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I wondered the same thing, also when it came to dishes and silverware. I'd suggest registering for a set. People might chip in to get you the set. I think either is appropriate, though, so if you have an inclination toward one way -- go with it.
The people who helped us register recommended registering for the individual items. The individual items are usually more expensive per item, but overall cheaper. That way, if you get several individual items, you can return them and get the whole set (since you're returning more money than the set). I'm not sure if I explained that really well, but hopefully you understand what I'm saying!
When I worked in retail, we always told people to register for individual items. We could easily make it into a set if people wanted to buy multiple items for the couple, but couldn't do it the other way. So, if your dinnerware comes in a place setting and a set of four place settings and you need 12 of everything, just register for 12 place settings...and if someone wants to get you 4 place settings, most stores will be able to do that at the set price. Just double-check with a sales associate to make sure that's the case.
I also was worried that people would look at the registry and think that I was insane or confused. I ended up putting both on. The sales people who told me about this "strategy" said that they make a point of explaining this to people when they are reviewing the registry with guests. Obviously that only applies to those who come in. I've also tried to spread the explanation via word-of-mouth by telling my bridesmaids, mother and FMIL - and they all thought it was a great idea once they got it. I think at worst, guests will be confused and will then go on to make their decision.
That said, if you suspect that your audience of guests will be offended in any way, then register for the individual items but save them as you collect them (make sure your fiance knows too!). Once you get enough, exchange them for the set - use the extra store credit you receive from the exchange to help complete your registry as needed. You would still be keeping the gifts that guests initially gave, only you'd be getting more for their money while also avoiding confusing or offending anyone accidentally.
We included both, although I did worry about looking greedy (even though that's not really logical!). I think that the main reason why we did it that way was because the sets that we picked were on the expensive side...and we reasoned that people would be able to buy pieces easier.
And, with some stores, you can trade in the single pieces and pay a small difference to get the whole set...
We included individual items for our pots & pans. We don't need a whole lot & this way we had more items on our registry!
I guess it makes sense though-- you're more likely to get your All-clad cookware if 6 people buy you 1 piece each instead of having the total set priced at $1000 & have it sit on your registry forever. Good question :)
We did individual pieces for pots and pans and we got all of them. Those are generally priced between $100-$200 (All-Clad and Calphalon at least, which we registered for) and that is a figure a lot of guests feel comfortable with for a shower or wedding gift.
We did sets for our good china, and also got all of those, and people seemed to like doing that as a gift. We did half sets and half individual pieces for our every day dishes, and all of the sets were bought (They were like $50/set) but none of the individual ones were bought, so we had to buy the rest after the wedding.
We did a knife block- which I actually just posted raving about- and we picked knives that we thought were in a reasonable price range - $250- for a 7 piece Henckles knife block. We ended up getting two, one for the shower and one for the wedding. We didn't open any shower gifts til after the wedding, which worked well because we exchanged both for the 18 piece set, which is AMAZING.
I think the best thing to do is register for things based on what you think your guests would prefer to spend. Are the type to pitch in in a group and spend a lot to get you your pots and pans set? If so, then do that. But if not, or you just feel greedy asking for a set that costs like $1000, register individually. Also, I didn't think the pieces in the set of pots and pans were the ones I wanted, so I took that into consideration too. It worked out well for us. Good luck!
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When registering, did you include both sets and individual items? I'm thinking of cookware and knives, specifically, when they both come in sets but also in individual pieces.
Should I register for both? The sets are generally cheaper than if you buy things individually, but the sets are also much more expensive. Not sure if I should put both the set and the individual pieces (and know that people will get what I'm trying to do) - or if I should just leave it as individual pieces and not include the set.
TIA