We're Registered!

We're registered!  Like most things that we don't have a hard-and-fast answer for, we took a while to make a decision on this one.  Originally, we were thinking about Pottery Barn (one of my all time favorite stores), Sears (for tools and other stuff), and Amazon.  After looking around, though, we couldn't find enough things that we need or wanted at Pottery Barn to justify a full registry there (I'll pick up that embroidered Christmas tree skirt later ;) ).  As for Sears, their website is in such need of attention that it's edged into downright shady, and my dad said he didn't think the Craftsman tools were all that great any more.  They've also been on the rocks as a company, and we didn't want to deal with them going under before Christmas (unlikely, but possible).  We also knew we didn't want to register at Target or Bed, Bath, and Beyond.  Almost everybody we know has registered at those two places, so we know that the shipping costs at Target are outrageous and that BB&B can be pretty steep when you step out of the dorm room section.  I've also heard that BB&B will send someone around the store to tell you that you neeeeed this or that, and I think Lance and I are familiar enough with our lifestyle to decide what we need or don't need.

The first thing we did was look at honeymoon registries, like Honeyfund or Traveler's Joy.  I thought that might be a fun alternative to a traditional registry, since we like to travel.  However, it turns out that the sites 1) charge high usage fees from your gifts, 2) charge high usage fees to your guests, or 3) pretty much just tell people to give you money via check, which effectively does nothing.  So, we started to look at traditional registries instead.

We did some poking around, and we decided to register at Crate and Barrel almost solely because we found dishes we really loved there (Lance actually picked them out--I told you he had good taste in stuff!).  We have a set of PB Emma stoneware right now, which I LOVED, but it turns out that stoneware is really fragile and will chip when you tap it on Pyrex, so we wanted to replace it.  We had a lot of fun looking around and zapping stuff with the gun!

So pretty!

After that, we found enough things in Macy's that we liked, so we decided to register there as well.  That turned out to be a really great decision, because they have a rewards program that links to your Macy's card, and Lance is the king of rewards, so he was excited about that.  And they give you "free" gifts if you register for certain things (none of which we needed, but the thought was nice).  They also have a thing called a "dream fund" that I've never heard of before.  If someone is in the store and hates your registry (been there), their associates are trained to recommend that they put money on the "dream fund" instead of buying you that third toaster.  Now, I know that not everyone will bring a gift, and that's completely fine, but I'd rather have a handwritten card than a third toaster.  Next, Macy's has a 15% discount for 6 months after the wedding, which is a pretty nice completion perk (Amazon and C&B are one-time 10% coupons).  I've seen registries completely picked over, and I've seen registries barely used, but either way we picked out some stuff that we can just go grab ourselves later, which is great.  Finally, Macy's was a good in-store option for people who don't want to order things online, and they have good sales here and there, so I feel like it's convenient and reasonable for people to use.  They also give you a "suggested price breakdown" printout that is a little over the top, but useful.

These things make bread, cookies, juice, pasta, and sausage.
What really sold us was the ice cream attachment.

Finally, our Amazon registry has become a catch-all for a lot of things, simply because of the huge selection they have there.  Amazon changes their prices almost constantly to be competitive with the market, which means that they usually will have the lowest price (though not always--we added $5 sandwich boxes only to return and see that they'd jumped to $16!).  For people who have Amazon Prime, shipping is free.  They also allow for people to ship gifts directly to the couple, so you get mail and they don't have to drag around an iron skillet for 5 hours, which is great (that's our go-to option for other people's weddings).  Amazon is also really cool because it functions as a "universal" registry, meaning that you can add anything from another site to your registry.  We've shied away from that option, because if people don't understand that you have to manually remove the item using your email account, that could cause issues.  A fun option nonetheless, and, as an extension of their universal registry capabilities, people can buy an item elsewhere if it is more convenient or cost-effective and still be able to remove it from the registry using the link next to the "add to cart" button.

Deciding what to register for is also a challenge.  First off, it's totally a foreign concept to look at something and say, "Somebody should really buy this for me!" So that was weird.  Second, it's hard to strike that balance between wanting a few nice things and recognizing that you're just not fancy people.  I wanted to make sure we put a few things on there that, 30 years from now, we can say, "We got that for our wedding!"  But I also wanted to remember that we live in small spaces and move a lot, so some things are just not practical (although Lance did get caught up in the magic of the gun and scan a few very random things).  The "suggested things to register for" lists online and in stores were very overwhelming.  It's kind of like when you go to college freshman year and there's a list a mile long of things for you to buy.  You're fairly sure you don't need all that stuff, and you know the store has a vested interest in your neeeeeding all that stuff, but the lists are so long and emotionally charged (You neeeeeed this to host Christmas!  Why don't you want Christmas to be perfect??) that by the end your head is swimming.  Third, we weren't sure how far was too far in terms of price points.  I know that people will often go together on more expensive items, but one of my friends said she actually had people buy really expensive things by themselves and felt really guilty about it.  Also, my family was invited to a wedding recently where the bride had registered for $40 towels, and they were not too impressed with the lack of lower price options.  I definitely don't want people to feel like they're being pressed for gifts, however crazy that is.

So, we've updated the website with our registry information, and I think we're done!  The Knot officially found us, so it's pretty easy to get to our registries from Google.  We also added a suggestion on the website for our registry haters (again, been there), or otherwise people bored of the whole wedding scene, but who want to do something, to adopt a Christmas family instead.  I would be really happy if a few people choose that option, because Lance and I have so much fun with it every year.  I figure some people look at registries as part of the whole wedding racket, but if helping make Christmas magical for children doesn't put you in the spirit of giving, I don't know what will!