondering what to get for a gift. The bride and groom have a registry but you'd like to get the things they REALLY want the most off the registry for them.

I ran a poll of my readers asking for them to choose their favorite gifts.

• At the top 56% preferred cash.
• Directly below that housewares or something random from their registry at 50%.
• China scored 6%
• Silver also scored  6%.

It should be noted this was a relatively small sample (16 voter) and voters had the option to choose more than one option.

So I took the sampling to my local Bed, Bath and Beyond to observe brides and grooms who were registering on four Saturdays. They were offered the same options as the online poll. With their permission to report the findings, the brides and grooms reported the following:

• 49% chose cash
• 53% chose housewares or random registry items
• 8% chose china
• 3% chose silver

The sampling at BB&B consisted of a total of 25 couples. No one was interviewed unless they were registering as a couple. The interviews were done at 8 different BB&B's.

It looks like there is a trend away from formal entertaining with couples choosing instead to 'nest' and decorate their homes with items that will be used more often than expensive china or sterling silver.

Obviously this is not going to represent every bride or groom but I noted that brides and grooms who were registering for china and silver were choosing more simple patterns, avoiding ornate patterns their mothers or grandmothers might have chosen.

If you haven't registered yet, I recommend going to BB&B. Not only are their registry assistants knowledgeable, they were skilled at putting the young brides and grooms at ease. You can also start your registry at home online here. For guests who choose to shop online, BB&B makes it easy, just type in the bride or groom's name and it will take you to their registry.