The Fun Stuff: Our Registry

I think the second thing we did after we got through celebrating/announcing our engagement was start our registry. We got engaged in late December and registered in early January.

I told you, folks: I don't mess around with this stuff. ;) Besides, we knew we were moving in April and thought that maybe it'd be better to let people know the stuff we need ahead of time, just in case they wanted to play the housewarming gift game (and play they did - I'll explain below).

We decided to register only at Bed, Bath and Beyond because of our guests. While there are multiple and easily accessible BB&B's in Pittsburgh, the closet one to our hometown (where a significant chunk of our guest list will be traveling from) is about 30-45 minutes away. . .in fact, every major store except for WalMart and Sears is about a 30-45 minute drive. We wanted to make it easy for our guests, especially the ones that would be going in on a gift. Plus, we're realistic: we live in Giant Eagle land, meaning that our guests have the option of purchasing gift cards and getting fuel perks (discount on gas, per gallon) in return. 

A lot of people say that BB&B is overwhelming, and I get that, but it's not for us. Although Mr . Palm Tree and I had never (for real) been to a Bed, Bath and Beyond before this trip (the closest thing we had to an experience was from Click, which of course we kept referencing and made sure to point out every remote we came across and make a scary face), we fell in LOVE. We're big one-stop people; it's why we love WalMart so much. Neither of us cares to beebop all around to find things, we much prefer finding a place we like that has almost everything we need and making One Big Trip - and anyone who has been to BB&B can attest to the fact that they for real have everything.

At first, we were a little hesitant, especially because the consultant started to walk around with us. I was totally grumbling in my head, all "for real, dude? Let us do this ourselves" (I'm an a-hole, I know). After about fifteen minutes though, I totally appreciated our consultant and know that we would have been LOST without him. He was so incredibly helpful, pointing out important things like price and quality differences, the quantity of each item we should register for and making sure we covered all of our basics. Even Mr. PT, who has a slight social anxiety, relaxed and was having a blast after a short amount of time. We ended up viewing it as we do anything else, including grocery shopping: an adventure. At the end of our appointment, we had both cried literal tears of laughter, I had even broken a toothbrush holder (no surprise there), but we left feeling so satisfied and happy. To this day, he'll say, "baby, can we go add to our registry?!" Or, "Hey, let's go to my favorite store and just look at things." No joke. 

Because I was in full Get 'Er Done mode, I did not take a single picture - not even of the scan gun (which Mr. PT refused to hold, by the way. "Too many buttons," said the Computer Engineer). I can, however, show you some of the truly awesome things on our registry! I'm aware that some etiquette says you aren't supposed to show excitement about your registry and that some says you aren't even supposed to mention it, that if it exists at all it's supposed to be passed along by word-of-mouth. My official stance: pfffffft.

Here's the thing: am I going to charge an entry fee of one of more gifts at the wedding, or any wedding-related events? No. Of COURSE it's not about the gifts, of course it's about the couple getting married and celebrating with the people that matter - however, most people are going to buy gifts. Think about it: would you go to a wedding or wedding-related event without a gift of some sort? Chances are, unless the bride/couple specifies otherwise, the answer is heckz naw. I am all for registries, I am all for informing guests about the registry, absolutely-tutely. This is one (of many) instance(s) where etiquette can suck my big toe.

Without further adieu, here are some of our favorite items:

From left to right: Misto Angela Square 4-Piece Dinnerware Set, Hampton Forge Riverware Frosted 20-Piece Set and Hampton Forge Mirror Bamboo 20-Piece Flatware Set.

Our 'dinnerware' is shared with our roommate, MOH Mem, who threw in her college collection to the mix. Needless to say, we each have between two and four matching plates, two and four matching bowls, two and four matching cups and an assortment of all of the above. Don't even get me started on silverware. That having been said, we are NOT fancy people. We will never use fancypants China, we will never need fancypants silverware and our friends will never be the type of people who will look down on us for this (besides, when we entertain, it is way more of a drink-based evening). We wanted to find fun, durable, matching dinnerware, and were super pleased with both the selection and how affordable it was. 

From left to right: Manor Hill Sierra Sapphire Fabric Shower Curtain, Duet Bath Sheet in Glacier, Duet Bath Sheet in Pewter, Fairfax Blue Wastebasket, Tissue Holder, Toothbrush Holder and Lotion Dispenser.

There are no words for my excitement to have a matching, pretty bathroom. When we moved, MOH Mem went to WalMart and got us adequate accessories for our bathroom for now, since she knew we registered for "real" ones. I'm far from complaining, they definitely get the job done, and why the heck would we both to spend money on quality things twice? It's just that they're the same style/quality we had in our college apartment. You know, the plastic sheet, the thin bath mat, the white plastic garbage can. Part of the excitement of having your own bathroom is making it pretty. This was easily my favorite section of the registry, I'm sure that I squealed and made a fool of myself with my "ooh"s and "ahhh"s. 

From left to right: Farberware Classic Forged 22-Piece Knife Block Set, USA Pan Non-Stick Meat Loaf Pan, Pyrex 17-Piece Glass Bakeware Set

This stuff just fits right in with what I've been saying: as recent college graduates who moved into a house and are in the process of making it a home, we have a ragtag collection of the above - yes, we have steak knives, but we got them from FMIL Palm Tree when she bought new ones and he moved into his apartment about six years ago. I actually DON'T own a meatloaf pan and it's one of the meals I make quite often, so I end up having to improvise and just shape it and hope for the best as I cook it on a baking sheet (seriously). The Pyrex collection is something I fell in love with after BM Y cooked Thanksgiving dinner for us and I helped her put away the leftovers in these sturdy containers with matching lids (SWOON). It was honestly one of the first things I made sure to mention to our consultant. "I need Pyrex." The knife set is one of the most treasured and expensive things we registered for at $79.99, but it is 22 pieces, and our consultant explained a lot of bonuses to registering for a set like this: specifically, a warranty that will allow us to return the item for full replacement if it should rust within a certain amount of time. Mr. Palm Tree is really excited about this item, even though we both hesitated at first because of the price, but the consultant explained to us that often times, family members or friends will go in on a gift together and it's good to have a few higher-priced items on the list for this reason.

We also received a few of the items that were on our registry, two as housewarming presents, one as a self-gift and one as a birthday gift (hey - whatever works).

From left to right: Conair® Moist/Dry Heat King Size Heating Pad with Automatic Off, Homedics® 315 Digital Scale , George Foreman 120" Variable Temperature Indoor Grill , Oster® 8-Speed Blender

BM Blackout bought me the Heating Pad for my birthday this past year. She remembered that we had registered and decided to go poke around, knowing that it is totally a one-stop shop that has everything. I was super excited when I opened the gift because it is totally something we desperately needed and also something we use quite frequently. Mr. PT bought the scale for us when I sent him to pickup a gift for a girlfriend's wedding shower. Silly boy that he is, he called me from the store excitedly. "So. . I didn't just get her gift! I got the scale we registered for AND Sticky Buddies! This is my favorite store." FMIL Palm Tree mom gave us a gift card when we moved in because she wasn't sure what we needed, so the three of us opted to use it for the George Foreman - one of my favorite inventions EVER (seriously, have you ever grilled chicken on the thing? Heavenly). Finally, BM Y bought us our blender as a housewarming/graduation gift for Mr. Palm Tree (because I may or may not have thrown away our previous one, which had years and years of use caked onto it. So gross). 

As both someone who has created a full registry and someone who has perused registries over the past few months for friends (and will continue to peruse registries as time marches on - seriously, it's like a wedding a month until the holidays!), I do have some advice: I really think that couples should keep their tastes as well as the budgets of their guests in mind. I totally understand that a registry is a chance to build your home with whatever you need, however you see fit. We definitely took advantage of that fact, registering for big ticket items like a vacuum, two sets of some things and a slew of random things like spatulas and other kitchenware. 

That having been said - we didn't register for the ever-popular KitchenAid Stand Mixer because we would rarely, if ever, use it (and I can't imagine that any of our guests would spend $350.00 on a gift for us, anyway). We aren't bakers or cooks, so we opted for the reasonable hand mixer. We did pick some higher-priced items, for sure, like the knife set I mentioned above and even our sheets could be considered a bit expensive, but these are things that will last a long time and also things that will get a lot of freakin' use. We didn't register for fancy $80 trash cans or anything, because that's not us, and it's not our guests. If our guests want to spend $80 on us, that is so awesome and we are so grateful, but we tried to make sure that our guests would get the best bang for their buck if they went that route; we made sure to register for things from every price point. The most expensive thing on our registry is a bit steep: it's our down comforter, but again, we will get a ton of use out of it and it will last for a long time - and, we made sure to include other options of lesser quality/cost. Other than our down comforter, there isn't a single item on our registry over $100.00. More important than price, however, is that we kept each other in check as we went through the store in terms of "Will we use it?" and "Can we get something of equal value for a lesser price, considering who we are and who our guests are?" There were MULTIPLE times when I got trigger-happy, only to re-think myself (or have the mister re-think it for me) and realize that it wasn't the best option. I think the best way to put it is just because you can register for something doesn't mean you should.

All in all, our registry experience was AWESOME. Both of us look forward to continually stalking updating it as the big day gets closer.

What was your favorite registry item? Anyone have an opposite experience and dread registering?