The Wonderful Wedding Show

3 0 . T h e Wo n d e r f u l We d d i n g S H OW Presented by: Prepare for the future with gift registries By JennIfer Mcfee – for The free Press when you're getting ready to tie the knot, cre- ating a gift registry is one of your first tasks to tackle. Melissa Mclean, owner of Five Small rooms, sug- gests starting your regis- try a year before your big day. That way, family and friends have the chance to buy gifts for other occa- sions, such as engagement parties, birthdays and christmas. "You're already en- gaged, and sometimes they want to get you some- thing nice just to get you started," Mclean said. "a lot of people will come in and register for a shower and then tweak it a little bit before their wedding. Shower price points tend to be much less than wedding price points. Someone might spend $50 on a shower gift but $150 on a wedding gift, so couples often change the selection a little bit." at Five Small rooms, located in Kenaston vil- lage Mall, staff members take pride in their person- alized service. "in terms of our gift registry, what sets us apart is that we work one-on-one with our brides and grooms and their families. we help them make knowledgeable choices about different products, price points, quality and design," Mclean said. "we feature price points at both ends of the spectrum, but we give them the knowl- edge to make an informed decision and love their things for their lifetime." when it comes to choice, Five Small rooms offers an exclusive selec- tion. "My mission is to pres- ent winnipeg with options that are more available in the larger cities where the population is bigger and the higher-end market is bigger. You don't see a lot of our lines overlapping with box stores and depart- ment stores," Mclean said. "Brides and grooms tend to make choices ac- cording to their lifestyle. Some do fine china. Some do something a little more casual. Some do both. we want to make it as easy as possible and provide as much service as possible, so we offer complimentary gift wrap and delivery ser- vices." as gift registry manag- er for Sears, Sandy robinson says guests appreci- ate knowing what couples need. "a registry is a courtesy for their guests to let them know what their tastes are, their styles are and, more importantly, what their needs are," robinson said. "nowadays, so many couples tend to live together or have their own place before getting married and therefore have accumulated many items. So it's all the more important now for couples to have a registry so that their guests will know exactly what's needed most. The main rea- son people register is to avoid duplicated gifts." For engaged couples, robinson recommends planning ahead for the future instead of only choosing the items they need today. "even if they're in a basement apartment now, chances are they're going to be moving into their own home within the year," she said. "if they limit it to the space that they cur- rently have available, then their choices are going to be very minimal." For guests, she sug- gests choosing a registry item and then adding a personal touch of their own.

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