go giftless

Registering for wedding swag can feel a bit like making the ultimate holiday wish list—the options are endless, price is someone else’s concern and the arrival of all those shiny packages brings out the gift-happy kid inside any bride or groom. Then comes the hard part: finding space for everything (not to mention reconciling the carbon footprint created by the manufacture and shipping of all that stuff). Apartment-dwellers quickly run out of room and end up stashing gifts at a parent's house or in a rented storage unit. And making space to display every candlestick, frame and vase, lest the well-intentioned gifter drop in unannounced, can overwhelm homeowners. Even those couples with room to spare invariably end up with unwanted items to exchange, resulting in transportation costs for which the newlyweds bear responsibility. Why not avoid the headache altogether with a gift-free wedding? (Just hear us out on this.) Instead of physical items—silver, china, random kitchen gadgets—ask friends and family to help with your honeymoon by covering the cost of, say, dinner under the stars or a daytime excursion. After the stress of planning a wedding, a massage a deux will seem like gold compared to measuring cups or paring knives. If you are the type who eschews conspicuous consumption, have guests donate to a social or environmental organization you support instead—or simply give you cash for your nest egg. Every day, shipping services like UPS and FedEx move nearly 16 million packages—EACH. Most of the big players have invested in alternative fuels for their fleets, but the energy and money it takes to transport packages around the world makes for one huge carbon footprint any way you look at it. Why not avoid the personal and environmental impact altogether? Your buckling shelves will thank you.