By Angie Sarhan
With a little over a hundred days until our wedding, I am happy to say David and I are making progress on our to-do list. We’ve had our tasting, booked our honeymoon and started our registry.
For all you brides out there who haven’t tackled this yet, I thought I’d share some insight!
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Scanning items can be fun.
Each store has different ways for you to add items to your registry. Bed, Bath & Beyond, for instance, has a scanner that you can walk around the store with while Crate and Barrel has an app you can download, your phone becoming the scanner. Both of these things will make you feel like you are on a shopping spree, choosing this pot, that pan and those potholders.
I feel I need to warn you that scanning items can be a lot of fun. David immediately took to scanning. Sometimes I would simply be asking his opinion on an item, wondering over its practicality, when *beep*, David would have already added it and was asking how many we wanted.
Luckily, you can manage most registries online, so later I was able to delete or adjust amounts (you will want to make sure you haven’t ordered eight spatulas, and only one bath towel, unless you want eight spatulas and only one bath towel.)
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Plan for the time it will take and come prepared.
Registering is not some quick event. It may be a good idea to look through websites for ideas and to even start your registry online. David and I did neither of these things so it felt a bit like being in Disney World for the first time: it was a lot to take in, but we were up for the challenge. Plan on making a day (or in our case, a weekend) out of registering.
Part of preparation may involve bringing a team with you. While David and I were out we saw one bride who brought her mom and sister with her. The mom was a registry-guru. At one point I heard her tell her daughter, “You will need one large whisk for big batters, a medium-sized whisk and a small whisk for making pancakes on the weekend.” The bride-to-be’s younger sister replied, “Mom! When will she ever make pancakes, really?” To which the mom responded, “When she has kids! She will make pancakes when she has kids!” The bride laughed at this response. David said “Pancakes. I love pancakes!” And then scanned some whisks. I reminded him we already owned whisks, but it didn’t matter. He had really taken to scanning.
I can’t say if it helped this bride or not to have so many opinions weighing in, but it’s nice to be prepared and to think of all the things you do need, may need and may not ever need. It’s good to know your options.
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Don’t rush your choices.
Trust your instinct. If something isn’t speaking to you right away, don’t settle. For instance, David and I didn’t see plates we loved immediately, so we kept looking. I didn’t feel like having to keep searching, but this mantra kept repeating in my head: “These are your plates—you will see them every day.” Remember that mantra and fill in your own items as necessary. “These are your cups, your towels, your cookware, your cutlery… you will see them every day.”
Choose what you love, not what you don’t mind.
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Avoid temptation.
On your registry road trip, you are likely to encounter items you: a) never thought of, b) don’t really need, but sure think are cute and c) can live without, but suddenly feel like you can’t live without. You will be tempted by them all!
Listen, yes those miniature whisks the size of a toothpick are adorable, but unless you shrink to the size of a toddler, you will probably never use them. Of course you want wine glasses you can write on and the markers that go with them, and yes, register for them if you want. But remember, as soon as the markers die out, you probably won’t replace them and then the wine goblets will just become plain, regular, run-of-the-mill wine glasses. There is nothing wrong with that, but you will forget these logical logistics when you are running around with a scanner like you and your fiancé are contestants on a game show. Stay focused! And somewhat practical.
My advice? Pick a few fun items that you may not normally splurge on. As for the rest? Picture what your day-to-day life will be like and decide what you need most.
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Pay close attention to your fiancé.
As I perused over our list at the end of the weekend, I saw two items that made me pause: a Rhode Island cutting board and chocolate chip cookies. I have nothing against either of these items—especially chocolate chip cookies—but I was confused since while we had seen these things, I knew we hadn’t chosen either. I looked over at David and asked him why they were on the registry. He feigned innocence, but his impish grin told me otherwise.
Fact: If your fiancé wanders off for more than thirty seconds and you can’t find him, expect to find unusual items on your registry.
I knew David had wandered off more than once. And David? He had immediately taken to scanning.
