Style: Encore Weddings Sidebar
Encore brides are often reluctant to register for gifts. They already have flatware, china and a collection of pots and pans—many of them given by people who will be guests at the next wedding. But people do want to bring gifts to a wedding, and for the busy encore bride, it’s a better idea to register at two or three stores for things that will upgrade your new home than to end up with a dining-room table piled high with crystal bowls you will never use.
“First-time brides typically register for things that are very safe, classic and plain,” says Panamai Manadee, owner of Bliss Home on Newbury Street. “They haven’t yet found their style as individuals or as a couple.” Encore brides are more confident. Manadee’s customers choose things that are stylish and artisanal—a table setting that might include several different patterns, or accent pieces that have more energy.
Other gift suggestions include art to decorate the couple’s new home, gift certificates for a dinner at a romantic local restaurant or to a local nursery for a tree to plant in commemoration of the new marriage, or sporting equipment to encourage new or shared leisure pursuits.
Bottom line: Register for gifts. Don’t leave your guests guessing about your tastes. Use the wedding as an opportunity to upgrade the assorted possessions of two households, and acquire things that you will enjoy as a couple.