Setting up a gift registry...

Words by Melody Lord

I remember, as a child, tiptoeing into my aunt's bedroom the day before my cousin's wedding and marvelling at the pile of wedding gifts that had been stacked on a table in the corner of the room. It was the mid-70s, and the absolute latest in kitchen gadgets was the electric can-opener. You could tell it was the new big thing, because there were seven of them among my cousin's wedding hoard – six of which had to be returned to stores once the honeymoon was over.

This undesirable and potentially embarrassing situation is largely a thing of the past, thanks to the popularity of wedding gift registries. Originally centred around a major department store near the bride's home, modern technology has meant that gift registries can be easily accessed by guests and well-wishers from interstate and even overseas, using internet sites and online transactions, or telephone and mail.

For more of this article see issue 6.