RUDE registry!

You get the excited phone call from your newly engaged friend, and expect those invitations to start showing up a few months later. Let the showers begin! HOWEVER, before a bridal registrant (or baby registrant for that matter!!) gets too crazy with the "UPC lazer gun" in the store, she needs to understand that her registry selections CAN BE DOWNRIGHT RUDE!!

Case in point: a recent registry purchasing experience of mine... The bride-to-be either didn't pay attention to direction from the registry consultants, didn't read the instructions on how to select items in "price ranges" or just plum doesn't care about the price ranges available to the finances of her guests. Every item on that registry, save a few pillow cases (and honestly, who would give a pair of pillow cases and nothing else?) is priced in the $50+ range.

Long ago in a galaxy far, far away (okay, it was only about 13 years ago, and was in Arkansas...) I was a bridal registry consultant. It was a REALLY fun job... and part of the job is explaining this to registrants:

1. vary your registry items by category
2. vary your registry items by several specific price points ($10.00-$25.00) ($25.00-$50.00) ($50.00-$100) ($100+) and make sure the low and middle end ($10-$50) categories are the HEAVY ones. It doesn't matter if you don't want all that stuff... you can take it back, and returns ARE EASIER if they are items that are on your registry-- because not everyone is kind (or polite) enough to give a gift receipt.
3. Register for what you want, but do not over-register. You do NOT need two sets of fine china, three sets of sheets for two or three different beds, etc.
4. Register early enough for your showers, but not so early that you end up changing things around by the time "giftable" events come around. 12-16 weeks before "the event" (whether baby or wedding) is sufficient
   

...and don't even get me started on how late invitations are arriving! 8 days before an event? HOW RUDE! Standard etiquette says ONE MONTH, people. ONE MONTH. So, whether you're the hostess or the guest of honor... please help the guests by being polite about the timliness of the invitations! Everyone will appreciate it!