I wouldn't do different place settings. I think that would be confusing.

I don't know that two sets of bedding would be confusing. I can see how place settings would be.

note that I am 20 years old and have stereotypical male lack-of-knowledge about these things

I would probably see the distinction as, Is this set something that one person would purchase or something that would require multiple people purchasing parts in order to make up the full set?

If it's the first, I think you could go with multiple items. If it's the second, I think it'd be confusing for everyone.

That might not hold, though, if you're having a huge wedding and there are enough guests planning to buy off the registry that you're likely to get everything.

Our wedding is small and the incomes of the guests ranges greatly so I'd like to give people various options at different price points.

I never did understand the need for "sets" of things. If you like 10 different plates, then register for them, mix them up, use them and enjoy them. Register for whatever you like. It's your wedding.

I get lots of Target's open stock white bistro plates and bowls and things (they're awesome) and then mix them up with other one of a kind plates and glasses. I love the way it looks. Maybe that's just me though. I totally love anyone getting married who registers for open stock so I can buy 1 from column A and and 2 from column B if I want to.

Pick one. The way I understand it, a single place setting is five pieces, and you'll be two peole so there's ten pieces, and you might want a couples as guests, so there's twenty, but then it's more likely you have two other couples as guests so now you'll need 40 pieces. lets say you have a small wedding, and the plate alone is 25 dollars (I have no idea how much a decent plate is, it could be 100 dollars I guess - god knows decent china around here is at least 120 dollars per single plate - a five piece set would easily run up to 600-800) and some guests want to give but might not have the worlds biggest wallets. Allow them the opportunity to add to your dinner set by getting two cups and saucers or eight salad plates or something.. Yaknow? Two different sets would confuse the hell out of everyone.

If it helps to make a choice, have a look at cutlery and see if you find a set you really like and which dinner set it fits best with.

Our wedding is small and the incomes of the guests ranges greatly so I'd like to give people various options at different price points.

Then, I would say, assuming your end goal is to get 6-12 place settings of the same design, just register for one design. Then someone could buy 1 setting and someone else could buy 2 settings and someone else could buy another setting and someone could splurge on four settings and now you've got a whole set.

If those same four guests are having to choose between two different designs, you'd possibly end up with one or two place settings in one design and four or five in another.

Which would be fine if you do want to mix and match, but would not be fine if you're imagining having eight matching place settings at dinner parties.

Occhiblu has it exactly right on the place settings. Your guests will probably buy it for you one setting at a time. Sometimes there are serving pieces that match the plates, like vegetable dishes, or salt and pepper shakers, that kind of thing. Register for those too because that will help you spread out the price points, ya know? A salt and pepper set or a sugar bowl/creamer will be less than a place setting.

We registered for 2 sets of china, the everyday stuff and the good stuff, but really that was only because we had a large wedding and we needed to put enough stuff on the registry for people to choose from. A LOT of the guests were older friends of my parents who wanted to do the traditional thing like buy a few place settings. We had 2 couples buy our entire set of stainless, by going in on it together. And even after registering at 3 stores, people still complained we didn't have enough stuff for them to choose from. Ohmygod I still have boxes of stuff 2 years later we haven't used, but we will and I'm glad to have it.

It's fun isn't it? My husband had a great time at Williams Sonoma, going around with the little gun thing they give you to aim at the bar codes on the stuff you want. Zap! It's on the registry. He actually registered for an $80 pepper grinder and to my great embarrassment, someone bought it for us.

nthing only one style of place setting, but register for two different types of bedding, if you like. Otherwise you'll confuse people and at best wind up answering a bunch of phone calls on the subject and ultimately what occhiblu said.

My husband had a great time at Williams Sonoma

You registered at WS? I'm pretty much required by my personal code to hate you now. Give me five grand US and 30 goddamn minutes in that store. I just dare you.

/just bought a $25 dollar pepper grinder at Dillard's