A spring wedding registry, ready before the shops sell out

Marry in the second week of May, put the registry together in April, and by the time the invitations go out the outdoor dining set you wanted is sold out everywhere until August. Spring is the busiest wedding season, and the shops know it. Whatever you want, somebody else's guests want it the same month.

Have the registry ready eight to ten weeks before the day

Finish the list at least eight to ten weeks before the wedding, before the invitations go out. Guests need a few weeks to browse and decide, and you want to pick the seasonal items in February, while there is still stock, instead of in April when every garden furniture range is on back order.

Finishing early also means the list gets checked by both of you at least once. The registry that goes live the night before the invitations always has the wrong colour of something on it.

What goes on a spring registry

Cover the practical things first, then the seasonal ones. A good spring list has room for most of these:

• A cast iron casserole, a decent knife and the small appliances you will use for guests all summer
• New bed linen, a big vase for the tulips and one piece of art you both agree on
• A garden table, a set of real tools or a Weber for the long evenings
• A wine tasting, a cooking course or a weekend away in the autumn
• The traditional pieces: a dinner service, proper wine glasses, a tablecloth that will outlive you

Mix the prices. A 12 garlic press belongs next to a 400 garden bench, so the student cousin and the godparents both find something. The expensive items are the ones to open up for contributions, so five friends can put 80 each into the bench instead of each buying you a cheese board.

A few seasonal touches, no more

A herb garden kit, a set of outdoor plates or light-coloured linen fit a May wedding without turning the list into a theme party. If you expect to have people round once it is warm, put the outdoor serving dishes, a big cool box and a couple of brunch platters near the top. Some couples also use the registry to collect gear for the honeymoon, which makes sense if the honeymoon involves a tent.

Keep it stocked and easy to find

Look at the list every week or two and add items as things get reserved. A guest who opens the registry in the last fortnight and finds three tea towels left will buy you a candle instead. Marking gifts as taken is automatic, so the whole check takes five minutes on the sofa.

Make the link easy to find. Put it on the wedding website and mention it with the invitation. Add items from two or three different shops so guests can use whichever one they already have an account with, and list more items than you have guests, since a fair share of people bring an envelope regardless.

Make it sound like the two of you

Build the list around what you actually do together. If you have people round for dinner twice a month, ask for a serving set you will use twice a month. If this is the year the garden gets planted, ask for a spade and real terracotta pots, and skip the decorative watering can. Couples now register for camping gear, a tandem or a year of art classes, and the guests who know you well are glad of it.

When the two of you have agreed on the shortlist, create a wedding registry and paste in the links that evening, while the garden bench is still in stock.