Registry for live-in couples

You can add pretty much anything. If you all need new towels, maybe mixing bowls if you need those and even utensils. It just really depends. If you have an old toaster that you’d like to replace you can add that as well. You can make a registry through Amazon, Target or Bed Bath and Beyond. The Honeyfund is pretty much money, but if you want gifts I’d recommend creating one on one of those sites or wherever you all might want gifts from.

Is there anything that you would want to upgrade from what you already have? New towels, linens, dishes, etc? Or maybe something that you want, but don't want to buy it yourself, such as an ice cream maker, bar set, drawer/closet organizers, etc? Maybe go through your home room-by-room and see if there's anything you could use. Otherwise, maybe things for hobbies that you and your fiance share, such as a new camping tent, camera/GoPro, sporting equipment, concert tickets, etc.?

We asked for upgrades of our current things and nice gadgets that we wanted as opposed to needing on our registry. We knew we wouldn’t be willing to spend money now or even later down the road upgrading, so it was a great way to treat ourselves to those things.

We're not putting much on our registry. What is there are big items like a grill or table saw. We're hoping people will just give us money instead of buying a gift. We have some pyrex on our registry too for the few who will be traditional and buy from the registry.

Upgrades are always a popular choice since you might have something but would like a nicer version. Like Lisa and Erin mentioned, items that you want but wouldn't want to have to spend the money on are also nice options. We put a bunch of personalized items on ours from Etsy as well (embroidered towels, his and hers PJ sets, etc.). Subscription services to places like Hello Fresh, Winc, or anything else you both like or have an interest in is another idea. Experiences like concert tickets or cooking lessons are becoming popular registry items as well. Then there's always gift cards or cash funds.

FH and I have lived together in our house for a little over a year now, my registry is full of upgrades of current items we already have as I went cheapish when we moved in knowing I'd be having a shower and a registry. I also put some stuff in that I would like but didn't necessarily want to buy myself!

I actually just realized there are registries for places I never though about, like Bass Pro Shops (Cabella’s). FH and I love camping and plan to register there because we’ve been living together a long time and have all of our household necessities. There’s also places like Sears and Home Depot were you can register for power tools, work-out equipment and so on.

We were in the same boat, but my fiancé and I have lived together for a decade. We decided to ask our friends to help us and our community answer the eternal question 'What's for dinner?' more easily by asking them to do three things. The first was donate to a local charity that stocks food banks across our state, the second was to help us fill in a spreadsheet of dinner recipes that we could pick from quickly to make meal plans, and the third was to pick from a list of cookbooks (which was all we had on our registry). Food is something that we really bonded over in our relationship, so maybe think about an aspect of something you and your fiancé both love (travel, shared hobbies, projects around your home, something you want to learn to do) and pick items based on that rather than housewares.

Here are some fun registry additions (as previous posters have noted its a nice time upgrade items you have) if you plan on entertaining a lot another set of silverware and dishes may come in handy, awesome towels , nice sheets, duvet set, a hamper, laundry basket, maybe an iron or a clothing steamer, electric toothbrushes, couples bathrobes, serving sets (chip and dip set, a cake stand, cookie jar, gravy boat, salad set), wooden spoon set, bakeware, cutting boards, kitchen gadgets (crockpot, air fryer, blender, can opener, juicer, stand mixer), smart speaker, travel mugs, alarm clock, a nest, steak knives, holiday decor, a wet vac, a nice tool set, a really good vacuum. If you drink a nice bar set is fun to have, an electric bottle opener, nice wine or rocks glasses. Are you coffee or tea people, an electric kettle, a french press, a Keurig, coffee bean grinder, pour over set etc. Home decor is another category to think of, wall art, vases, lamps throw blankets, picture frames, candles, baskets & trays, storage containers. if you have an outdoors space a bbq, gardening tools, flower pots, camping chairs, fire pit,lawn games, a lawn mower, patio furniture, a picnic basket, beach towels, beach bag/chairs. Gift cards to stores, hotel.com gift card, Omaha steak gc etc are another option. Luggage is also a good registry gift. Best of luck to you, have fun!

My fiancé and I have been together for years as well and I am using Joy to create our website because it allows us to create funds for things or experiences rather than requesting items we don't need. That was the biggest drawback when I tried to use Wedding Wire for my website because all I could do was request things I didn't need.

My fiance and I have lived together for 3 years and have most of what we need. The things we put on our registry were items that we needed new ones/upgrades (towels and wash clothes, new knife set, new laptop), and items that we would like to have but would be unlikely to buy for ourselves (large easy pop up tent, new patio set etc). I think someone mentioned this already but go through each room of your house and see what you want or need. Also of in talking you say that would be nice to have add it to your list (we were just talking about how it would be nice to have folding tables for camping so I addes them to our list). Not sure how other people feel about this but amazon lets you add gift cards too so I added gift cards to the store we use for home improvements and gifts cards for restaurants we enjoy going to but are on the pricey side. Ive heard from some of my guests that they really like our registry and liked that gift cards were on it. Might not work for some groups but it works for ours.

Do you need a registry? We skipped one entirely. My husband and I each lived on our own prior to dating and then lived together for four years prior to marriage so pretty much had everything we needed. If you don't have a registry, guests will still likely provide gifts, and most will default to money if you don't specify otherwise. The people who want to buy you a physical gift will get you a physical gift whether you ask them to or not, and there's a good chance they will buy you what they want to buy you regardless of what you ask for. For some people gift giving tends to be more about them than the recipient, and these people tend not to follow requests unless those requests specifically align with what they were going to do anyway.

I would skip the "money fund" registries because most of them have a processing fee involved, so whatever people give you won't actually 100% make it to you. If money is your preferred gift and you can't think of physical items you'd want to put on a registry, I think the best route is to not have a registry at all. You'll still end up with a healthy amount of cash, checks, and cards from people. You can also make a registry and say "We already have most of what we need. If you feel like getting us a gift, we'd really appreciate cash funds we can put towards our honeymoon/down payment on a house/buying a yacht/etc, or if you prefer something we can keep, please consider gifting us these select items from registry that would add a little extra charm to our home." The classiest thing is probably not to ask for money or have a registry at all, but just express your desires when asked.

We have friends getting married this year who both make good money and have lived together for at least six years and bought a house together several years ago. They have a registry and she is also having a bridal shower as well. Their registry is mostly very bougie wish list items (like some $40 espresso stirrer). I think the reality is they expect that some of their family friends who really like splurging on expensive things will want to give them something, so giving them direction is helpful, but they aren't expecting that all the people invited to their wedding and shower are going to buy them overpriced superfluous gifts. They have friends and family that span very different societal circles, so the registry (I think) is geared more towards a certain subset of their loved ones, and not necessarily everyone.

Upgrades to high quality items. Register for items you have your eye on at the store but you wouldn’t buy yourself. Awhile back there was a wedding vendor on Instagram who posted a word of advice: “Don’t look at the registry as a chore. Think of it as a wishlist of things you need and want that you would never spend your own money on”.


While a physical registry is not popular on WW, some people don’t give cash for any reason, period, nor donate to honeymoon/house funds. If you don’t have a physical registry, they will purchase items that you don’t want and can’t return so it’s best to pick something you want and need.

Donate existing items that are replaced to a local women’s shelter.
Some offbeat ideas I’ve seen listed online:
Throw blankets, small appliances, board/card games, Yeti/Hydroflask tumblers, anything related to shared hobbies, anything related to entertaining guests, fireproof safe, shredder, cooling gel mattress pad, electronics you use together, etc.