As the warmth of summer envelops us, we’re reminded of the unique charm this season brings. While spring signifies renewal, summer beckons with the promise of adventure, relaxation, and cherished moments spent outdoors. It’s a time when couples eagerly embrace outdoor living, from casual gatherings in their backyards to seaside escapes and epic road trips. Despite the allure of seasonal items, many couples often shy away from adding them to their wedding registries, opting instead for practical year-round essentials. However, we believe that sprinkling in a few seasonal delights can infuse your registry with personality and anticipation for the sunny days ahead.
In our experience, summer products tend to be most readily available and affordable during the season itself, making them ideal additions to a wedding registry. By strategically incorporating select seasonal items, couples can not only enhance their summer experiences but also lay the foundation for creating lasting memories for years to come. From versatile outdoor gear to refreshing home accents, the items on your registry can serve as a reflection of your shared interests and aspirations as a couple.
In this post, we’re excited to share our top picks for summer 2024, carefully curated to help you make the most of this vibrant season. Whether you’re dreaming of beachside lounging, backyard barbecues, or exciting adventures off the beaten path, we’ve got you covered. Join us as we explore a range of products designed to elevate your summer and inspire unforgettable moments with your partner.
Our Wedding Registry Picks for Summer 2024
General Summer Décor
Summer is the perfect time to refresh your home with vibrant and stylish decor that brings the warmth and energy of the outdoors inside. Whether you’re looking to brighten up your living space or create a welcoming outdoor retreat, adding summer-themed decor to your wedding registry can help you achieve a seasonal transformation.
- For years, in a semi-conscious effort to bring the outdoors inside, we’ve used the summer season as an opportunity to refresh and update our collection of unhappy-from-winter houseplants. As our lives have gotten busier, we’re increasingly turning to faux greenery and florals. And fortunately for us (and you), stores brim with them this time of year. Some of our favs include this black olive branch and lavender stem bunch from West Elm, this monstera from IKEA, and this money tree from CB2.
- We think everyone needs a nice linen tablecloth. And while linen works year round, we think it goes particularly well with summer décor. This one from Quince is a great value.
- For those of you who read our spring products guide, you’ll know how much we enjoy updating our home décor seasonally with new throw pillows. Summer is no different. This summer, you can’t go wrong with these from Hearth & Hand (link, link, and link), these from IKEA (link, link, and link), or these cabana striped pillows from West Elm.
- If you live in a house or apartment with a step-in shower (or plan to), summer is also a good time to update your shower curtain. We like this one from Schoolhouse and, of course, the classic waffle weave curtain from Target (as featured in our wedding registry guide).
Outdoor Entertainment and Cooking
After a long rainy season in the Pacific Northwest, we crave being outdoors and making the most of our sunny days. Every year we look for products to help elevate our summer gatherings with friends and family and help us cook and serve great meals outside.
- There are few better ways to impress your friends and family than hosting a homemade, wood-fired pizza party. The Ooni Fyra is an excellent entry level oven for aspiring pizzaiolos. Be sure to add Ooni’s 12” peel, a bag of pellets, fire starters, and an infrared thermometer while you’re at it.
- After a great outdoor meal, nothing beats gathering around a fire for good conversation and roasted marshmallows. The Solo Stove Bonfire 2.0 is our go to.
- Don’t have an outdoor space large enough for a pizza oven or fire pit? Don’t fret. You can accomplish both vibes inside and still enjoy the season. Check our Breville’s Pizzaiolo countertop pizza oven and pick up a kitchen torch for indoor marshmallow roasting.
- You can further set your outdoor get together vibe with some music. We love our UE Wonderboom 3s. These speakers are cheap, look great, and you can pair two to cover a larger space.
- Finally, we love outdoor games for the kinetic energy they give to a gathering. The size of your space will largely dictate your options. If your space is decently large, consider a cornhole or ladderball set. If your space is smaller or you are limited to indoor gatherings, look for simple board games that work for groups. We love Skull, Take 5, and Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza.
Home and Garden
With the arrival of summer, our thoughts naturally turn to the great outdoors, where the warmth of the sun beckons and gardens burst with life (or at least we try to make them do so). We don’t go over-the-top with gardening like some (maybe that will be your thing), but we always feel like doing something in our garden every summer and having a few key items will make this a much more enjoyable experience.
- Our go-to garden tool is a hori hori, the classic Japanese-inspired garden knife. Hori hori roughly translates to “dig dig” which somehow makes this tool even more enjoyable to use. Consider registering for two so you and your boo can garden together. Here are two options: a cheap, but totally workable entry level version and a stunning statement piece.
- After a hori hori, our most frequently used garden tool is our trusty broom. Trust us on this one, there is only type of outdoor broom worth buying and it’s a coconut bristle broom.
- Who doesn’t love inviting beautiful songbirds into their outdoor space? We know we do. Droll Yankee is the classic, go-to brand. If you are really bird crazy, check out the Bird Buddy camera feeder.
- If you want to keep your outdoor space tidy and ready for guests, consider registering for a plug-in leaf blower. They are cheap and relatively small. It’s sort of like vacuuming your house before guests come over. It makes a big difference. The best is a Toro PowerJet. Add a quality extension cord while you’re at it.
Summer Travels and Adventures
For us, summer is synonymous with travel and adventure, making it the perfect time to explore new places and create lasting memories. Whether you’re planning weekend getaways or a cross-country road trip, having the right gear can enhance your travel experience is a must.
- Wedding registries are a great way to acquire good quality pieces of luggage that will last for years. In fact, it’s a classic, non-household wedding gift and has been for years. In our spring product guide, we recommended weekender bags. Summer is a great time to add full-sized suitcases. Travelpro Platinum Elites are still the best around and come with spinner or stationary wheels, whichever you prefer.
- State Bags makes our favorite toiletry kit bags and they come in lots of different colors and patterns.
- Smart phone cameras have no-doubt come a long way over the years, but we still think it’s worth having a standalone camera for travel, especially for low-light situations where even the best smart phone cameras can struggle. We also think a camera makes for a great wedding gift. Our favorite entry-level, compact, smart phone camera upgrade is the Sony RX100 VII.
- Staying organized while traveling is a must. Peak Design is our favorite brand for bags and camera accessories. We love their slide camera strap, 6L everyday sling, and tech pouch.
Beach Equipment and Accessories
Our travels often lead us to sandy shores. Having the right equipment and accessories can significantly enhance your beach experience, ensuring maximum relaxation and enjoyment.
- We discovered the joy of Turkish towels long after getting married, but now we’re obsessed. They go with us to the pool or the beach, and they roll up quite small for easy packing even in a small suitcase. Turkish towels are available a lot of different places, but our favorites are from Coyuchi.
- Few products elevate (literally) your beachgoing experience more than a set of high-quality beach chairs. Our favorite is Tommy Bahama’s classic 5-position chair. If you are a Costco member, keep an eye on their website around Memorial Day. They do carry them from time to time and even put them on sale on occasion.
- A large beach tote bag is also essential. We like our L.L.Bean open-top Boat and Tote bags.
- You might even consider a good-quality beach wagon to save you from making multiple trips back and forth to the car. We like our Mac Sports heavy duty all terrain cart. A version of this wagon is usually also available from Costco.
- Finally, a beach trip is not complete without food and drinks and for that, we’ve really enjoyed having a soft-sided cooler. With soft-sided coolers, you basically have three different options (at three different price points). You have Yeti (the name brand), RTIC (the best quality Yeti knock off), and everything else.
We hope you enjoy our summer picks. If we missed anything summer-related you plan to add to your registry, let us know.
