I'm going to take a trip down memory lane again back to the day we decided to register. We registered about a month after we got engaged. Originally we wanted to wait until we had more final details about the wedding, but that didn't go over very well with the family. Apparently, almost immediately after our engagement was announced, people had started asking my mom where we were registered so they could buy us gifts. I was a little taken aback by this...people wanted to buy me stuff? Awesome!
So finally, after practically weekly reminders from my mom that people were asking her about our registries, we decided to register. It was a spontaneous decision; we had no other plans for the day, and it was between registering, or shopping for new clothes. It was a win-win situation for me and a lose-lose situation for B. Registering seemed like the lesser of two evils to him, little did he know the day we had before us would turn into a crazy frustrating and yet thrilling experience.
We started our registering adventure at Crate & Barrel. I love this store--it definitely screams my style. Upon walking in, we found a woman to help us, and the fun began! I gave B the gun and we started to shop. If any of you have ever registered before, you know the thrill of scanning things, envisioning your future home, setting the perfect table and hosting fabulous parties. Things were going great, we had picked out dishes, silverware, wine glasses, pitchers, candles, all fun things, including these uber cute sorbet cups in 4 different colors.
We probably spent about an hour & a half in Crate & Barrel, when we decided to leave so as not to wear ourselves out. We still had a few more stores to hit up before our registry would be somewhat complete. C&B, being the awesome store that they are, gives new registrants free gifts when you begin your registry. We received a glass heart dish, just for registering! I love being engaged! B handed the gun over and we were on our way......across the street to Bed Bath & Beyond.
As you may know, B3 is pretty much a staple when it comes to registering for weddings. Everyone registers at B3. So there was no doubt in my mind that we would end up there. B3 is filled with mostly generic items, nothing really unique, but all necessary items. So we filled out the paperwork, B got his scanner gun, and we started our search for the essentials. The store clerk told us about a registry incentive program--basically, if you register for certain items, the company of that item will send you a free gift, just for registering for their item! More free stuff! Now, being raised the way that I was, I obviously registered for all of those items. Some of the free stuff has come already, including free knives, serving utensils, and much more.We finished B3 in almost 2 hours and we were on our way to Target.
During this car ride, I decided to call my parents to let them know that we started registering. This is where the fun really began...
"What did you register for?" asked my dad.
"Dishes, silverware, other fun stuff" I replied.
"Ok, I'm going to tell you the same thing I told your brother. You don't register for that cheap crap. You register for fine china that will last you the rest of your lives"
"Ok, so basically everything we just spent hours making decisions about was all for nothing?" I replied, dreading the reaction from the other side of the car.
"Well, not everything. You can keep everything on there, except for the dishes and knives, and probably the silverware."
These were the major items that we spent most of the time debating in the stores. I knew the moment I told B he would freak out. So, as we sat in traffic, we argued about what we should do next. Listen to my dads advice and take the items off? Or just leave them so as to avoid more countless hours debating dishes and silverware. We finally decided to take them off, so we headed back to B3 to remove the items from the registry.
We were exhausted from the days events, but felt somewhat accomplished. The engagement started to really sink in at this point. Of course the registry was far from being complete, but B stayed away from future registering trips. I finished the registries in the following weeks and now I just watch the boxes in my basement fill up with gifts :)
That's crap what your dad said.. If you never use fine china and probably never will.. Then you don't need to register for it. But then again I am more then well aware about parents and how what they say MUST be followed when it comes to the wedding lol.
ReplyDeleteMy fiance and I only registered at Target and we don't have any of that fancy stuff on our registry. I kind of wish we had registered at B3 also just for the free stuff..
Following you back, someone else to deal with the craziness with.
We actually found dishes we like at Macys, so we registered for fine china there & we're gonna go to outlet stores to buy a second set that we like. So it all worked out I guess.
ReplyDeleteWe also registered at Target! But so much of the stuff on there isn't available online which is a major bummer, so we only have a few items on there.
I look forward to reading your craziness too!
well well well, so nice to see a fellow frischy here on the blogosphere!
ReplyDeleteRegistering was so much fun, yet so overwhelming at the same time. I agree with your dads statement, but my husband felt the opposite. While I obsessed over all the expensive designer items ( I mean vera wang dishware come on, how can you resit!) my husband thought it was smarter to register for more practically priced items with the view that this way we get more moderately priced gifts from people for our engagement who will then be more inclined to give us MONEY as wedding gifts.
So we combined forces and compromised. I got some of my designer items while he registered for all that practical nonsense including whatever freebies were available at the time.
The strategy worked and we got everything off our registry for the engagement :-)
Good luck and have fun watching those gifts pile up :-).
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ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, you should register for what YOU want! That's what we did. It's your wedding, your new life. Good point to get good stuff but eventually you may decide to replace what you initially get. Although extremely jealous! We registered at B3 and didn't get told about free stuff... so jealous! :)
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