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Ever feel like it’s wedding season 365 days a year? Whether you’re getting hitched, joining a friend’s bridal party, or attending someone’s big day, chances are you’ve got nuptials on the horizon. Welcome to Save the Date, our recurring series for brides, grooms, and even guests-to-be, where we research everything about tying the knot so you don’t have to.
Deciding what goes in your wedding gift registry is no easy task, made all the more difficult by the fact that there are a gazillion pots, pans, and panini presses to choose from. That’s where we come in. To make sure you have everything you need for newly wedded bliss, we’ve compiled the ultimate list of room-by-room gift ideas. But get ready: This isn’t your grandparents’ (or even your parents’) registry. After scouring all of the hottest industry-disrupting brands on the market today, we’ve curated the coolest must-haves, nice-to-haves, and even a few fun-to-haves designed for today’s modern couple. (Think: tech gadgets over toasters and ceramics instead of china patterns.) Whether you’re hoping to upgrade everyday basics or choose items that reflect your new blended aesthetic as a couple, this is the perfect place to start thinking about what you’ll need for life together after the big day.
Credit: Evermill
The Kitchen
Chances are you and your significant other have amassed a bunch of cookware over the years, especially if you’re already cohabitating! But there’s no harm in asking guests to help revamp your rusty-looking collection. Look no further than Great Jones, which makes heavy-duty, cast-iron cookware enameled in covetable colors (like mustard and broccoli) that you’ll be proud to display on your stovetop. (A five-piece set clocks in at $395!) You should also consider cult favorite Our Place; you’ve likely seen its best-selling Always Pan, a $145 multipurpose wonder designed to replace eight pieces of cookware, on your Instagram feed at some point. Even more vibrant colorways await at Caraway, a company known for developing clean cookware (starting at $95) with a mineral-based coating that won’t leach toxic materials.
Credit: GIR
Beyond pots, pans, and sheets, Material has you covered with good-looking tools, recycled cutting boards, and more—all constructed with high-quality materials, like Japanese steel or ebonized oak wood, designed to last a marriage (if not longer). Multi-piece sets start at $60. If you’ve recently discovered the joys of cooking with silicone tools, GIR’s five-star spatulas, ladles, and more (ranging from $10.95-$12.95) are crafted from pharmaceutical-grade silicone in shades you’ll adore. Meanwhile, BenchMade, which makes knives used by backcountry hunters and special operations forces, has developed the sharpest kitchen blades ($600 for four)—in case you’re a home cook who means business. Amateur chefs (or anyone with an eye for aesthetics) might also appreciate Evermill’s $249 spice rack, which arrives with 100% organic spices and a text-to-refill system for keeping them stocked.
Covering all the essentials is well and good, but don’t forget to throw in a few fun pieces too. After all, you never know when you might need Made In Cookware’s $99 paella pan or $89 camping-ready frying pan (thank us later). Plus, a generous friend just might want to surprise you with Brava (starting at $1,295), a smart oven that uses innovative light technology for precision cooking.
Credit: Year & Day
The Dining Room
If your idea of happily ever after includes hosting dinner parties galore, your registry should definitely include new tableware. Today’s married couples are far more interested in Year & Day’s Portuguese-made, pastel-hued ceramics (from $8 each) or Hudson Wilder’s contemporary porcelain dishes (from $30 for four) than they are in Wedgwood fine china. On the ceramics front, there’s also California-based Heath Ceramics (a longtime favorite for its excellent craftsmanship and timeless designs with plates starting at $21) and certified B Corp East Fork (whose team works with clays dug from the American Southeast and glazes every piece by hand, including plates from $18).
Credit: Hudson Wilder
Whether your taste ranges from minimalistic to rustic, you’re bound to find a company that makes registry-worthy flatware. Public Goods produces elegant yet practical pieces—like hand-blown wine glasses ($36 for four) and cutlery ($50 for 20) to suit any occasion. Fable Home pushes the envelope a little more with elevated colorways, like matte black or gold. You may also want to throw in its $298 linen sets, featuring versatile, machine-washable tablecloths and cloth napkins for when you’re feeling extra posh.
Credit: Aura
The Living Room
Now that you’ve found yourself a Netflix and chill partner for life, you’ll need a well-appointed living room in which to, well, Netflix and chill. We recommend perusing Article, which works directly with manufacturers to create durable pieces for a great value. You’ll find everything from thoughtfully designed lounge chairs (from $199) to coffee tables, sideboards, and shelving—all made to fit seamlessly into a modern home. If you’re into the clean lines of Scandinavian design but want to graduate from IKEA, try Civil’s modular styles (sofas starting at $3,499), brought to you by third-generation Norwegian furniture makers.
Obviously, you’ll need picture frames to decorate your new surfaces (and show off your wedding photos)! Enter Aura, a digital frame (options start at $179) that allows you to share over 10,000 photos directly from your phone, rotating through them so you’re always reminded of a happy memory. If you prefer the old-fashioned route, Keepsake makes printing and framing photos directly from your smartphone oh-so-easy—starting at just $29. By the way, your coffee table could use a few nicer-than-usual candles. We’re huge fans of Otherland’s clean, conscious candles for $36 a pop, hand-poured into stunning (and reusable!) glass tumblers and always made without parabens, sulfates, or phthalates. For a statement-making piece, Scandles’ 100% natural soy wax candles (ranging from $5-$60) serve a dual purpose as decorative works of art—almost too pretty to light.
For your walls, we’ll direct you to House of Spoils, which supports emerging photographers by creating museum-quality, ready-to-hang pieces, starting at $165 for members. Fancy yourself a budding art collector? Spacey Studios commissions contemporary artists to create exclusive pieces spanning a range of mediums and styles, with prints from $150. Minted is another key player in this space, serving as a design marketplace for buying paintings and drawings from indie artists all over the world with a range of prices to suit every budget.
Credit: Beni
If your honeymoon isn’t taking you to Morocco, where you can purchase an authentic rug IRL, Beni crafts stunning rugs (starting at $414) handwoven in the Atlas Mountains and inspired by the country’s colors, shapes, materials, architecture, and artistry. (Customizable options are available too!) Meanwhile, Instagram-favorite Ruggable makes machine-washable rugs from $109 in a variety of patterns and colors, so you’re sure to find one (or several) you love.
Finally, if you’re thinking about becoming first-time plant parents together (or just adding to an existing collection), companies like Bloomscape (from $39) and The Sill (from $14) deliver lovely indoor plants and botanicals directly to your doorstep.
Credit: Parachute
The Bedroom
The most personal space in your home, your bedroom should serve as an oasis-like retreat at the end of a long day. Naturally, its accoutrements deserve a prominent spot on your registry. Parachute is a go-to for bedding basics—covering everything from $119-$489 duvet inserts to $29-$169 pillows. (The company’s also branched out to other categories, like home decor and serveware, that you might be interested in browsing.)
You simply can’t go wrong with either Brooklinen or Sijo, both of which are renowned for competitively priced, five-star-hotel-quality sheets (starting at $46 and $95 respectively). Sustainable shoppers should look into eco-friendly Coyuchi, which uses 100% organic textiles and does everything in its power to keep products (starting at $28) clean and toxin-free. Buffy is another contender in the bedding space that makes temperature-regulating comforters (from $129) and ultra-comfy pillows (from $49), all with responsible materials like water-saving eucalyptus. Get a better night’s rest with Eight Sleep, which leverages its award-winning patented tech to develop highly advanced sleep solutions starting at $2,495. The finishing touch? Bearaby’s weighted blankets (from $139) are supposed to reduce anxiety and stress—with the added bonus of being made from planet-friendly fabrics.
A word to the wise: Don’t feel confined to bedding! Far from being an eyesore like most home organization units, Folden Lane’s attractive storage sets ($129 for three pieces) have reinvented our concept of home storage solutions. Perhaps your bedroom could benefit from Molekule’s professional-grade air purifiers (from $399), Canopy’s stylish humidifiers (from $125), or Vitruvi’s handsome diffusers (from $119) and essential oils (from $12), the latter of which should help set the stage for a relaxing evening. Finally, Gantri’s 3D-printed lamps ($98-$448) create just the right vibe for enhancing your time in the boudoir together.
Credit: Boll & Branch
The Bathroom
Whether it’s your master bathroom or a guest washroom, this space should feel like a sanctuary too, starting with fluffy towels. The aforementioned Parachute has great ones from $19, but we also suggest looking into SNOWE’s airy, absorbent sets as well ($135 for a seven-piece bundle). At Boll & Branch (from $28 for a pair of hand towels), you’ll find even more in a wide range of colors and textures, along with shower curtains, plush bath mats, and robes.
Moving onto the countertops: Amass’s botanical-based personal care product range offers beautifully packaged hand washes and soaps (from $38). Earth-friendly Blueland offers appealing buy-once bottles with tablets that turn into liquid formulas; you have the option of signing up for a recurring subscription (the most affordable tier starts at $27), so you never run out. As for oral hygiene, Quip’s sleek electric toothbrushes and refillable floss dispensers (starting at $25 and $10 respectively) come in customizable starter bundles (subscriptions are available too). After all, the couple that flosses together...
Tack on a $32 toilet plunger from Staff (yes, really)! The company is reimagining household essentials and making the humdrum plunger something you’ll actually want to display. Bonus points for being a small-ticket item, perfect for gifters who’d like to supplement their purchases with a little something extra.
Credit: Ooni
The Outdoors
The pandemic encouraged many of us to discover a renewed appreciation for our outdoor spaces—whether it was an expansive garden or intimate balcony. Your registry should take that into consideration—since you’ll hopefully find time to do some alfresco entertaining. In anticipation of pizza and game nights, Ooni’s portable pizza ovens (in wood-fired or gas-powered options starting from $299) turn out crazy-good pies. For backyard BBQ parties, Spark is the only way to go—it’s a high-tech, enamel-coated $899 grill that uses proprietary charcoal Briqs you can light with the flick of a switch.
Of course, your guests will need a place to sit. Outer makes sleek, stylish, and sustainable outdoor sofas and chairs (starting at $1,150) with fade-proof, stain-resistant, and water-resistant fabric cushions. Getting cold out? You’ll likely want to invest in a fire pit, but there’s no need to build a permanent one in your yard, thanks to Breeo and Tiki Brand’s portable models (both of which cost around $350).
Credit: Away
Everything Else
Of course, there are plenty of non-home-specific items you can add to your registry—including hobby-related gifts. Bikers would love Public’s delightfully designed $600-and-up wheels for city and commuter riding. Prefer working out in your living room? Use your registry to snag the $1,495 Peloton bike or $2,995 Tonal smart home gym you’ve had your eye on for years. Outdoors and camping enthusiasts should ask for equipment and gear from KUIU, starting from $19. Matching Away suitcases from $225 and Cuyana’s travel accessories, like $75-$95 leather passport holders and $60-$120 toiletry cases, are a must for couples with wanderlust. (The latter offers personalized monogramming if your guests really want to go the extra mile!) Clocking in at $348-$649, Lettuce Grow is a self-watering, hydroponic, vertical garden that makes it easy for green thumbs to grow their own produce at home. Always thinking a step ahead? Judy’s emergency kits are curated by leading preparedness experts and designed to keep your family safe in the event of a disaster—with bundles from $440.
Subscriptions are another creative twist on traditional gifts. As purveyors of all-natural, botanical-based, low-natural spirits, Haus has a membership ($72 for two bottles a month) for the couple who likes drinking without the hangover. For those who know the difference between terroirs and tannins, Winc’s subscription unlocks access to exclusive wines tailored to your palate—sending four bottles for $29.95 every month. And if you’d rather not kick off married life by eating takeout every night, request meal service subscriptions. Freshly makes chef-crafted food that’s ready to heat and eat in minutes (starting at $8.99 for a weekly 12-meal plan), while Sakara Life is known for its organic, plant-dense eats (starting at $70 for a five-day plan). ButcherBox sources and delivers high-quality meat—like grass-fed beef and humanely raised pork—to your door to the tune of $137 and up every month. As if your relationship needs any more spice, Fly by Jing (also known as everyone’s favorite makers of Sichuan chili crisp) also offers a subscription, starting at $12.75 for one jar per month.
Credit: Narwal
Love gadgets? Don’t worry about adding a few splurge-worthy tech items to your registry. Friends and family can always chip in together for a pricier present—like the $1,799 Syng, a revolutionary speaker that turns listening to music or watching your favorite movie into a multisensory experience (your gifters will benefit when they come over!). Plus, we’re sure your colleagues would love to help you avoid the age-old argument about who’s cleaning what with Narwal, a $1,099 self-cleaning robot vacuum and mop listed as one of TIME’s best inventions in 2020.
About to bravely tackle your first home reno together? DIY duos should look into Clare, a company that’s simplifying the formerly painful process of paint shopping (from $2 per swatch and $59 per gallon). (Now you’ll just have to settle the debate between stunning colors like Matcha Latte and Avocado Toast.) Meanwhile, Block is a streamlined platform with a mission to make dreaded renovations easier—as a one-stop shop for planning, designing, and building your dream home with 100% licensed, insured local contractors (estimates vary).
Once you get over decision paralysis, registering for wedding gifts is a delightful fantasy where you’re allowed to dream about everything you want to buy— without actually having to buy anything. Whether you’re going the practical route or thinking outside the box, our all-encompassing registry is here to help you and your partner get one step closer to happily ever after!
