by Cammie Jones June 6, 2023

Photography by Lauren Carnes

It’s that time of the year when love is in the air and weddings abound. As brides and grooms prepare to the tie the knot, where do they go to set up their registries? Both Alice Salley at Design Images and Gifts and Greg Boulus at Charleston Street are the places to go and people to see locally for the best of the best.

A typical registry of china, flatware, silver, and crystal glassware still exists today but with a twist. “Playing it safe is not as popular, and people are having more fun” says Alice Salley of Design Images and Gifts.

Brides are still registering for fine china but adding fun accessories including colorful tablecloths, napkins, or stemware, such as the Estelle colored wine glasses.  They may register for the traditional white monogrammed dinner napkins but then pair these with patterned tablecloths such as the Le Jacquard Francais linens, according to Alice. The Richard Ginori Oriente Italiano tableware has really become popular as well as a hand-etched, hand-blown crystal line by William Yeoward that Design Images recently started carrying.  

Greg says that much like the fashion industry, table top designers are always creating new patterns and serving pieces that meshes with their existing lines. “Many couples are fortunate enough to inherit formal china and silver flatware. To this they may register for coordinating charger or stemware to freshen up the look and make it their own,” says Greg.

Greg says that he is also seeing brides and grooms register for more of a transitional china. “Couples are registering for tableware from designers like Juliska, Match or Vietri – it’s durable to enjoy every day and easy to accessorize and transition to a more formal setting,” he says.  He’s also seeing a bigger demand for one-of-a-kind pieces from potters and artists such as Alison Evans or Hope and Mary.

Both Design Images and Charleston Street offer so much more to brides and grooms than just tableware.  Couples are also registering for lamps, home accessories, coffee table books, serving pieces, home fragrances, and more. Barware and cookware are especially popular items for grooms, which gets them more involved in the process. Brides can even register for a year of flowers from Charleston Street! 

It’s encouraged to schedule an appointment to set up wedding registries with one of their dedicated registry specialists at both locations.  Both Design Images and Charleston Street also are aware of any scheduled, themed showers or upcoming events so that gifts related to that are chosen.  “We are involved with the registry – we check in with the couple regularly to make sure they are well taken care of,” adds Greg. 

Greg gives couples many options for receiving their gifts and walks them through the simple to use, online registry site. “We then help the couple curate a well-rounded bridal registry and then populate all of their wonderful selections to our website,” he adds. Design Images also offers an online registry making it easier for guests to give gifts and couples to keep track of gift purchases.

The one-on-one attention that is given to brides and grooms at both Design Images and Charleston Street is second to none. Always up to speed with the latest trends and needs of these newly engaged couples, both Charleston Street and Design Images are the places to go once that ring is on her finger!