Thursday, August 13, 2009

registry wonderland

The whole registry thing was not at all like I expected it to be. Honestly, it was even more crazy that I had anticipated. My Guy loved shooting everything in sight with that gun, and I was more apprehensive. I didn't want to register for "silly" things, as there are SO many things that we actually NEED. (Ummm...do I really need a flour sifter? I dunno...but I registered for one).

Anyway. I researched as best I could online, and the two of us set out to scan some sweet stuff. That's when "overload" occurred. We went to Bed, Bath, and Beyond and the sales people were friendly enough, but they walked around with us to every section (which made me feel weird...I wanted to really discuss these items with my loverboy...and it was awkward).

They encouraged us to register for the expensive stuff and upgrade upgrade upgrade...
"people WANT to buy you a $578 knife set!"
"people LOVE to buy newlyweds expensive china!"
"it's NORMAL for someone to spend $200 on a wedding gift!"
Um...yea right. My family is generous...my friends are wonderful...but we are in a recession people. And...um... I don't know rich people. :-)

My personal three registry objectives:
1. Kitchenaid standup mixer
2. sturdy white dishes
3. NO china

At the end of the day:
1. We didn't register for the Kitchenaid mixer because we couldn't select a color.
2. My future hubby prefers colored/funky dishes over classic white (ie: green).
3. We actually registered for over $1500 in CHINA. I kid you not.

I failed.

That very night I shot off a "help me please!" email to my Aunt Clare - who has become my "go to" for all things advice related (and happens to be a kitchen/cooking/entertaining
expert!) My Aunt Clare will henceforth be known as my Registry Angel.

My Registry Angel emailed me several Cooks Illustrated product reviews of different types/brands of knives (which was genius...we had NO idea where to go with knives...and surprising, the most expensive brands hardly made it into the top rated spots!), as well as several reviews of different types of cooking ware (which was brilliant - now we are totally excited about our selected pieces!). She also sent me an amazingly thorough itemization of kitchen/dining/cooking/serving pieces. No really...it was amazing...it was a 6 page color coded Word document that I pored over for two days. We altered, and readjusted our list over and over...made sure we registered for the things we'll
need in the brands we can trust.

Now:

1. Kitchenaid standup mixer in Green Apple (My Guy picked it out!)

2. Beautiful white Crate & Barrel dinnerware (I picked it out!)

3. A tent at REI

11 comments:

  1. woohoo your "Now" list sounds a lot better. i'm spending $200 on my friend's wedding gift but that's because my other friends told me you're supposed to spend the amount on them that's roughly equal to the amount they spent to host you and your guest at the wedding. what do you think about that?
    i love my REI tent! keeps us nice and safe from rain and is compact for carrying.

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  2. I'm just curious if you would be willing to share the information from you aunt! I, too am completely lost when it comes to the registry. Partly because we don't need that much, but also because I would love to just upgrade the things we have! And I think that would be amazingly helpful!

    Thanks!

    P.S. my email is alaina.faye@gmail if you are willing to share, but don't want to make it a post

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  3. Glad to be of help, Dearie. I've always been a bit of a kitchenware geek but I've never been an angel! I think I'm blushing!

    The registry process ends up being a little like pre-wedding counseling -- without the couselor. It gives you two an opportunity to think and talk about the material part of your future together...what you want your life and home to look like, how you'd like it to function, how you approach spending and saving money, and what your priorities are in those areas. And it is a perfect opportunity for learning to compromise on some things and choosing some areas to be stubborn about, isn't it?

    It's only natural that your registry lists would be subject to change as you are setting them up...and no, you probably don't need a flour sifter.

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  4. We chose red, my choice.
    He used the scanner, for everything.
    He also registered a loofa back scrubber. I took it off.

    Fun day :)

    I'm so interested in the brands you thought were the best! I think we did alright, but with our group of family and friends I think they're going to deviate from the registry anyway and come up with their own gifts.

    Glad you were able to get it done though, that was a big job that you were apprehensive to tackle!

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  5. Agreed. What did your aunt recommend?? I can't for the life of me choose a pot/pan brand. I'm pretty sure I DONT want All-Clad, but do want a really good non-stick brand. Any suggestions?

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  6. I would trade a tent for china anyday. good choice.

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  7. Delurking to say, any chance you'll share that info? I'm planning my wedding in four really short months, and anything to smooth the process would be awesome! And I loved your e-pics, just lovely!
    (Sorry if this shows up three or four times, blogger is eating my comment.)

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  8. That is too funny that you got it in apple green! My KitchenAid kettle is that color! Except I got it at a thrift store so the color choice wasn't really an option. But I love it!

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  9. I found a WONDERFUL site for product reviews and it's free!

    www.consumersearch.com

    The cool thing is that they pore over reviews from EVERYWHERE and then make their recommendations from there.

    For knives, most chefs say you really only need three - Chef's Knife, Paring Knife, and a Serrated Knife.

    I just purchases a set of three Wusthoff knives, bypassing the block sets and saving $, and chose an inexpensive serrated knife elsewhere. Then I got a knife tray with slots to put in the drawer.

    Dishes - You can mix white and colorful plates. Perhaps you can get some inexpensive funky colored plates to mix and match. Or bring in color with placemats and napkins and serving pieces. There's more than one way to do it.

    ;-)

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  10. Joe and I went through the EXACT same thing. I just had him read the post and we were both cracking up... "people WANT to buy you an expensive ___________". Glad to see you're making progress:)

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  11. I have the green apple mixer and LOOOOVVEEE it!!

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