In smaller towns, they do register with the local gift stores, along with the larger stores where gifts can be purchased online. The big stores are Target, Dillards and Williams-Sonoma.

What you could do is take out a nice advertisement in the newspaper to give bride's an idea. Especially if it's a smaller town.

I think the big box stores have gotten popular for registries just because they are so convenient. You can order online, over the phone and they ship items to the bride.

I would suggest you attend some bridal shows and show your wares. You could have some cards printed up that the bride can include in her invites or give to people that has you contact info. Also, if you offer shipping you could capture some out of town gift buyers.

Good ideas. We have decided we need to put an ad in the Sunday paper on the engagement page. And the bridal shows come around in February, for the most part, so we probably will need to check into that, as well.

Yes, we are a world of convenience, and we try to cater to that by providing gift wrapping and some deliveries, if necessary. I think service sets apart the small shops from the box stores and our knowledge of what we sell helps, too.

My DD is getting married and she's registered with Target. Much to my dismay. And the things she's registered for are, IMHO, worthless. But then, Target isn't known to be a treasured shopping outlet...

Her reason is that they don't need anything and they're not entertainers, so she sees no reason to register for china, dishware, crystal, silver, etc. I suppose if you're in a market that is more enticing to that sort of thing, or you've got the right demographic, it's good.

But I've heard from so many young women today that they just don't really want those things like our mothers (and some of us) did.

I would have an online option for registering. Many people have guests who are not in the same area, so this would be a great option for them.

pesky, my DH INSISTED we get china. Well, 9 yrs later and we don't have a complete set (I think we have maybe 5 place settings . . .that's it). The china is still in its original wrapping! It would cost quite a bit to get the new settings, so I'd rather just sell it (DH says no . . .he is the sentimental one, so I won't) and get a close-to-complete set of gorgeous vintage china which would actually be MUCH cheaper. I think your DD is right to wait so she can develop her style more and find out what she actually needs.

Oh, and when I didn't register for my baby shower (1st child), guess what I got? (I thought it was tacky, even though we did it for the wedding.) Among other things, 30 onesies the SAME SIZE, no gift receipts, and they were from Target (I could not even exchange them!). I got a lot of stuff that was just a waste of money for the giver. I am now a fan of registries!

Do set up an online service, and you can get advertising, etc. by linking to all the bridal sites, like The Knot.com, etc.

Your local paper will be read by the parents of the bride and groom, but online is where the bride's friends will shop.

You could set up a website pretty cheaply, and maybe have different sections, and even a blog.

Here is a link that might be useful: The Knot