Registering is a fun part of wedding planning. Even before I was officially engaged, I started to collect items in catalogues and make mental notes at friends’ weddings regarding the things we should be sure to add to our registry. My fiancé, Nick, and I just went through the process, so here’s my experience.

We decided to register at two places: a department store and a specialty home shop. The overall process is fairly easy. You don’t need an appointment—you can just walk into the store, tell them you’d like to register and the salesperson will set you up. Then, they give you the scan gun and you’re off.

It was a long day, and toward the end, we felt a bit overwhelmed. We just started registering for random things that we eventually took off the list. Nick thought it was an overall good experience, but he didn’t exactly consider it “fun.” We did stop for a beer afterward!

I went back for a second day of registering because I needed my mom’s advice on items such as china, pots and pans, silverware, etc. She and I spent a few hours adding some items to the list, and that made for a nice afternoon!

Here are some tips that might help you to make your registering experience a success:

• Register at two or three places. Make sure those stores are accessible to most people on your invite list, whether it’s a brick-and-mortar store or a website.
• Before you sign up for a registry, spend time with your spouse-to-be compiling your wish list so you’re on the same page. Some stores, like Macy’s, have an online checklist that you can print out to use as a guideline as well. This way, the two of you can avoid awkward conversations at the store.
• Plan enough time to get through the entire store—you don’t want to rush. If it takes longer than you expect, you can always go back. Since most stores allow you to manage your registry online, it’s not the end of the world if you make a mistake or register for something you later regret.
• Remember to include items you really need on the list—small kitchen appliances, bath towels and the like.  This is an area I struggled with. After registering for baking sheets and tons of mixing bowls, I thought to myself, Do I really want my guests to buy me baking sheets? Probably not—there are many more items on my list that I really need and would want!
• Some stores, including Macy’s and Crate & Barrel, have rewards and discount programs. After your wedding, you can use these perks to help purchase some of the items you didn’t receive.

Most of all, have fun with it! I’d love hear how your registering experience went.

Read more from Tiffany here.