Pre-pandemic, wedding registries revolved around one major category: experiences. Now, amid the coronavirus outbreak, it’s all home sweet home.
The wedding registry has long been a place for couples to create a wish list of items they would like to have to kick off their life as newlyweds. In recent years, the nature of a traditional registry evolved to one that fits an experience-minded millennial. Since more couples live together before marriage or say “I do” later in life, the focus on tangible items, like appliances and bath towels, moved to intangible ones, such as honeymoon funds, gift cards to airlines and hotels, and date nights at local restaurants and distilleries. It was all too common to hear a couple excitedly declare that they skipped the formal china place settings, because they were all about their safari fund or a private wine tasting tour.
It seemed, to many in the wedding industry, that memories outside the home meant more than the ones inside their four walls. So when the coronavirus outbreak grounded the overseas honeymoon packages and forced couples to stay home, suddenly, couples approached their registry planning in a very different way: they added anything and everything they will use at home.
“Our home has become our haven,” says Jung Lee, founder of Slowdance, a curated registry service that she offers as an extension of her retail store, Jung Lee New York. “Creating a special home lifestyle that really reflects our sensibilities has become a high priority.”
At Slowdance, she has seen a boost in categories including barware and decorative objects, like picture frames, candlesticks, and even umbrella stands, but what has really surprised her is the couple’s perspective on the registry as a whole. Before the pandemic, she often felt that couples looked at registering for everyday items as a “chore” that they had to fit into their busy lives. Now, she sees couples really enjoying the opportunity to fill their homes with beautiful pieces. “Couples realize their home can and should serve a meaningful place to have all the special and everyday events of their lives,” Lee adds.
It’s a trend reflected at large for couples who were set to wed during the pandemic. Registry company Zola found that 57% of couples surveyed at the end of 2020 have added more gifts to their registry overall, and those gifts reflect the idea of sheltering in place. The company has seen a lift in sales of cookware, bakeware, office furniture, outdoor gear, and home decor, with couples adding everything from grills and patio furniture to air purifiers, home gym equipment and fitness subscriptions, and even pet gear for pandemic puppies—a category that jumped a whopping 78%.
When a category is being added at this rate, it’s likely another one is subtracted. For Zola, that’s specifically gift cards for airlines, hotels, cruises, and other crowded, in-person experiences, all swapped for socially distant “goods” like Grubhub credits and Hulu subscriptions.
“Couples are spending more time at home, so they are opting for gifts that help them escape from the monotony of the everyday experience,” explains Thomas J. Blumenthal, president and CEO of Gearys Beverly Hills, a luxury retailer known for its premier registry offerings. “There is a greater emphasis on necessity in life right now, especially the need to feel connected with one another. The gifts we expect to be most important moving forward are the gifts that facilitate togetherness and help us celebrate life daily.”
Blumenthal says that they have seen couples take a more adventurous approach to their home goods. Gone are the requests for plain white plates; instead, couples are choosing brightly colored art pieces, bold patterns on their porcelain, and eye-catching glassware to create a on-of-a-kind tablescape or to serve cocktails at home. Gearys tracked an increase in requests for “bombastic” art and sculptures—a category that paled in comparison to the neutral fad of recent years—and the majority of their clients have opted to pick up the gifts sooner rather than later, signaling to Blumenthal that they want to use the items as quickly as possible.
There is one category where Blumenthal says they have seen the most growth, and it likely isn’t shocking: barware, with requests up 40%. As people opt for at-home dining and drinking experiences, they have added decanters, crystal tumblers, stemware, and more. It’s a welcome change, he says, as it’s contrary to a commonly expressed sentiment that all the fancy stuff shouldn’t be used every day.
“There has been a long-held belief that wedding china and crystal barware should be stored away in a cabinet, only to be utilized during special occasions,” he says. “Due to lockdown, people are no longer saving their luxurious wedding gifts for special occasions.”
Couples aren’t just looking for attractive objet to place on the bar shelf and dining room buffet; there is also a focus on self-care and a balanced lifestyle. Crate & Barrel’s vice president of merchandising Samara Tuchband explains that registry sales increased in all areas that promote relaxing home environments: bedding products, like their hemp sheets, duvet covers, and pillows; ceramic planters for bringing nature inside; their p.volve workout kit; and picture frames to design a gallery wall.
The other big category? Kitchen. Tuchband says they saw double-digit growth for products related to the kitchen and entertaining. Espresso machines took the place of the office coffee pot. Blenders mix up easy smoothies when you can’t hit the juice bar. Instant Pots make dinner faster than most takeout. Not surprisingly, the sourdough bread trend on social media has led to a boost in requests for breadmakers—three times as many as 2019, according to Zola.
It’s reflective of a larger trend, says Lee, where couples have moved from a “fast-fashion, fast-everything culture” to one that welcomes premium and quality. The progression during the pandemic shows those top-notch products transitioning back to the classic home goods. To her, it’s fulfilling. Slowdance launched on the idea that the wedding registry should include your new family heirlooms. “Our couples relished in using their pieces, their fine china, crystal, silverware,” Lee adds. “They were able to create a luxurious environment for themselves, all through their registry.”
For all the couples who have requested Le Creuset dutch ovens and Crate & Barrel sectional sofas, there is another big-ticket category on the rise too: the home itself. Cash fund registry requests on Zola for home down payments surged 30%. After all, there’s no point in dream décor without the dream house.