It’s been awhile since I did a wedding update! To be honest, I have NOT been the best at this Bride-To-Be thing the last few months.

When people asked me where we’re getting married, I shrugged.

When they asked me what the date was, I laughed.

When they tried to pin me down about dress shopping, I couldn’t seem to find a free day in my schedule.

It wasn’t that I was avoiding it, or I’m not super excited, or it doesn’t give me happy butterflies to think about. I was just SUPER overwhelmed. Like, whoa. Where do I start? What do I do first? Where exactly is the “beginning’ of this process?

I learned a few lessons these last few months. A big one is that you’re not EXPECTED to plan a wedding all by yourself. There are people there to help you – and they WANT to help you (probably because they remember how nerve wracking and crazy it felt for them – HAH!) Which is great. It was a huge weight lifted to know that I didn’t HAVE to go wedding dress shopping or plan a theme or pick out what color the napkins were ALONE. I had a tribe – and a fiancé – who was totally in it with me.

Then came the LIFE CHANGER. A good girlfriend gave me some great advice over lunch.

During an epic meal at Good On Ya Organic Café in Encinitas, she leaned in and asked me, “How’s wedding planning going? Have you started a registry yet?”

“A what?”

“An online wedding registry! You KNOW! A REGISTRY!”

Blank stare.

“Tara! Seriously? OK… It’s a place where you put all the stuff you want. There’s some registries where people can shop for gifts, some that fund your honeymoon, or some where people can donate you something for the wedding or even help you pay for your dress. Tara, you’ve never heard of this?!”

Cue sheepish grin from me. Oops.

Putting together a registry still seemed a bit overwhelming. Turns out – it can be!

When I turned to google, it turned up about 48653931 choices, most of which were intimidating and didn’t have everything I wanted. Some of the websites didn’t even make sense to me to use – and I’ve been doing this internet thing for a WHILE now.

So, as you can imagine, I was soooo excited when I found Zola Wedding Registry! It’s brilliant!! ALL of my questions were answered and ALL of my choices were in one super convenient spot. Immediately, I felt like I had a little more control over things. I mean, it’s like an online destination where anyone in the WORLD can help me with my wedding. Dreams DO come true!

Not only did Zola help me put all of our options in one convenient place, but it inspired me to get my rear in gear for wedding planning! Since I started my registry we’ve done a LOT, including picking a date, theme and narrowing down venues!

Here are some of my favorite parts of Zola, and why I instantly STOPPED looking anywhere else and started getting wedding fever:

It’s easy and simple!

First of all, can I say that the aesthetic of this website is totally gorgeous? I WANT to come back again and again. There is absolutely no hassle at all and everything is consolidated into one place. Zola also picks their best and curates selections for you, from both brick and mortar and online stores, so there’s no shortage of choices! I also loooove the Zola button addition to my browser! This means if I see something that I like on another website, I just click the button and can instantly add the item to my registry!! SOO cool & convenient! I can also scan items in stores and add those too!!

Zola’s Perks:

I really wanted a registry that had a Honeymoon fund option. Well, Zola has EVERYTHING Funds! From cash funds for honeymoon or a date night in the city to a wide selection of experiences like a Blue Apron meal subscription, I love that you can personalize the event options and tell your guests why it would really mean something to you to say, have a date night in or take a cooking class together. There’s also free shipping over $100, free returns, and a post-wedding 10% discount! Zola also has the Lowest Fee on Cash Funds compared to any other registry out there.

Multiple People Can Go In On One Gift

If you’re ever going to ask for something you’ve always wanted, now is the time!! Have some family members or friends who are low on funds? With Zola’s Group Gifting option, your guests can split up funding your honeymoon or a gym membership for you and your honey, so a few people can go in on one gift for you! How sweet of them!! 😉

The Choices…

…Are endless! And fun to browse! Personally, I love the Weekend tab, which includes a Fun & Adventure section! I was so stoked on this! Todd and I are serious outdoor people. We hike, bike and surf every chance that we get. We’re both been back and forth across the country more times than we can count. So I absolutely fell in LOVE with Zola’s Weekend section, which had a lot of awesome backpacking gear, exploration options and cool gadgets for the adventurer in all of us!!

Their Charity Fund Option!

I picked a Preventive Cancer Research organization (you guys know that’s my jam) for a charity donation option in lieu of my Dad, who passed 2 years ago from cancer. It will definitely mean a lot to donate in his name on this day, since he can’t be there. Todd picked NEADS, an organization that trains service dogs for people in need.

Ship as you go!

A huge bonus is that you can place your registry gifts on hold so they don’t ship until you’re ready to receive them! Great if you will be away on a honeymoon right after your wedding or got something for your honey as a gift to surprise them with later!

Check out our registry or sign up here today!

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This post was sponsored by Zola Registry