NEW YORK— What does the future hold for wedding registry? That is the underlying question HOMEWORLD BUSINESS® posed to experts in the industry, including those involved in wedding planning, a bridal boutique owner, and a bridal gown designer and tabletop spokesman. In these “Ask the Experts” question and answer pieces, they address the role that housewares and tabletop will play in registry going forward, and tips for retailers in addressing the changing needs of today’s marketplace, in which consumers are registering for “experiences,” and to meet the desires of consumers for a more personalized experience— even though much of future registries will consist mainly of an online interface.
Aleah and Nick Valley
Owners, Valley & Company Events
HOMEWORLD BUSINESS: What does the future of bridal registry look like? How do tabletop and housewares continue to play a role?
ALEAH AND NICK VALLEY: Many modern couples are registering for experiences such as cooking classes, honeymoon activities, and sporting or theater tickets or even a down payment for their home. Still, many feel that it’s important to also register for timeless home staples they may not purchase themselves such as beautiful patterned china, festive barware and home entertaining goods. We can expect to see a balance of couples looking to register for fun experiences as well as home items, with registries that focus on high quality pieces like patterned fine china, good silver flatware, heirloom linens and beautiful vases or décor.
Today’s couple loves to entertain and spend time with friends and family, which so often means cooking and hosting parties at home. With couples being so mindful of their wedding designs— including decorative patterns, monograms and endless personal details— we’re seeing that transcend into their tabletop choices for their new home together. Today’s bride and groom want their wedding and their home after they say we do to be a reflection of their personal styles and their registry is the first place to start.
HWB: How can retailers meet the need for personalization that today’s couples seem to want?
A&NV: To fill this registry niche, retailers can offer a curated variety of unique pieces that still manage to remain classic and timeless, also offering possibility for monogramming. Couples are looking for creative patterns that speak to today’s trends, but also choosing those that can be passed down generations. The monogram is becoming ever popular again, allowing couples to put their mark on towels, glassware, and flatware.
David Tutera
Wedding and entertaining expert
HOMEWORLD BUSINESS: What is the future of bridal registry? How will tabletop and housewares continue to play a role?
DAVID TUTERA: The way couples shop their bridal registries has certainly changed over the years. Rather than shopping for entire sets or fine china that may rarely be used, the new registry shoppers are instead gravitating toward solid pieces that will pack a big punch in their home and are representative of who they are, while of course, getting great use out of them.
Tabletop and housewares will always play a big role in bridal registries. This is essentially the blueprint that couples design to map out their new life together, setting the precedent of what lifestyle they will represent when gathering around the dinner table or entertaining guests in their new home as a married couple. These are items that today’s registry shoppers are gravitating toward: items that will be used in their every day routine while doubling as pieces that can be on display, instead of hidden in the bottom of a china cabinet, forgotten about or taken out only once a year.
HWB: How can retailers meet the need for personalization that today’s couples seem to want?
DT: I think retailers need to know their customers, their needs and their different styles. Curating various vignettes and collections of items falling under different categories, colors and styles, whether in a catalog or on display in-store, is a great way to speak to customers’ individual tastes and style. This lets the shopper know that you are on trend, and that you not only understand the market, but you understand them as well. Understanding what shoppers want and putting all of their needs right in front of them makes this experience that much more enjoyable for them. More important, it encourages them that the vision of the lifestyle they want to create together under their roof is easily accessible.
Harmony Walton
Founder, The Bridal Bar
HOMEWORLD BUSINESS: What is the future of bridal registry? How will tabletop and housewares continue to play a role?
HARMONY WALTON: I believe that couples will continue to ask for more personalized experiences in everything they do— from registering to planning their wedding day. What that means in registry… it’s no longer simply ordering fine china because it’s formal, but instead because there’s a personal connection to the product or experience with it. So to sell that china, showing couples how it can be used in a very personal way in their homes, with their families and friends, and in ways they like to entertain in their circles will help give them that connection that brings value to the product.
In addition, experiences in general are growing in registry popularity. That means less product and more memory generating activities— concert tickets, wine tasting. Registry will continue to grow in the scope of what is offered and registered for and it will continue to grow on an online platform, so for housewares companies to keep up with the growing competition, I think it’s important to impart to couples how their products create quality experiences for them.
Couples today do very much value family, tradition and an authentic connection to their community so I think tabletop and housewares are very relevant in that it helps bring people together. Couples are still registering for these products, even though they may have lived together already and have these items in their homes. They are still upgrading, getting that fine china, pieces they didn’t have previously; and anything that creates a point of connection in the home will continue to sell.
HWB: How can retailers meet the need for personalization that today’s couples seem to want?
HW: I think it’s important to provide a quality, authentic and personal service experience. It’s not about checking off a master list and making sure the typical registry is fulfilled. It’s more about understanding the couple, how they live, how they like to entertain, what they like to do and diving deeper into their lives with genuine care to draw out what it is that their unique registry requires. Education is important on the basics, but giving them options that feel like they were designed just for them is key. Online is also very important. You can still create a personal experience on someone’s smartphone and I think developing ways to educate, engage with and fulfill the needs of clients on their smartphone will go a long way in the future.
Jorge Perez
Luxury lifestyle expert and designer;
spokesperson, Waterford Crystal and Wedgwood china
HOMEWORLD BUSINESS: What is the future of bridal registry? How will tabletop and housewares continue to play a role?
JORGE PEREZ: We have seen dramatic changes in the wedding gift registry arena and I’m sure we will continue to see many more— how couples register, what they register for, even the definition of couple has changed. While many housewares vendors have more recently enjoyed a larger slice of the wedding registry pie, it hasn’t been such good news for most of the finer tabletop vendors whose business relied so much on the now almost archaic in-store registry process. The bride has gone from a preplanned visit to the store with her mother and bridal party in tow, to an online registry with images of products and what I call “trend registering,” where they are selecting items based on experiences, like tea time or around specific bar and cooking themes. I predict that in the next 10 years, over 75% of all wedding gift registries will be online driven.
Tabletop and housewares will always command a large part of the wedding gift registry, as the registry will always be tied into building their new lives together. Relevancy will be the determining factor of which businesses/brands survive. Vendors need to, more than ever, convince couples why they need their products and touch on their experiences and emotions. It is not so easy to convince them anymore to register for service for 12 in fine bone china, crystal and flatware, not to mention rim soups or soup tureens. Sadly, what they are serving gets more attention than the dishes it’s being served on or the brand of glass that they are drinking from. There is a lot of work ahead for us.
HWB: How can retailers meet the
need for personalization that today’s couples seem to want?
JP: Retailers that still offer wedding gift registry should position themselves more as a full resource in any particular category for the couple rather than just be a keeper of a list of things they want for their wedding. Consider offering less, more focused categories where you can be more of an expert in those areas, offering tips and advice. Don’t forget that your vendors are the ultimate experts in their brands/categories. I always tell retailers as well as their vendor partners to focus on sharing their rich history and amazing product stories that will engage this new generation of couples. Ask yourself: If you were a new couple today, would you register at your store or for your product? If not, maybe it’s time to reconsider your approach.
