Thursday, October 8, 2015

Registering: All You Need to Know + Favorite Items

When our first anniversary hit, I mentioned that there were a few wedding planning/wedding/marriage posts that I had wanted to post but never got around to finishing or never got around to period.  Registering is one of them.  Let's face it - registering is fun - a list of a bunch of things you want/need - what's not to like?! Registering is also overwhelming and tiring.  It took us multiple trips to the stores and a few times playing around online.

Since it's been over a year since my bridal showers (and wedding events), I thought I'd also include some of my most used registry items as well.

All You Need To Know…

+ Be prepared: Think about the types of items you need/want to registry before and make a list, if possible. {dishes, flatware, serveware, glasses, decorative items, appliances, etc.}

+ Set up your registry online first:  This will save you time in the store to make your experience quicker, plus if there are any items you know you want then you can just add them online from the start.

+ Start early: Things get hectic as the wedding planning process moves along.  Registering is one thing you can do early and check off the list.  We did ours just after Christmas when things were quiet and there wasn't much else to do/plan to get it out of the way and not have to be rushed doing it.

+ Use multiple stores:  Don't be afraid to register at multiple stores.  Even more than two.  You might like some casual dinnerware at one store, fine china at another, kitchen items somewhere, home decor somewhere else.  It's your registry, you make the decisions.

+ Add extra: It helps guests out when there's plenty to choose from.  Plus, most stores offer some kind of discount if you purchase items off your own registry for about six months after the big day.

+ Price points and variety of items: It's nice to give guests a variety of price points as well as a variety of items in that price point to pick from.  Some items your dreaming for and some items that are simple and low in cost.

+ It's okay to change your mind:  Sales associates make registry returns very simple whether you change your mind, it's a decent amount of time later or you get doubles.

Favorite Items… 

Truthfully, I love just about everything we put on our registry and we use almost all of it (since we put a lot of thought into what to register for).  Without a doubt my favorite items and most used items are all of my serveware - white, patterned, matching our dishes, glass, melamine - we have a variety of it all for whatever the occasion is and if I shared it all, this post would never end.  Below are my *other* most used items from our registry (I have other favorites - I mean who doesn't love using their waffle maker or nice picture frames) but these are what's out in the house, being used the most (off the top of my mind).

*we had crockpot(s) before registering, if not - that would probably be the only photo below.

Hand Mixer: It's quick and easy to take out and mix batter and stores compactly in the cabinets.
+ Drying Racks: These drying racks from Crate & Barrel are amazing.  I shared a while back how I air dry most of our clothes so these racks (I have two) are always set up in the laundry room.
+ Mixing Bowls: I have two sets of mixing bowls - just in case lots of baking are going on.  I love how this set has lids and sometimes use them for things like pasta salad, etc. in addition to baking. 
+ Fiestaware: So many people recommended fiesta ware to us and I couldn't love it more.  We went with the paprika color but there are plenty more options.  In addition to the place settings there are unlimited matching serveware items which I am so happy with since I love matching.
+ Casserole Dishes: Crate & Barrel has two sizes in these glass casserole dishes and I have/love them both.  The best part is that they come with lids so if you have leftovers you can just pop the lid on and slide the whole thing into the fridge for later.
+ Everyday Glasses: We have a set from Macy's that was inexpensive, the perfect size and comes with eight tall as well as eight low in the set - perfection.

+ Tortilla Warmer: Let's face it, it's mexican night on the regular in this house.
Tour Wine Glasses: Another Crate & Barrel favorite, it was love at first sight when I saw these glasses.  The style is unique and the hold plenty. Safe to say these get used a lot.  We've also added theist $2 stemless glasses and like them just as much. It's hard to walk into C&B and leave empty handed.
Rabbit Wine Opener: This was recommended to me and it works like perfection.  I'm terrible at opening wine - terrible.  However, I've never had a problem with this.

And now I'm craving a bunch of new gadgets for my kitchen… 

Next time, a checklist of all the items you need plus my favorite Mr. & Mrs. items to registry for (my monogram obsession kicked in while registering and I'm pretty sure I found all of them)

Happy TGIT!
Linking up with Thoughts for Thursday today.

28 comments:

  1. We had a lot of the same stuff on our registries. I would say one of my favorite and most used registry items is the automatic wine opener. I've since gotten them as gifts for other people for the holidays and things because it's SO easy and amazing to use!
    Great list of ideas lady!

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  2. Love your advice! I agree with registering early and that it's okay to change your mind! We registered about 10 months before our wedding date and I changed my mind on the everyday china that I had registered for and went back to the store to register for completely different china. But I'm so glad I did!
    Sarah at MeetTheShaneyfelts

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  3. Registering is so much fun! Crate and barrel wine glasses are definitely a favorite of mine. And you are right - they hold a very generous pour! Love those bowls too...the lids make them so hand!

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  4. I went with my mom to do our registry, and then again with Chris to add more things. We just did one store too. I just didn't want to deal with multiple stores haha. We also registered for SO much stuff...Love it all though!! Thanks for sharing your tips, I definitely could have used them 5 years ago! :-) Hope that you have a great day today too!

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  5. love these tips! i never thought about the tortilla warmer, but that's a genius item to put down on the list. and also, great tip about being able to return stuff.

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  6. Perfectly timed post! We're going to attempt our registry next week and this advice is super helpful! :)

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  7. I thought that registering was so much fun, and I think that I spent hours just tinkering with it online. And I totally agree that having multiple price points is a definite must. We got married right after college and a lot of our friends couldn't afford anything too expensive.

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  8. Love this, awesome tips gurlie! And I agree... my crockpot is hands down one of my favorite items in my kitchen - that and my Kitchen Aid mixer. Both are truly lifesavers <3

    Green Fashionista

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  9. P.S. We use our tortilla warmer for pancakes/french toast too ;-)

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  10. I know I went registry crazy!! But the way I see it it will give the guests a lot to choose from. And all the things in our kitchen right now are things I brought to the house from college so pretty much everything needs to be replaced!

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  11. If I would have known what I know now my registery would have been completely different! I have a lot of things I don't ever use that just take up space. Great tips! <3, Pamela Sequins & Sea Breezes

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  12. Love this! Jacob hated me when we were registering because I was so meticulous and had list upon list so we could make sure to strategically plan what to register for at each store. Lol. I'm a bit ocd...

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  13. I loved registering, it was soooooooo much fun. And some of the random things we registered for were the things we received first and use almost every day. The Ninja crockpot is the BEST!

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  14. Of course wine glasses and an opener would be on your list! Cheers! I mixed and matched my Fiesta ware, so I have different colors. It comes in VERY handy during Cinco de Mayo having all the different colors!!

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  15. Haha.. My intention was to register and then we decided on a smaller wedding and just didn't finish nor give out the link.. After we got married we had a few friends who weren't able to come and asked for the link so they could purchase something. That was very nice!

    Xo

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  16. I love covered casserole dishes. They're a must.

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  17. I NEED a tortilla warmer in my life ASAP - good call!! And yes to Fiestaware, we have so much of their stuff that we registered for and I couldn't love it more!

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  18. We have that drying rack and it is ah-mazing! I love how it folds up flat so you can store it anywhere! That was one of my faves that we registered for as well.

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  19. Great post! I have that drying rack and hand mixer and love both! I definitely got asked what to register for, what we wished we registered for and what we loved most!

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  20. Thanks for the tips!! I'm in the registry process now and it's pretty overwhelming but fun too. We started with the kitchen/dining essentials but I'm sure I'll get more excited over the decorative stuff :)

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  21. Registering was one of my favorite things about getting married. Ha ha! I only wish I'd had a few friends get married before me so they could help give me more of an idea what I actually needed.

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  22. I did all of my registry online and never went to the store once. I remember constantly changing/adding/removing items online over the months so it was much more convenient than visiting the store but I'm sure some people want to see the item in person to make sure it's good quality or the correct size etc.

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  23. These are great tips! I seriously spent full days on our registry.. hours and hours and hours.. until it was perfect, so I'm really happy with everything we have too. I started in the store but then it just seemed like the selection was so much better online, and limiting it to two stores helped.

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  24. I want to get married just to make a registry. Hahaha kidding, for love. Then the registry :) I love your insights though :)

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  25. Haha I want to get married all over again just so I can get more kitchen stuff! ;) Kidding…sort of!

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  26. Oh this takes me back! Registering was so fun, AND I feel like I did a good job. 5 years later and I am still happy with all of my selections!

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  27. Registering was so fun, but I sure remember trying to keep Amir on track about things we were ACTUALLY going to need. Homeboy was off finding some crazy stuff haha. I got a KitchenAide mixer which I had added to my registry as a wish item and I am still in love with it!

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  28. This is a great list for those planning a registry! We also spent a lot of time choosing what to register for and now we use everything!

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