Author Topic: What to put on a wedding registry  (Read 9488 times)

Trying to get this right

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What to put on a wedding registry
« on: November 02, 2015, 01:42:23 AM »
Hello wise Mustachians! 

Fiance and I will be getting married next September and I can already anticipate questions about where we will be registering. 

We have a few things I know our kitchen could use BUT, I want to know, what would you recommend a fellow mustachian register for their wedding registry? 

Thank you in advance!  Looking forward to your fantastic answers!

YogiKitti

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Re: What to put on a wedding registry
« Reply #1 on: November 02, 2015, 01:56:44 AM »
Ask for kitchen stuff for when you make awesome food at home instead of going out to eat. Perhaps a vitamix or fancy pans.

yuka

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Re: What to put on a wedding registry
« Reply #2 on: November 02, 2015, 02:21:42 AM »
I'm guessing at 28 you probably already have pretty nice kitchen stuff?

Maybe larger/nicer dishware/silverware sets, or nice knives.

Trifle

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Re: What to put on a wedding registry
« Reply #3 on: November 02, 2015, 03:32:25 AM »
Things that will last many years if properly cared for:

Good knife set.
Good quality sheets -- regular and flannel. 
Down or down alternative comforter/wool blankets.

If you are doing renovations, you can ask for items at Lowes or Home Depot. We did this and it worked out great.

civil

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Re: What to put on a wedding registry
« Reply #4 on: November 02, 2015, 03:38:26 AM »
Wedding gifts I've bought that made me glad the bride/groom did not ask for more kitchen crap:

Power tools and garden/lawn care supplies.
Baby supplies
Paint
Anything needed for work: clothes and accessories, electronics
Towels or other household supplies
New drapes
Ceiling fan
A kill-a-watt and tool set

If I live close to the bride/groom ( and know/like them enough to buy them a gift), I usually also get to play with the toys, so I am delighted to get them a shop vac or something we can all use :)

Guesl982374

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Re: What to put on a wedding registry
« Reply #5 on: November 02, 2015, 10:36:21 AM »
"Cash" for ... a DP on a house, honeymoon, etc.

Telecaster

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Re: What to put on a wedding registry
« Reply #6 on: November 02, 2015, 10:45:47 AM »
Register for lots of gifts in the $30-40 range.   Then return them to where you are registered and get the big ticket items you really want, but cost more than most people want to spend on gifts.

 

tomorrowsomewherenew

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Re: What to put on a wedding registry
« Reply #7 on: November 02, 2015, 11:46:30 AM »
We've been married for 8+ years and we still have most of the items we received as wedding presents. We registered for quality items: dishes, silverware, cookware, Craftsman tools at Sears, towels, sheets, blankets, and so on. Thankfully, many of these items will last for our entire lives (or at least a good long while), which saves us a lot of money. We don't need to run out and buy a new toaster every year or two, because we still have our original toaster. You get the picture.

As far as stores go, I would suggest Bed, Bath & Beyond.

Bracken_Joy

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Re: What to put on a wedding registry
« Reply #8 on: November 02, 2015, 12:10:20 PM »
Bed Bath and Beyond is great because they offer a 20% off registry completion month, and you can buy things off registry too, which is nice. Unfortunately, they have changed their return policy so it's not quite as lenient, but they are still great to work with.

Register at Target, too, even if you don't give that registry out- you get a $20 GC for registering, and if enough people buy off your registry, another $20 GC after your wedding.

As for what to register for: we were very space-constrained, so we pretty much stuck to upgrading what we already had. Ex., we had an ikea dish set, but they were very breakable and the bowls got hot before the food did if you reheated in them. So we upgraded to the nice stonewear sets BBB carries- we love them, and I haven't been able to break a single one, even dropping one from a cupboard onto a tile floor.

We also got "back up" items- ex, I knew our flannel sheets were on their way out, so we registered for another set. Lo and behold, just a couple weeks ago they went out, and we replaced them.

We also got items that enabled further frugality, like glass snapware (no chemical leeching, easy to clean, bigger set = more leftovers!). If you don't have good kitchen foundation items, like good knifes, now is the time to get those.

Congrats on your engagement =)

aetherie

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Re: What to put on a wedding registry
« Reply #9 on: November 02, 2015, 12:17:14 PM »
I would recommend making a registry on Amazon. You can add things from any website - it's super convenient to have everything in one place.

Cool/practical/mustachian things my friends have registered for:
- jumper cables
- camping supplies (tent, sleeping bags, etc.)
- a hammock
- a stick-on whiteboard for their home office/study space
- a nice vacuum cleaner
- Costco gift cards

Tick-Tock

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Re: What to put on a wedding registry
« Reply #10 on: November 02, 2015, 12:53:39 PM »
We inadvertently distressed some of our guests by registering for knives. Apparently for some cultures giving a knife can be taken as wanting to sever the relationship.

Two of the most useful things we registered for turned out to be a pizza set and a salad spinner.

Bracken_Joy

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Re: What to put on a wedding registry
« Reply #11 on: November 02, 2015, 01:02:21 PM »
We inadvertently distressed some of our guests by registering for knives. Apparently for some cultures giving a knife can be taken as wanting to sever the relationship.

Wow, I had no idea about that.

I do know my mom always talked about how you can only register for lifelong quality items, nothing perishable/disposable/etc, because you have to buy the things that will last as long as the relationship will. Interesting that there are so many superstitions about gift-giving.

(Related: I recently learned some cultures take it as a serious insult if you bring wine to a dinner, as you're indicating you don't think your host will have enough or have high enough quality. And you shouldn't bring flowers the day of, because then they can't fit them adequately in their decor and will feel obligated to alter the "table-scape", and you should instead send the flowers the day BEFORE the event. Good lord manners are exhausting).

Red Beard

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Re: What to put on a wedding registry
« Reply #12 on: November 02, 2015, 03:17:35 PM »
Two options that worked for us.

Honeyfund.com - have people give money towards experiences on your honeymoon or anything else. You can outline what you want and set the "price" and your guest give you money towards those items.

Williams Sonoma - we love to cook and wanted to get things that would last forever. They have really good sales and give you a 10% registry completion discounts. Each gift also comes with $10 of a $30 purchase and gift cards are good to Pottery Barn ($$$) and West Elm, where we have actually been able to get some great rugs at clearance prices.

If neither one of these works for you I would shop around with an eye towards registry benefits (gifts from certain brands, completion discounts, etc.)

hyla

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Re: What to put on a wedding registry
« Reply #13 on: November 02, 2015, 04:04:21 PM »
I had friends that had a honeymoon funding registry set up where you could gift cash that was specifically designated for things like museum admission where they planned to visit.  Seemed like a nice way to satisfy guests who think straight up no strings attached cash is tacky and want to give a specific item, while not registering for things they didn't need (couple lived in NYC and had very few household items on their registry because they have a small apartment). 

And yes, I've seen camping equipment, power tools, dog toys, all kinds of things beyond the traditional kitchen stuff on registries.  If you don't need kitchen stuff, figure out what you do need, then choose a store to register at based on who carries those items. 

SwordGuy

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Re: What to put on a wedding registry
« Reply #14 on: November 02, 2015, 04:09:34 PM »
I find the whole idea of telling people what I expect to be given as a gift totally repugnant.

If pressed, I tell people "Whatever makes you happy."

lilieng

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Re: What to put on a wedding registry
« Reply #15 on: November 02, 2015, 04:15:50 PM »
Some people have mentioned registry deals/discounts, any other good leads on these?

Retire-Canada

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Re: What to put on a wedding registry
« Reply #16 on: November 02, 2015, 05:19:52 PM »
I want to know, what would you recommend a fellow mustachian register for their wedding registry? 

Thank you in advance!  Looking forward to your fantastic answers!

Can you set something up with Vanguard so they buy you some low MER broad index funds?

I'd rather have a share of VTI for a gift than some fancy food processor I don't really need.

La Bibliotecaria Feroz

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Re: What to put on a wedding registry
« Reply #17 on: November 02, 2015, 06:14:17 PM »
More ideas:

Crock-Pot

Dishwasher-safe steak knives (I know, that's really specific, but it's the #1 thing I wish I had!)

Cloth napkins

Toaster oven if you don't have one

OlyFish

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Re: What to put on a wedding registry
« Reply #18 on: November 02, 2015, 06:44:46 PM »
one chef's knife, one paring knife, and one bread knife which work well. do this over the knife set. NEVER put them in the dishwasher as they lose their edge.
Corningware white casserole dishes.
some stainless steel cookware, if you have none.
one large-ish enameled dutch oven
sheets from costco are the best.
stainless steel mixing bowls.
you can also register for all kinds of stuff on Amazon, as already mentioned. I think we registered for a cheese sampler and a bacon sampler.
cast iron skillet






yuka

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Re: What to put on a wedding registry
« Reply #19 on: November 02, 2015, 09:35:03 PM »
one chef's knife, one paring knife, and one bread knife which work well. do this over the knife set. NEVER put them in the dishwasher as they lose their edge.
Corningware white casserole dishes.
some stainless steel cookware, if you have none.
one large-ish enameled dutch oven
sheets from costco are the best.
stainless steel mixing bowls.
you can also register for all kinds of stuff on Amazon, as already mentioned. I think we registered for a cheese sampler and a bacon sampler.
cast iron skillet

Excellent ideas on the good knives, although I prefer utility knife over paring knife. If you're going to have three good knives (which I think is the right way to go), a utility knife can do almost all paring tasks pretty well, but also gives an extra 1-1.5 inches of blade for when you don't want the weight of the chef's knife.

My housemates and I bought the $160 pots and pans set from Costco (Kirkland brand) and they've been excellent. We've only had them for about 5 months, but we cook from scratch most nights and use the egg pan at least once a day.

The thing about sheets is to make sure you know what you like. The coolest ones are percale weave(equal ratio of vertical and horizontal threads) cotton made with Egyptian-variety cotton. Some people like sateen weave (2 vertical to 1 horizontal) because it feels softer, but it doesn't breathe nearly as well. I think those sell more than their fair share because they feel softer in the store.

Chrissy

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Re: What to put on a wedding registry
« Reply #20 on: November 03, 2015, 09:27:39 AM »
Pyrex, Tupperware, towels.  Do you intend to entertain?  Host a large family Thanksgiving ever?  If so, platters, serving trays and bowls, chafing dishes.  Think ahead to when there's more than just the two of you, or 20 years from now when the traditions have changed, and supply yourselves accordingly.

My big mustachian idea when I registered was to get ONE set of dinnerware, and actually use it.  Most people register for casual dinnerware and fancy china.  Pff!  The Apilco Tradition dinnerware set from Williams Sonoma was what I asked for and I love it.  Dishwasher and oven safe!  Also, you can dress up white dinnerware with silver and glass, or keep it casual.  You can make your dinner table seasonal with napkins, place mats, and the centerpiece, or keep it neutral with a white tablecloth.  It can even look bohemian with a crazy runner and mismatched serving bowls from World Market.

I use the pieces daily, and I've also used them for entertaining.  When it comes to choosing the number of settings, it's just like that quote from Sleepless in Seattle, "TEN... Exactly.  Eight is too few, twelve is too many."

PARedbeard

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Re: What to put on a wedding registry
« Reply #21 on: November 03, 2015, 09:29:12 AM »
We got married two years ago, and our registry was almost all kitchen/home improvement related. It worked out perfectly for us. I've seen a lot of knife and power tool suggestions here, and I would whole-heartedly second those. Also, ask for a quality, high powered blender (like a Ninja). They can open the door to soups, sauces, and drinks that might be otherwise daunting.

For us, the key was to set a utilitarian tone with the registry. We went to Bed Bath and Beyond, and stayed very focused to ask for things that we would use as well as things from a variety of price-points. It really paid off. Several of our older relatives , went "off registry". Thankfully, they had perused our list and what they got us was in keeping with the utilitarian nature of our house. For me that's the biggest impact of the registry: it's not just a list of what you want, but it helps your family and friends get a sense of who you are and how you are planning to create your new life as a couple.

Jacana

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Re: What to put on a wedding registry
« Reply #22 on: November 03, 2015, 01:48:05 PM »
We did a regular house-stuff registry (kitchen, tools, etc) for the relatives but we also did a registry at REI. It was awesome. Got a tent as a gift. Any expensive hobbies?

Lkxe

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Re: What to put on a wedding registry
« Reply #23 on: November 03, 2015, 02:18:08 PM »

one chef's knife, one paring knife, and one bread knife which work well. do this over the knife set. NEVER put them in the dishwasher as they lose their edge.
Corningware white casserole dishes.
some stainless steel cookware, if you have none.
one large-ish enameled dutch oven
sheets from costco are the best.
stainless steel mixing bowls.
you can also register for all kinds of stuff on Amazon, as already mentioned. I think we registered for a cheese sampler and a bacon sampler.
cast iron skillet

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Philociraptor

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Re: What to put on a wedding registry
« Reply #24 on: November 03, 2015, 02:19:32 PM »
"Cash" for ... a DP on a house, honeymoon, etc.

This. We didn't make any mention of gifts, and when people asked we said no gift required, but told them cash if they continued to press. We ended up receiving cash gifts adding up to around 80% of what we spent on the wedding.

jengod

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Re: What to put on a wedding registry
« Reply #25 on: November 03, 2015, 02:34:20 PM »
The memorable "mistake" I made on my registry was to ask for a mini-food processor. Full-size food processor is so much more useful!

Looking around the kitchen, I still use the tea kettle, KitchenAid stand mixer and a WMF kitchen utility set (whisk, ladle, bottle opener). I requested a lot of baking stuff that is gone now because we are de-emphasizing carbs. I requested a Corelle casserole set that my mother had and what I got was HORRIBLE quality as apparently manufacturing standards have declined.

If you garden I would request https://fisherblacksmithing.com/ garden tools. Total BIFL.

Weird advice: Analog gifts will last longer than digital appliances, just because they have fewer break-down points and they don't get dated as fast.

robartsd

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Re: What to put on a wedding registry
« Reply #26 on: November 03, 2015, 03:50:12 PM »
We inadvertently distressed some of our guests by registering for knives. Apparently for some cultures giving a knife can be taken as wanting to sever the relationship.

Two of the most useful things we registered for turned out to be a pizza set and a salad spinner.
My uncle had a friend from such a culture "sell" him a Leatherman for $1 to avoid the "sever the relationship" thing.

mtn

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Re: What to put on a wedding registry
« Reply #27 on: November 03, 2015, 04:02:37 PM »
Ridiculous upgrades. Sure, my sunbeam (not vintage) was working fine, but that nice new Kitchen Aid stand mixer is much much nicer and better. That Viatmix is phenomenal.

Don't let your fiance get you to register for crap. We have a set of very nice guacamole bowls shaped like avacados. They'll be in a yard sale in about 5 years after we use them 2 times total. No idea why we registered for that. Same with the umpteen wine glasses. I guess if we are going to have my entire family over for wine we'll be ok, but in those circumstances I feel like we'd be using plastic?

smalllife

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Re: What to put on a wedding registry
« Reply #28 on: November 03, 2015, 04:17:56 PM »
We had family that insisted on gifts, so it was register for things we liked or get a bunch of random stuff we can't return. It worked out well, so I'll share.

Bed bath and beyond for "stuff", honeyfund (only one taker), and a charity (only one taker).

We upgraded things that were falling apart or we would want to replace in five years: cookie sheets, towels, sheets, shower curtain,  blender (ninja = awesome), etc.

Filled in gaps: baking dishes, pyrex, vaccuum (bought with returns on things we decided we didn't need after all), things that make scratch cooking easier - rolling pin, potato masher, thermometer, etc.

Everything is used at least weekly in the kitchen and having pretty dishes that fit in the dishwasher still makes me giddy on a regular basis.  Using a vacuum with suction is nice too :-)

La Bibliotecaria Feroz

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Re: What to put on a wedding registry
« Reply #29 on: November 03, 2015, 04:24:06 PM »
The memorable "mistake" I made on my registry was to ask for a mini-food processor. Full-size food processor is so much more useful!

I use both the mini and the full-size regularly. Not going to get the whole giant food processor dirty just to chop half an onion, and I am super lazy and hate hand-chopping onions and garlic.

And as much as I use my Cuisinart, I do have a Vitamix now and might be happier if I had the Vitamix and a KitchenAid stand mixer instead of the Cuisinart. I do knead bread in the Cuisinart, but a stand mixer would do it better.

jengod

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Re: What to put on a wedding registry
« Reply #30 on: November 03, 2015, 04:31:30 PM »
If I could register for only one thing, it would be a large Le Crueset enameled cast iron Dutch oven.

Second would be a German-made 8-inch chef's knife.

Third would be a corded "hammer drill."



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jengod

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Re: What to put on a wedding registry
« Reply #31 on: November 03, 2015, 05:46:23 PM »
Oh, and this Lodge reversible griddle-grill has been very useful in our kitchen:

Lodge LPGI3 Cast-Iron Reversible Grill/Griddle, 20-inch
http://www.amazon.com/Lodge-LPGI3-Cast-Iron-Reversible-10-44-inch/dp/B00008GKDQ

mandy_2002

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Re: What to put on a wedding registry
« Reply #32 on: November 03, 2015, 06:13:59 PM »
We inadvertently distressed some of our guests by registering for knives. Apparently for some cultures giving a knife can be taken as wanting to sever the relationship.

Two of the most useful things we registered for turned out to be a pizza set and a salad spinner.
My uncle had a friend from such a culture "sell" him a Leatherman for $1 to avoid the "sever the relationship" thing.

A friend of mine gave me a penny when I gave her a knife set. 

Quinny

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Re: What to put on a wedding registry
« Reply #33 on: November 03, 2015, 07:49:31 PM »
Love a previous poster's idea for the rei registry. Wish I would have done that!

But my best recommendation would be for an instant pot...a combo pressure cooker, slow cooker, with a sauté function so you don't have to dirty another pan. And it's a stainless steel insert vs. non stick (which was important to me). And there's a rice cooker, yogurt maker, and a couple other functions that I never use. But yesterday I slow cooked beans all day, came home and pressure cooked brown rice, and then this am sautéed all my veggies and then popped in the rest of the fixings for my lentil sloppy joes (using frozen lentils that I had previously pressure cooked a big batch of). Dinner waiting when I got home...priceless. Can you tell that I'm incredibly fond of this machine?!?

kpd905

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Re: What to put on a wedding registry
« Reply #34 on: November 03, 2015, 07:51:22 PM »
We put nothing on our registry, and ended up getting enough cash to almost cover the entire cost of the wedding.