Weddings are big business in India. Relatives and friends throng to any wedding they have been invited to and they definitely bring their entire family for the ride. And they bring along their wide and eclectic taste in wedding gifts! Most of the time, newlyweds land up with completely useless gifts that will not help them out in their married life! So will a gentle nudge towards a wedding register work in India? I don’t see why not!
As in the West, the couple registers with a large store that has everything they want. Three or four months before the wedding, the couple personally creates a list of the goods they want for their new home from the store they have selected. That means if they want linen of a certain kind, they put it on a list along with the cost and the numbers they want of that particular item. As a couple, you can create a list of appliances like washing machine, TV, iron, computer, A.C, telephone at an electronics store and put in the price of the selected set. The store will then create an online list of the goods and you can print out copies of the lists to send to your guests. Guests have to tick the goods they want to buy and when the item has been purchased; it is removed off the list. Five or six families can collect together to get you a large gift like a refrigerator. This process is simple but a lot of problems can crop up.
With a little effort, you can ensure that you get exactly what you want at your wedding. We know that the recent trend is towards NO GIFTS, BLESSINGS ONLY at weddings. But don’t let this go. If you can set up your new home with goodwill from relatives, then please do set up a wedding registry right away and inform your relatives on how to use it. It will work.