 |
| In case of shower. This umbrella might show up on our registry. Found here |
I'll be honest, I'm a much better gift giver, than gift receiver. Jack says this makes me impossible to buy for, but I can't help that. I just like giving gifts. But part of this wedding deal is that people give you gifts. I'm not saying it's required - because I don't think it is, but there's all this etiquette/societal pressure that you should support a new couple starting their life together by showering them with gifts. Heck, we even have these things called "showers." In the almost-two years Jack and I have been together, we've spent hours in the aisles of Bed, Bath, & Beyond and Target, staring at little printouts, selecting gifts for our now-married friends. Remember, our go-to gift, the Brita pitcher?
Now generally, it's rude to (a) ask people to buy you something and (b) provide them with a list of what you want, but apparently all this is thrown out the window in the case of a wedding. Because not only do you assume that people will buy you things, you create LISTS of the stuff you want. Mind blown. I know.
Now generally, it's rude to (a) ask people to buy you something and (b) provide them with a list of what you want, but apparently all this is thrown out the window in the case of a wedding. Because not only do you assume that people will buy you things, you create LISTS of the stuff you want. Mind blown. I know.
We've been putting off registering for a number of reasons, but it's looming on the infamous to-do list. Our thought process was as follows: (1) We don't know where we're going to live, so who knows what we'll need? (2) Half of my stuff is in storage and we don't want duplicates! (3) My this feels awfully presumptuous, making this list of stuff for people to buy us.
Obviously, (1) and (2) are hopefully being resolved with the purchase of the house. (Inspection is Monday! Send our house good vibes!) But if all goes well, we'll know - ok, we have this many windows we'll need to cover and we need this many shower curtains, etc. We'll close soon after and my stuff will be out of storage, which means we can take stock of what we have and what we still need. As for (3), apparently it's quite useful for your guests if you go ahead and make these lists. Some are more offended if you don't take the time to give them gift guidance. So I guess we'll just have to get over any objections we have to the process.
 |
| Feel the power. |
Which brings us to the big decisions - where do we register? I've been doing some research regarding return policies and general selection (sexy stuff, right?) and we're thinking about Bed, Bath & Beyond, Sears, and Crate & Barrel. Target is out because apparently they have terrible return policies - even if you have a registry! I've also found in buying for others that sometimes their stock turns over in the store well before the event, making a lot of the registry items impossible to find. No thanks. I'm not trying to make my life more difficult. We're open to suggestions though. Anyone have a nightmare registry experience with any of these stores? Please tell me before we take the scanning gun into our hands.
Once you decide on the where, it becomes a matter of what. It seems like all of the stores have a "basic" list you can start with and every wedding website has a million suggestions but I decided to take a very unscientific poll to get some registry "must-haves." I came up with the following:
1. Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer
I've seen this on enough registries to know it's a hot-ticket item. It's also a big-ticket item. $299? Ouch. Having used one, I can attest that it's pretty handy for baking festivities. And they come in a million different colors! Megan says it was tops on her list. 
C'mon, you knew this would be on here. We've purchased no less than 5 of these in the past two years. Apparently you can't live without water...that comes from a filtered pitcher...
3. Fondue Set
A certain member of the Trifecta (ahem, Emily) said a fondue set was her "most wanted" off their registry. I can see the appeal and hey, this one's on sale. So if you've been waiting to pull the trigger on your own set, now may be the time. Don't miss out on the opportunity to melt things that you can...er...dip other things in. I have a great affinity for both chocolate and cheese, which are very meltable and dippable. Maybe this isn't such a bad idea after all!
Another big ticket item (nothing under $300?! Ouch!) but another "it" item, the Dyson cleaners are supposed to be the bomb. Haven't you heard the guy? They never lose suction! This was one of Megan's "must haves." I've been through a lot of vacuum cleaners through the years, which maybe means we should invest in a nice one. My mom has the "Animal" version, which is awesome for picking up dog hair. On the other hand, our (hopefully) new house is 100% hardwoods. Maybe we should just register for a Swiffer Wet Jet.
5. Martin D-18 Anniversary Edition Acoustic Guitar
Wait, what? Jack swears this is a "must have" on any bridal registry but I think he's messing with me. He does take the prize for picking the biggest ticket item - $4199?! Yowza.
 |
| Fancy guitar. Not in our near future. |
Ok, so here's the part where you get to help us out. Are there stores we should avoid like the plague? What were your favorite gifts you recieved? Worst gifts you got? We'll be heading out to the stores, scanning gun in hand in the next few weeks, so we'd love your thoughts.
No comments:
Post a Comment