Wedding Gift Registry - what should we put on there?

[lifejoy]

We've lived together for two years and have everything.

Ok, our vacuum is crappy and we ought to upgrade it. But otherwise, we don't need anything and plan on moving in a year and also I'm a minimalist. That being said, I have come to realize that it would be a BIG help to my friends and family if there was a gift registry in existence.

We're going to do it at The Bay.

Ideas? Things you got as gifts that you loved? Things to NOT put on? Think of this as a "buy it for life" variant. Thanks for the help! I'm sure The Knot would have plenty of ideas of what to put on, but I'd rather get a Mustachian take on it.

[Mr. Frugalwoods]

Things that I still use almost every day that I got from our wedding registry:

• Good kitchen knives (you only need 3: Chef's knife, paring knife, and bread knife)
• Quality hand tools
• Really nice set of carbide drill bits (don't laugh!)
• Corelle plate and bowls -- indestructible and nothing ever sticks to them
• Dyson vacuum
• Quality plain steel flatware

I wish I had asked for more tools.  Those were picked pretty quickly and I bet more people would have been into getting them had I listed more.

[justplucky]

My husband and I managed to avoid having a registry by having an uber-small wedding, but if we had to have created a registry, this is how I would've approached it:

1) Look for reusable replacements for the consumables you buy.

Depending on how mustachian you are, this category could be non-existent or huge. Examples of this would be cloth napkins, rags to replace paper towels, food storage containers to replace plastic baggies and foil.

2) Upgrade anything you own and use daily to more sturdy materials

For example, if you have plastic measuring cups or cooking utensils go for stainless steel. If you have plastic food storage containers go for glass. Register for higher-qualify knives to cook with. You can always donate the originals to a thrift shop.

[zolotiyeruki]

Wow, the first responses really hit the nail on the head.  Mrs. z and I are celebrating our 11-year anniversary today (woot!).  Looking back, here are some of the wedding gifts we really appreciated:
1) Tools.  Someone got me an inexpensive but still serviceable Black & Decker drill.  I still have it and use it frequently.
2) Towels & other linens.  The folks in my wife's hometown weren't real familiar with how registries worked, and we ended up with 30+ towels.  11 years later, we've never had to buy another towel since.  And we really appreciate that.
3) A good vacuum.  My siblings went in together to buy us a decent Hoover vacuum.  You wouldn't expect it to last long with all the abuse we've given it, but here it is, still chugging along as well as it did when new.
4) Pots and pans.  We were young and had no idea (or at least *I* didn't) about what we'd need, but we still use the stainless steel cookware we received.
5) Money. It gave us flexibility to buy the things we *actually* needed once we had our first place.  Mundane things, like a broom and a kitchen trash can.

[socaso]

Kitchen knives for sure!
I also love the cast iron pan we registered for, use it several times a week.
Pots and pans, a good wok
A toaster
Bed linens and towels

We only registered for daily items and we didn't get a single gift we didn't use. I recently had to buy a gift for someone and the wedding registry was so stuffed with impractical crystal doo-dads I felt sick to my stomach. I ended up buying some of the towels. I didn't even know people registered that way! My family is very practical and most of the wedding registries I had seen reflected that.

[homeymomma]

Nice cast iron cookware. Upgrades of cheaper kitchen or other appliances that you bought in a pinch when first setting up house (that crappy $20 blender that barely blends a banana). Towels- having a fresh set when you move is always a lift, plus you can use the old ones for moving furniture or as rags depending on what condition they're in now. We've loved our rice cooker, slow cooker, and waffle iron, but that's all personal preference. I know of some people who've registered for meals or contributions to their honeymoon experience, although I don't know if anyone actually chose those options. You could do fun specialty food stuff, which you wouldn't splurge on for yourself but might be fun to have. Also- can't have too many sets of sheets! Good luck and congratulations on your wedding!

Ps our favorite gift we ever gave for a wedding was a two person hammock for camping! Such a fun present! Think about camping gear if you're outdoorsy :)

[Emg03063]

Consider a charity registry.  This is one of several out there:

https://www.idofoundation.org/

[Mrs. Frugalwoods]

Agree with all of these items and I'll just add that you definitely should create a registry--we initially didn't (because we didn't want a bunch of stuff) and people started sending us bizarre and random "gifts" (a 2-foot carved wooden statue of an embracing couple being the most egregious closely followed by a large ceramic moose ornament...). You're wise to create a registry from the start and populate it with items that you truly need and will use. We had our registry through Amazon, which seemed to work well and people were able to take advantage of the free shipping. P.S. Congrats!

[Weyfarere]

Things not to put on a registry:

• Money or the equivalent (Apparently this is an etiquette violation, according to Miss Manners... but if none of your friends or relatives know or care, go for it.)
• Anything expensive enough that your friends are likely to think, "Why would they expect anyone to buy that for them?" (My husband was sensitive to this, at least.)

Things to put on a registry, other than the various suggestions above:

• Kindle books (consume no space)
• Music (consumes little space)

[lifejoy]

Agree with all of these items and I'll just add that you definitely should create a registry--we initially didn't (because we didn't want a bunch of stuff) and people started sending us bizarre and random "gifts" (a 2-foot carved wooden statue of an embracing couple being the most egregious closely followed by a large ceramic moose ornament...). You're wise to create a registry from the start and populate it with items that you truly need and will use. We had our registry through Amazon, which seemed to work well and people were able to take advantage of the free shipping. P.S. Congrats!

Lol, wow! Sounds like you had some good incentive to create a registry! ;)

[Fatmouse]

I am in the same situation right now, getting married in August.  My favorite thing that I have received as a gift so far is sleeping pillows!  Pillows don't last forever, and I noticed the luxurious difference when I replaced the old ones immediately. :)