We’re all looking for ways to make life easier: an app, system, or process that will save us time and streamline our to-do’s so we can get back to doing the things we enjoy. So, when it comes to creating your wedding registry, a universal registry seems like a no-brainer. Instead of creating three or four registries with various retailers, you can create one! But before you jump on the universal registry bandwagon, there are a few things you’ll want to consider, such as: Is the creation process really easier? What’s the shopping experience like for guests?
What is an Online Universal Registry?
Before we get into the pros and cons of online universal registries, let’s define exactly what we’re talking about.
Traditionally, couples begin with a wedding registry checklist of items they’d like to receive and create multiple gift registries with specific retailers to cover the variety of their needs and wants. For example, couples may register with a store like Food52 for kitchen items and cookware, Macy’s for bedding, and Target or Amazon for everything else.
But what if you’d rather not send your guests to three or more different retailers’ websites to browse? What if you desire items from shops that don’t offer wedding registries, or you’d like to register for honeymoon contributions, gift cards, and more?
Enter the universal online registries, like Zola, MyRegistry, and Honeyfund:
The Pros of an Online Universal Registry:
Add Items from A Variety of Online Retailers
As the word “universal” implies, these registries are a “one-stop shop” for your guests, allowing you to combine items from different retailers (even those who don’t offer registries) into one registry. You can add a wide range of items, from kitchen appliances at Crate&Barrel or Food52 to bedding at Macy’s or Bloomingdale’s, and even non-retail items like a cooking class or a contribution to your honeymoon. Many universal registries also allow you to add gift cards and monetary contributions.
For these reasons, universal registries are an excellent fit for couples who want to cast a wide net for their registry items. They also cater to those who have their eye on a few specific items from a particular retailer. Instead of creating a complete registry there, you can cherry-pick the items you want and add them to your universal registry.
Easily keep track of all of your items
Remember the checklist? Ensuring you’ve crossed off every item across multiple registries without redundancies or oversights can get confusing. Instead of logging into several different registries to track your progress, a universal registry allows you to scroll through one website to ensure you’ve covered all your needs and wants!
Send Guests to One Place
Similar to the point above, a universal registry can make browsing for the perfect gift easier for your guests, too. There’s no need for them to open three different tabs to compare what you’ve registered at one store to the other: they can simply scroll through one registry. The platform acts as a central hub for your registry, making it easy to keep track of all your items and for your guests to find everything in one place. Shoppers will have to navigate from your registry site to the retailer’s site, though–more on that later!
The Cons of an Online Universal Registry:
No In-Person Shopping (for you or your guests)
I get it: it’s 2025. We’re all seasoned online shoppers. But allow me to get sentimental for a moment. There’s something special about walking hand-in-hand through a store with your fiance, holding up items for each other’s approval, and imagining using them together in your new home. Sappy? Sure. But practical too: there are some things, like bedding, that you just have to feel to choose!
Your guests may miss out on the in-person shopping experience, too. Could you (and they) go to the store and see the items in person before they “add to registry” or “add to cart” online? Sure! But you will miss out on the seamless shopping experience that comes with creating a registry with the retailer itself (see below):
No Store-Specific Customer Service
When you bypass the retailer’s registry in favor of the universal registry, you’re missing out on store-specific registry consultants and customer service. You won’t have the attention of a store associate who’s invested in helping you create your registry, and you’ll miss out on special events for engaged couples, like those hosted by Crate&Barrel, Macy’s, and Bloomingdale’s.
Additionally, your guests who choose to visit the store won’t be able to look up your registry with a store associate, who will also be unable to help you track down a missing gift message or lost item (keep reading!).
Complicated Checkout and Tracking
As a frequent wedding guest and gift shopper, the checkout process is my most significant pain point with universal wedding registries. Once your guests have selected a gift, they’ll be redirected to the retailer’s website to complete the checkout process. Because the couple doesn’t have a registry with the store, their shipping address won’t automatically populate on the store’s site: guests must input it manually if they’d like the gift sent directly to the couple. Guests must also remember to select the “gift” option if they’d like to hide the prices and add a message.
Once checkout is complete, guests must then remember to return to the universal registry page to mark gifts as “complete” and provide the order number. If they don’t complete that final step, the couple may end up with duplicates or “mystery gifts”–items that arrive without a gift message, leaving you clueless about the giver–and the store associates might not be able to help, as the item wasn’t purchased from their specific store’s registry.
Is a Universal Registry Right for You?
If you have tech-savvy guests who love the convenience and ease of shopping online (and can handle a multi-step checkout process), universal registries are a wonderful way to curate a gift collection you can customize completely! But if you have a handful of old-school guests who love the shopping experience and crave customer service and support (and you do, too!), you might consider an old-fashioned shopping date with your fiance at a traditional brick-and-mortar store. The choice is yours!
You could always take a combination approach: if you love a few unique items at boutiques and shops that don’t offer a wedding registry, add them to a universal registry. Then, create your registries at your favorite retailers, and you can sync those registries to your universal registry. Zola, MyRegistry, and Honeyfund all offer this service. This approach allows you to receive the benefits and perks offered by the retail stores and add honeymoon funds and items from non-registry stores.
Ready to Register?
No matter where or how you decide to create your registry, let your guests know they can easily find all your lists in one spot by heading to RegistryFinder.com. It truly is that simple!
And if you’re looking for more registry tips and guidance, we’ve got you covered! Check out these posts for inspiration:
- Wedding Registry Wins and Regrets
- How Much and How Many: Your Guide to Wedding Registry Amounts
- 12 Wedding Registry Items for the Couple Who Has “Everything”
Happy Registering!
Featured Image from Honeyfund
