Zola Registry Controversy

My husband and I got married last weekend, and we had a Zola registry—with nothing but a honeymoon fund. We didn’t want “things” but contribution to help us with our honeymoon. It worked out great, we provided the link on our website and while some people still brought gifts, people felt it was fitting for my husband and I to do something unconventional. I see the concern in a lot of couples, but if your friends and family understand you and your needs as a couple, I don’t see a problem with it. Go with what you and your fiancé feel that suits your needs!

Politely let her down.

We live in Brooklyn and had a few things on our registry, we had mostly young people and probably 20 that were 50+ but we got no physical gifts. Times have changed and everything gets shipped to you. Zola is the best. She can do whatever she wants.

I just did an online registry (Amazon). If people don't want to go off of it, that's their prerogative. If they choose to get something else or nothing at all, that's also their choice. But I'm not going to stores to register a bunch of things I don't really need for a handful of people.

I just moved across the country and I also have a Zola registry. If ppl want to shop for diff brands of the items I have on there and ship them to our mailing address I don’t have a problem with it but there’s no way I can take gifts back home on an airplane or pay to fedex everything myself at once.There’s a note at the top of the registry with our address. My bridal shower is a gift card shower so I’m not expecting much off my registry anyway.

I’ve very rarely seen physical gifts brought to a wedding. We had 3 registries and everyone shipped things to our home before the wedding with the exception of our showers.

Do Zola! Especially since it totally makes sense for your situation. It’s 2019, I haven’t seen a physical gift at a wedding (except envelopes with cash, if you can call that physical) in ages. I personally would dread having to go to a physical store to buy a wedding gift & then bring it to a wedding, especially if it’s something large or heavy lol. It’s so much more convenient with online registry, especially if you have wedding website & provide a link to it. I know all my guests feel the same way. Your FMIL is older & probably is used to different way of doing things.

Personally, I would much rather shop online for your gift and have it shipped to you than drag it around to your wedding day. We had our registries almost totally completed, but most of the gifts were shipped to us or brought to our shower. We received very few physical gifts at the wedding.

Your mom sounds like most of my guest....old school and set in their ways. They don't get that the world has gone digital and that's ok. I have never been to a wedding that gifts were not physically brought with the guests so I would create a small, in store registry for your old school guests that either can't figure out an online registry or just choose not to use it. Regardless, there is no right or wrong way...it is completely up to you.

To give a different perspective, I'm a 25 year old who still prefers going to the store and hitting the physical gift and I say you do you still. Do the Zola registry! Ultimately it is your wedding and while since of us like to bring the physical gift, I'd much rather do what the bride and groom prefer than anything else

Do what works best for you. If someone wants to shop in-store, they will anyway and you might get something similar to what's on your registry but not the exact same. Or if you have items on Zola that are available in a store (for example I know I have a ton of Crate and Barrel on my Zola), let your FMIL know that some of your registry items ARE available in store, it just may not be linked to your registry.

We did Zola too and really liked it. Your wedding... Your choice!

I explained on my wedding website about our long distance move so we dont have a registry so people get the idea that cash gifts are fine.

I'm sure most people will understand if you have a little blurb about moving far away on the registry tab if your website!

"she said a lot of people like to go to the physical store and shop off of registries and have a physical gift to bring" - I think this is outdated for many people. People of older generations may feel this way, but as a whole I don't think it's that common to bring physical gifts anymore, and I don't think it's necessary to have a registry from a store on top of the online registry. It all comes down to your preference for the gifts anyway!