14 Seriously Unique Wedding Registry Ideas

couple with surfboards — PHOTO BY LAUREN FAIR PHOTOGRAPHY

Looking for truly unique wedding registry ideas? There's a whole world of registries beyond housewares and table linens out there. Your wedding is one of the only times when you can let people know exactly what kind of gifts you would like them to get you courtesy of a wedding registry. While some couples scurry to a major department store or a home goods specialty store, other couples are eager to do something less traditional. We consulted with Jannae Saltzman, the owner and senior lead planner of Blush & Whim, to help get the ideas flowing.

Meet the Expert

Jennae Saltzman is the owner and senior lead planner of Blush & Whim in Minneapolis, a wedding planning and event design company.

Think outside the box with our roundup of alternative wedding registry ideas.

01 of 14

Get Cooking

Couple Cooking — Hinterhaus Productions / Getty Images

Sur La Table's classes at various locations teach everything from sculpting homemade gnocchi to baking the perfect chocolate soufflé. You'll be ready to host dinner parties in no time with your newfound cooking skills. Bon appetit!

02 of 14

Stock Your New Kitchen

Put your cooking skills to good use with high-quality ingredients. Blue Apron ships foolproof pre-portioned ingredients and recipes nationwide. Or, for farm-to-table brides, check out Community Supported Agriculture. Register for a monthly membership and have local ingredients delivered to your door.

03 of 14

Embark on Unique Adventures and Experiences

Couple at winery — LukaTDB / Getty Images

Whether you want to take photography lessons together in Brooklyn or a DJ course in Seattle, Peek curates cool activities in cities from coast to coast. Heading to a vineyard? They even offer wine-blending sessions in Napa and classes on the ultimate party trick: sabering a bottle of Champagne.

04 of 14

De-Stress With Couples Massages

Everyone says the first year is the hardest. Dissolve any tension by choosing a couples massage at Zola, where you can literally register for anything you can imagine.

05 of 14

Cure Your Wanderlust

Couple scuba diving — Image Source/Stuart Westmorland / Getty Images

Perhaps you already knew you could register for flights and hotels on Honeyfund, but did you know you can request sailing trips and scuba lessons? The site allows you to add destination-specific activities to your honeymoon wish list. Zip-lining, snorkeling, scuba diving, here you come! Honeyfund is one of many honeymoon registries. There's also Wanderable, Honeymoon Wishes, Traveler's Joy and more.

06 of 14

Book Your Sundays With a Museum Membership

Museum memberships will make for a year's worth of dates. Register for a museum membership and you'll have members-only access to special events year-round. Some of our favorite museums are the High Museum in Atlanta, the Tenement Museum in New York City, and the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles.

07 of 14

Ride the Waves Together

couple surfing — MichaelSvoboda / Getty Images

Learn to surf at Hans Hedemann's Surf School in Hawaii, Pacific Surf in Hawaii and Cali, or Skudin Surf in Long Beach, New York.

08 of 14

Explore the Great Outdoors

Couples who love the outdoors will also love the idea of registering with REI, a national store filled with gear for everything from camping to backpacking. "I actually had a wedding where a guest brought in a kayak for the couple." says Saltzman. "Such a fun place to register for the more adventurous couple."

09 of 14

Help Fund a Down Payment on a Home or a Remodel

couple in front of house — MoMo Productions / Getty Images

If you'd rather have cold, hard cash and use it to buy a home, you can do that with Blueprint. You can design a cash fund for anything your heart desires—including a down payment—and personalize your registry page to let gift-givers know exactly how you'll be using the funds.

10 of 14

Learn a New Language Together

Brush up on your Spanish or one of the dozens of other languages offered at Berlitz outposts across the country. Soon you'll be a pro at ordering dinner, finding the bathroom, and chatting away in a foreign tongue. Big picture? Keep practicing your French and eventually, the two of you can head to Paris.

The Ultimate Guide to Wedding Registries

11 of 14

Pop Bottles with a Wine Subscription

couple drinking wine — Klaus Vedfelt / Getty Images

Keep the wine flowing with a monthly subscription to the good stuff from companies like ACME Wines. With options for every palate and price point, this is one nontraditional wedding registry idea you cannot go wrong with.

12 of 14

Donate to Charity

If your house is already fully stocked with three different types of coffee makers and you don't need any new bed sheets or towels, you can consider signing up for a charitable registry that has your wedding guests sending the amount they would give to you as a gift to a charity organization or philanthropy of your choice. You can even select multiple places to give to so that your wedding guests have options, as well. Create a charitable wedding registry with ease on JustGive.org.

13 of 14

Start Your Art Collection

couple hanging art — Hinterhaus Productions / Getty Images

UGallery allows you to register for any artwork you like. Gift givers can even go in on a present together, so it's all right to include expensive items in your wishlist.

14 of 14

Get the Best of All Worlds With Multiple Registries

If you're having trouble deciding between sites or ideas, why not register at multiple registries? If you have a wedding website, it's easy enough to list multiple alternative wedding registries to your site. It'll give your guests plenty to choose from. For example, if you're primarily interested in funding your honeymoon or a down payment, that's great. But you can also list a more traditional registry for guests (think Grandma and Grandpa) who are more comfortable gifting you a physical item.

Here's Exactly When You Should Set Up Your Wedding Registry