You want to buy your friend a gift they will love, and you know she has registered. But when you go to select a present, you find that every single item is far out of your budget. Indeed, one of the most frustrating things you can encounter on a registry is a couple that has not selected multiple gifts at a wide range of price points (or not updated them enough in the months before their wedding). So, what to do? Here are a few suggestions on how to purchase a gift they will love, despite an expensive registry list.

Do you know their hobbies?

For those friends that you know really well, you most likely have some idea of how they spend their downtime. Most couples don't account for their hobbies on their registry list, so these gifts will be very welcomed. Purchase movie night snacks and an Amazon gift card for downloads for the couple that loves to play couch potato on the weekends. Buy trail maps and new water bottles for the weekend hikers. Whatever they love to do, find something to correspond. It will make them smile, and they won't even notice you disregarded their registry.

Look to their registry for inspiration.

Just because you can't purchase a specific gift from their registry doesn't mean you can't peruse it for ideas. Their list should give you some indication of their style and home decor colors. Find similar or complementary gifts at a store or price point you can afford. Particularly if it is from the same place as their registry, most companies have generous return policies for their brides. If they don't love what you have given them, they will love the return credit it provides towards another gift!

There's nothing wrong with a gift card or cash.

While traditional etiquette frowns down on a couple asking for money or gift cards as gifts, there's absolutely nothing wrong with you deciding to gift them instead of a present. You can give a gift card to where they are registered, or to a popular restaurant nearby. Don't be self-conscious about the amount. You can afford what you can. And it's a gift they will be grateful for.

What will they use all the time?

Much the same way you buy diapers for a friend's baby shower, there are plenty of household items that every couple will use frequently. Couples that spend a lot of time in the kitchen will go through their fair share of wooden spoons, glass storage containers, and olive oil. If you know they love to spend time in their garden, they can never have enough clean pairs of gloves or foam kneeling pads. Wrap them up gifts that you know they will appreciate for many months and years to come.

Photography | J. Woodbery Photography