Registering is one of the best parts of wedding planning. Creating a wedding registry is not only fun, but also practical as it helps give your guests ideas about what to gift you with in celebration of your big day. We recently sat down with Isabelle von Boch, an eighth generation family member of Villeroy & Boch tableware, at William Ashley to chat about the importance of the wedding registry and what she deems essential items to include on yours. She told us that registering today is about so much more than just choosing a pattern—you need two, three or four on your list! It’s all about variety.

Q: Why is creating a wedding registry an important part of wedding planning?

A: “A wedding registry gives you the possibility to put together a wish list of all the things you want for your home. It is a great help to your guests because it gives them an idea of what to buy when they are shopping for your wedding gift. It is not something you should be embarrassed about doing, but rather think of it as a practical tool.”

Q: What do you deem as essentials for every wedding registry?

A: “I believe you should never have a distinction between formal and everyday pieces and patterns. You should use your dinnerware all the time because that’s what it’s meant for—to be enjoyed! I am very much of the philosophy that you should have many sets of dinnerware to suit different meals and different moods. I believe you should have several different patterns you can mix and match. Choose different dessert plates, teapots, serving bowls all that you can combine together or use separately to mix up your table. I think crystal is an essential too. It is far more durable than glass.”

Q: What are a few of your favourite tableware patterns you would recommend brides include on their wedding registries?

A: “I think you should definitely include 12 big white bowls on your registry that work for soups, stews, salads. They will match anything and always be classic pieces. As for my favourite patterns, I am partial to two: Auden is a pattern created by my great, great grandfather in the 1880s and it’s named after the village where Villeroy and Boch was born. It’s a timeless black and white toile motif with yellow accents that always look fresh. My other favourite is Amazonia, a gorgeous pattern on a fresh modern shape.”