Here's How to Keep Track of Wedding Gifts (Plus What to Do if You Forget!)

Ensure your guests feel appreciated—and your thank-you notes are accurate.
wrapped gift with grey ribbon
Photo: progressman / Shutterstock
alyssa longobucco the knot wedding planning expert
by
Alyssa Longobucco
alyssa longobucco the knot wedding planning expert
Alyssa Longobucco
Wedding Planning Expert
  • Alyssa Longobucco is a freelance editor, content creator, and stylist.
  • Alyssa is well-versed in shoot production and styling and market work for a variety of platforms.
  • Alyssa worked as a Senior Style and Planning Editor for The Knot for over three years.
Updated Jul 21, 2023
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When it comes to wedding planning, there are a lot of gifts to track—in fact, it's practically a full-time job. Between your engagement party, couple's shower and that lingerie bash where you saw a way different side to your aunt Sally, figuring out how to keep track of wedding gifts you receive is an important—albeit complicated—part of the to-be-wed process. The good news? There are several tools and methods out there designed to help you and your partner make note of every piece of glassware, flatware and dishware you receive, so you can get your wedding thank-you notes out in a timely manner. So what are you waiting for? Make a wedding registry, send out those shower invitations and get ready for the best year of your life—we'll help you handle the rest.

In this article:

How to Track Wedding Gifts

In case you're unfamiliar with the concept of tracking wedding gifts, here's what we mean: Throughout your engagement (and even into the year after your wedding), you'll likely be receiving a lot of physical and monetary gifts from friends and family looking to celebrate your nuptials. Instead of just throwing their name and gift into the Notes app of your iPhone and hoping for the best, we're here to suggest a few alternative options that'll keep you just a smidge more organized (no shade to the Notes app, of course). The strategies below will help you keep a detailed record of who got you what for your big day, so you can write a thoughtful and considerate thank-you note—and remember to break out that gorgeous platter they bought you the next time they come over for dinner.

The Knot Registry

When it comes to finding an all-in-one wedding registry tool that makes the entire gifting process a cinch, The Knot Registry is your new BFF (if we do say so ourselves). An entirely free service (yes, really!), The Knot Registry allows you to cull gifts from hundreds of retail partners and link existing registries at other stores for a one-stop shop your guests can turn to as they're looking to spoil you and your partner. Your registry will also seamlessly integrate with your wedding website, updating regularly to reflect gifts that have already been purchased and any new ones you add.

When it comes to tracking gifts, The Knot Registry has a solution for that, too. Couples can simply visit the Track Gifts tab on their registry homepage (be sure to log into your The Knot account first) to get a glimpse into what guests have already purchased from their wishlist. This free feature monitors everything purchased from your registry, including contributions made toward group gifts and Cash Funds. You'll get to see the date purchased, the status of the gift (i.e. whether it has shipped yet or not), the purchaser's name and any note they chose to include. The feature can be accessed via your desktop or The Knot App and you can download a complete list of gifts received at any point, if you're someone that prefers a tangible reminder of everyone's generosity.

The Knot Guest List

While using The Knot Registry platform is a great starting point for keeping track of wedding gifts, there are certainly some instances where you may need a bit of extra flexibility while noting who gave you what. Enter: The Knot Guest List. Designed as an extension to your wedding website, The Knot Guest List helps you track your save-the-dates, wedding invitations and any RSVPs you receive.

If all of that wasn't helpful enough, there's more—you can even use The Knot Guest List to make note of any gifts received, especially if there were some off-registry purchases or monetary gifts (like a check in a wedding card). Here's how it works: As you're viewing your guest list, you'll notice there's a column dedicated to "My Notes." Clicking on that will open a sidebar where you can edit each guest's profile, making note of various important details, like the name of their plus one, their address, any dietary restrictions and, of course, what gifts they purchased you (and whether you sent a thank-you note). You can think of The Knot Guest List as your big day bible—it'll hold everything you need to treat your special people with love throughout the entire wedding planning process.

A Paper Wedding Gift Log Book

If you're someone who prefers tangible notes over digital ones, you can always invest in a dedicated wedding gift log notebook or planner to act as a wedding gift tracker. Sites like Amazon and Etsy offer predesigned notebooks you can purchase to keep tabs on the wedding gifts you receive (many to-be-weds also choose to physically write down the gifts they receive as they unwrap them at their showers). You can also find printable templates on Etsy that get the job done. If you'd rather not spend money, you can also create your own wedding gift log template spreadsheet on your computer to track gifts.

What to Do if You Forgot

Listen, things happen—and you've got a lot going on with wedding planning! If you've forgotten to keep track of the wedding gifts you've received (or you lost your handwritten list entirely), there are a few things you can do to make it right. For starters, ask your partner, parents and members of your wedding party if they remember what someone gifted you (provided it was done in public, like at a shower). You'll be surprised what people retain while watching gifts being opened and they may be able to give you enough information that you can craft a semi-personalized thank-you note to the gifter.

If that method isn't providing any viable information, your next best bet is to write a thoughtful yet generic thank-you note (even though mentioning the gift is still the best in terms of thank-you note etiquette). Thank your loved one for the "generous gift" and focus the rest of the note on how much they mean to you and how important their presence at your big day was. This way, your guests will still feel thought of and appreciated, and you'll effectively skirt around having to mention any gift specifics.

When at all possible, you want to avoid reaching out to guests to ask them what they gifted you. Doing so can make you seem forgetful and unappreciative, two things that are not a cute look for any to-be-wed. Asking guests for details on their gift can often cause more harm or confusion than good—we can guarantee they won't remember your message being more generic when it's time to send thank-you notes, but they will remember knowing you forgot what they gifted you entirely.

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