Your Guide to Creating an Art Wedding Registry
If you're looking to create an art wedding registry to link out to on your wedding website, you've landed on the right page. Art wedding registries are trending right now and we completely understand why. We tapped Genevieve "Jenny" Dreizen, etiquette expert and co-founder of Fresh Starts Registry for insights about why artistic couples would want to create a wedding registry for art in addition to some tips about how a couple can go about asking for art (or gift cards to buy their own art) on their registry. That said, The Knot is a great place to start your registry (no, I'm not just saying that) as it's free to create and has many retail partners which can sync registries for a simple and straightforward shopping experience.
In this article:
- Can You Put Art on a Wedding Registry?
- Why You Should Register for Art
- How to Put Art on Your Wedding Registry
- Where to Register for Art
Can You Put Art on a Wedding Registry?
Yes, you can put art on a wedding registry and we'd recommend it. Although art isn't usually the first thing that comes to mind when registering gifts, it shouldn't be ruled out. Many retailers offer an array of artwork (although their selection may vary with regard to type and price) and make it easy to add to a registry so your friends and family know what pieces have captured your and your partner's interest.
Why You Should Register for Art
If you're looking to brighten up your home with some new artwork, creating an art registry is a great place to start.
To Tell a Story in Your Home
There are many reasons why you should register art with one of the most notable being to tell a story as "art is a great way to mark a moment or share a story," explains Dreizen. Whether you and your partner are looking for artwork that'll share your love story or tell a different story in your home, you can register pieces displaying varying themes. Whether you're looking to create a home with a contemporary, coastal, chic or glam aesthetic, you can register pieces that will help you achieve your storytelling goals.
To Connect With Loved Ones
Loved ones often like to provide newlyweds with meaningful gifts and artwork is a surefire way to do that. "It's [art is] an exciting gift for the right wedding guest to give and creates a lovely interpersonal story," says Dreizen.
To Save Money
Although there are affordable pieces of artwork available, there are many that come with higher price tags. That said, you can register pieces you like that you don't think you'll be able to afford without the help of your guests. "As some registries allow multiple buyers on items, it can also serve as a way of attaining art that would normally be out of your price range," explains Dreizen.
How to Put Art on Your Wedding Registry
Now that you've read through a couple of reasons why a fine art wedding registry can be a great idea, you may be wondering how exactly you can ask for and register your favorite pieces. Luckily, The Knot Registry is a great tool you can utilize to create your art wedding registry.
The Knot Registry Store is easy to use (even for couples who may not be the most tech-savvy). To add artwork or add gift cards to your favorite stores so you and your partner can purchase art pieces for yourselves, all you have to do is hit the "plus" or "Add to Registry" button. The Knot Registry store also has the ability to sync registries from other store sites where you may have already created a separate registry (as long as the email addresses used to sign up for the separate registry and your registry on The Knot Registry Store match). As a result of this, you (and your family and friends) can view your entire registry and all of your favorite pieces of artwork in one place–and, you won't have to clutter the registry portion of your wedding website (which you can build on The Knot) with so many links to individual registries.
If you feel uncomfortable about asking for art in a wedding registry (which we don't think you should be), Dreizen recommends leaving a note (if you're able to) about why a particular piece caught your attention and what you plan to do with it. "If you decide to go with an art-only registry as a singular registry or an addition to a few specific registries, I would note that you are eager to build your art collection and thought getting these pieces of art from the people in your community would be significant to you and your beloved," suggests Dreizen.
Where to Register for Art
If you're not sure about where to ask for art for your wedding registry, we've compiled a list of great retailers for you to consider. Whether a couple of paintings for your living room is what you seek or a tapestry for your bedroom, we've got you covered. Offering high-quality artwork and those at various price points, we're confident that you'll find several pieces that catch your eye.
- The Knot Registry Store: When you register artwork on The Knot Registry Store, you'll have access to artwork from brands including Safavieh and Great Bay Home to name a few of the many. The Knot Registry Store also partners with many stores so you can condense your registry for easy access and sharing.
- Etsy: With hundreds of sellers under the "art & collectibles" category offering artwork under a plethora of sub-categories including painting, prints, glass art, fiber arts and sculpture to name a few, it's unlikely that you won't find something to add to your Etsy registry (and Dreizen agrees). Many artist sellers offer personalization and customization to their pieces if you'd like to add your and your partner's names, a special phrase or even change the colors and materials of the piece (in some cases).
- Macy's: Although it may not be the first retailer that comes to mind when thinking about where to register for art, Macy's has an extensive selection of wall artwork including canvas, framed art and printed art (many of which come in different sizes from 16 x 24 inches to 30 x 30 inches). Plus, several pieces can often be found on sale if you have a smaller budget allotted for artwork on your registry.
- Amazon: Amazon is a hub for almost anything one can think of registering, including art. Amazon's website interface makes it easy to search by art style, of which there are several to choose from including Americana, Art Deco, Bohemian, Classic, Coastal, Contemporary, Minimalist and rustic to name a few. Amazon also allows you to select whether or not you're looking for canvas, framed or unframed pieces in addition to their materials and dimensions so you're able to plan based on where you'd like to place your future pieces.
- Pottery Barn: Pottery Barn may be known for its furniture, but you shouldn't overlook its wide selection of artwork available for purchase with photography-based art and paintings at the forefront. With featured artists including Hannah Winters, Alex Cole and Lauren Herrera, there are a wide variety of styles to choose from. And, if you consider wallpaper to be a form of art, you can add that to your registry, too.
- West Elm: If you're looking to splurge on your wedding registry for art, West Elm has a lot of great pieces that will be worth your (or your family and friends') investment. You'll find everything from fiber dimensional wall art to handwoven tapestries on their website. Plus, West Elm offers advanced payment plans if more flexible payment is needed or would be helpful.
- Anthropologie: For an elevated selection of artwork, there are few places better than Anthropologie. Although there are some pieces accompanied with a higher price tag, there are also some more affordable options and those available in multiple colorways. Since Anthropologie is one of our partners, it's easy to sync on to your registry created on The Knot–here's to keeping track of all of the pieces you've got your eye on.