9 Vegan Wedding Registry Ideas for Compassionate Couples
So you’ve planned the perfect vegan wedding menu, your bridal party is outfitted in cruelty-free styles, and even your wedding favors are vegan—but what about your gift registry?
Brides and grooms are thinking outside the gift-wrapped box, ditching less-traditional wedding registries in favor of fun, new ideas. Your registry can be unique to you and your betrothed’s personalities while also reminding guests of your cruelty-free, vegan lifestyle. Check out these nine vegan wedding registry ideas for a little inspiration:
1. Register at Smaller Retailers and Specialty Stores
Target and Bed Bath & Beyond are great, but if you’re looking outside the big-box stores, you have options—many boutique retailers and specialty stores now offer wedding registries. Anthropologie, for example, has its own wedding and gift registry service. The store offers everything from dinnerware to bedding, furniture, and other cruelty-free home furnishings—the Fireside Faux-Fur Throw Blanket and the Belgian Linen Angelina Sofa are just a couple of examples. Be sure to check the details of each item that you register for, ensuring that nothing on your list is made from leather, fur, down, or any other animal-derived material.
2. Thank Goodness for Unicorn Goods
Unicorn Goods, the world’s largest vegan store, offers so many fabulous cruelty-free products and gifts that it’ll be hard to narrow your registry down to just a few. The retailer will create a custom collection for you to share with your guests. Just e-mail the company via its website to make this request.
3. Pay It Forward: The Charity Registry
What’s more valuable than a new crockpot or ironing board? How about making the world a kinder, safer place for animals? Charity wedding registry services let you choose from a variety of causes. If you’d like to offer your guests the opportunity to donate to PETA’s continuous work to stop cruelty to animals, our “Change Makers” page offers this option. The setup is simple, and this way, your guests’ donations—dedicated to the bride(s) and/or groom(s)—will directly support PETA’s vital work to stop animal suffering and abuse.
4. Calling All Vegan Oenophiles!
Are you and your soon-to-be husband or wife already established in life? Maybe you already have a vacuum cleaner and aren’t such huge fans of embroidered bath towels. If you do love wine, though, we have a solution: Encourage guests to contribute to your newlywed wine cellar. Request that, if they would like to offer a gift, they bring a bottle of their favorite vegan wine. Do you prefer red to white? Feel free to specify—just be sure to remind them to check that their vino is Barnivore-approved. If you’re a bit picky—no judgment—consider creating a wine registry through Wine Enthusiast. This way, you’ll receive wines that are vegan and that you know you’ll enjoy.
5. Because ‘Cash or Check’ Can Be a Bit Déclassé
If you and your fiancé or fiancée are indecisive about the best way to register, consider crowdfunding. Perhaps you both really want a new car with entirely vegan interiors—oh yeah, it’s a thing—but you can’t really register for a car. Sites such as Deposit a Gift make it easy to raise money through your wedding registry and apply the funds to whatever you choose, without the tacky “Please make the check out to …” memo on the wedding invitations.
6. Build a Bar, Vegan-Style
Saving up for your big day can be difficult. Some brides and grooms opt for a potluck-style wedding in order to cut costs. Luckily, vegan alcohol is easy to find (shout-out to Barnivore). Let your guests know that you have all the kitchen appliances and bedding that you need but would love their help in making your wedding memorable—or maybe not so memorable for some! Encourage them to contribute to your wedding’s open bar by bringing their favorite vegan booze in place of a more traditional gift.
7. A Cruelty-Free Vegan Honeymoon
Honeymoon registries can be a great alternative to traditional ones—a win for both the engaged couple and their guests. Newlyweds can crowdsource their post-wedding trip, while guests can help the happy couple make memories that will last a lifetime. Perhaps you and your future husband or wife want to try snorkeling or scuba diving, or maybe a camping trip with your canine companion is more your speed. Animal-free circuses and theme parks, whale-watching tours, or visits to animal sanctuaries accredited by the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries are also great cruelty-free honeymoon activities. Regardless of where you decide to vacation, sites such as Wanderable can help happy couples get one step closer to their dream honeymoon.
8. All the Kitchen Appliances for All the Vegan Food
You’re vegan, you’re newly married, and you’re in love—what better way to make the most of your “honeymoon period” than cooking nightly dinners at home for each other? To do so, you’ll need to be well equipped with a few kitchen essentials. Register at Williams Sonoma for your ideal slow cooker and then choose from these 12 vegan slow-cooker recipes. Add this doughnut pan to your registry and treat your special someone to baked vegan doughnuts. And don’t forget to ask for the perfect frying pan—you’ll need one to grill up all those delicious Beyond Burgers for you and your new spouse. But we get it—not everyone loves to cook. If your schedules are a bit chaotic or maybe your talents lie outside the kitchen, consider asking guests to contribute toward a vegan meal-delivery service, such as Purple Carrot, Veestro, or 22 Days Nutrition. Make it easy for your guests by specifying a meal plan or pack.
9. Adopt, Don’t Shop
If you and your spouse-to-be already live a well-equipped life, consider asking guests to sponsor an animal who hasn’t been as fortunate. If you’re fans of majestic elephants, point guests toward The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee. If you’re passionate about protecting animals used for food, ask guests to sponsor an animal who lives at Farm Sanctuary. If chimpanzees have a special place in your heart, give guests the option to sponsor a chimpanzee with Save the Chimps. Just be sure to choose a sanctuary that’s accredited by the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries.
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Still need help planning the food, clothing, decorations, honeymoon location, and all the other details that go into wedding preparation? If it’s a cruelty-free, vegan wedding that you want, we’re here to help you make it happen! Check out our guide for help planning your perfect day:
