Q: Hey guys!! I find that I often look to you all on things DIY related, but more often than not, on things life related. I would love to hear items in or around your house that you are so glad you own because it helps with the day to day. I really enjoyed reading about how you saved money with Clara (what items you skipped out on or decided to go back and buy) and how you saved money with your wedding. I am getting married next June and it would be super helpful to hear what things my fiance and I should register for (and what we shouldn’t). You guys are my favorite! – Tyne
A: Let’s do this. We thought it would actually be fun to search our brains to see if they would even stretch back to 2007 and remember what we got, what we still love, what we regretted asking for, and what we wish we’d asked for. Because friends and relatives can be amazingly generous (and at least in our family really seem to appreciate a list of things you love so they don’t have to guess), so it all comes down to thinking long and hard about what you actually will use and love for the long haul. No pressure, right?
Registry items are definitely one of those personal preference things (some people might love that they registered for formal china, while other folks like us are happy to skip it) but in general we think the key is to know how you live and what you will actually use/need (registering for a Kitchenaid mixer when you don’t cook/bake is probably not the best idea). So try to toss out romantic notions of who you “should be” someday (ex: don’t picture yourself as “a grown up” hosting a giant formal 20 person dinner if this won’t actually happen – not everyone grows up, gets married, and does that).
Instead, try to focus on how you live now and how you realistically think you will continue to live and entertain over the years. Whether you’re a casual couple or are fancy and formal, embrace who you are and think about what you’ll truly use and love. Chances are you’ll still be who you are in a few decades – you might evolve a little, but you probably won’t become a completely different couple with a completely different personality and lifestyle.
Also, trying to choose things that are classic never hurts, just so that if your tastes change over time, you won’t be completely over a bunch of style-specific stuff that you once loved but now loathe. It can be pretty expensive to re-buy everything instead of going with something timeless – and you can always add personality later with inexpensive and easy to switch out items, like patterned cloth napkins, table runners, etc. See? White dishes, clear glasses, and basic silverware can be dressed up a whole bunch of ways:
We also learned that it helped whenever possible to choose things that are attractive enough to be left out (ex: a nice stainless steel toaster or blender) because you never know what you’ll leave out for convenience’s sake. So skipping something in a crazy color that might clash with your future kitchen curtains or forgoing something super cheap that you’d never leave out in favor of something that looks a little more elegant is usually the way to go for lazy folks like us who tend to leave the blender out for three weeks after we make smoothies.
But enough chitchat, we thought it would be fun to share a list of the stuff we registered for and still love to this day, a few things that we regret putting on our registry, items that we passed on (and why), and items that we wish we had added to the list. So without further ado…
Kitchen Stuff We Registered For And Still Love:
- Basic silverware from Crate & Barrel
- White cloth napkins
- Basic white dishes that go with everything (we’re still loving that they’re classic and they’re not too precious, so if one breaks we won’t cry for days)
- Good serving bowls and serving ware (three salad/chip bowls, three large platters)
- Stainless blender & toaster (we also have a griddle)
- A cute strainer (ours is bright yellow)
- Chunky wood cutting boards (two, since we leave them out on the counter because they’re charming and use them all the time)
- Simple and small (easy to store) can opener (we didn’t want a giant electric countertop one)
- Cute clear pepper corn and sea salt grinders (classic, yet kinda fancy since they grind)
- Basic glass pitcher (we definitely tried to go for timeless basics)
- Stemless wine glasses (they’re more versatile, so they can also work for oj or smoothies)
House Stuff We Registered For And Still Love:
- Two Dolce lounge chairs from Target that we still use today (they’re in the guest room of this house)
- Two basic glass based lamps that lived in our first house’s living room and this house’s bedroom/entryway
- Organic bed sheet set (in white) and four nice bed pillows and cases
- Gorgeous large leather photo album that we used for all of our wedding photo strips
- Fluffy white towels (which we still use to this day, both in our bathroom and the guest bath)
- West Elm daybed (from John’s way too generous Godmother)
- West Elm parson’s desk (from my way too generous BFF Cat)
Stuff We Got And Later Regretted (all our fault – we wish we had chosen more wisely):
- Hepa filtered vacuum (regret: we registered for a cheap one that didn’t hold up very well, so we later upgraded to a Bissell Helix Bagless Upright)
- Set of knives in a knife block (regret: again, totally our fault, but we chose a cheap-ish set that we have since had to replace, but our current one is by Paula Deen from HomeGoods and we like it)
- Basic white mugs (regret: we didn’t think about scale at all, so the set that we got is so small it was sort of like teacups – we’ve since replaced them with larger mugs that actually work for tea and hot chocolate without feeling like you’re at a kid’s tea party)
- Cordless hand vac (regret: we wish we had done more research before randomly choosing something, since ours bit the dust pretty fast – we later replaced it with a Dirt Devil Kurv)
- A few basic pots and pans (regret: they weren’t great quality and got scratched and beaten up pretty fast – we later learned about Greenware pots and pans, which are eco-friendly and teflon free, so we asked for them for Christmas in 2009 and have been enjoying them ever since)
Stuff We Passed On (mostly specific kitchen gadgets after we realized we just wouldn’t use ’em):
- Coffee maker (we’re a tea household, and even when coffee folks stay with us we all go to Starbucks)
- Kitchenaid mixer (as much as I’d love to buy one in a fun color, it would totally collect dust)
- Monogrammed towels and robes (we’re not robe people and basic white towels sans monogram did it for us)
- Espresso machine (same as coffee maker, just wouldn’t get used)
- Ice cream maker (didn’t think we’d ever use it)
- Toaster oven (after thinking it through we decided a stainless steel toaster and an oven were all we needed, and five years later we’re still happy without one)
- Rice cooker (much like the ice cream maker, we just didn’t think we’d use something so specific)
- Panini press (ditto)
- Waffle maker (ditto)
- Martini glasses (ditto)
- George Foreman grill (ditto)
Stuff We Have Since Bought (if we could turn back time, we’d have registered for these too):
- Nice set of wood spoons and spatulas for a caddy next to the stove (get things in sets whenever possible, our old ones were all mismatched and later we updated to a matched set and appreciated how much better they looked)
- Immersion blender (we didn’t miss any other gadgets but we did end up yearning for this one – and we use it often enough to warrant storing it)
- Cute “Cucina” soap and lotion set from Anthropologie (so charming on the counter in a kitchen or bathroom)
- More specific things as rooms evolved and our taste became more clear (ex: green cloth napkins, J & S mugs, metallic holiday glasses, etc)
- Sonicare toothbrushes (wish we had thought to register for these guys)
- Two big clear glass containers for cereal, flour, sugar on the counter
- Clam shell fruit bowl from ZGallerie (it has been our fruit bowl for years)
I’m sure we forgot a few items (it was five years ago!) but that’s a pretty good idea of what we registered for, what we regretted/replaced, what we skipped, and what we wish we had added. And after compiling that list it made me want to poll some friends and relatives to hear their five favorite registry items (you know, because I’m nosy) so here are their responses. It’s so interesting to see who loves what the most (and it definitely reinforces that knowing what you will love and use is more important than putting too much stock into what works for someone else (like slacker chefs and non-coffee-drinker like us, haha).
- My BFF Katie: white dishes, white platters, white towels, stainless toaster, and basic silverware
- My other BFF Cat (you’ve seen her wedding here): basic white towels, a silver goes-with-everything serving platter, everyday dishes (colorful Fiestaware bowls, plates, and serving dishes), a brightly striped ceramic pitcher from Crate & Barrel, and a cute bowl set from Anthropologie.
- My friend D from All Things G&D: my crockpot, a good set of knives, good pots and pans, an Aerobed (air mattress) and G’s heavy bag (for boxing – it was his “guy” gift from all of his groomsmen).
- My friend Heather (you’ve seen her wedding here): everyday dishes, a blender, nesting bowls, picture frames, a Rainbow vacuum cleaner. Things I never use: martini glasses, electric knife, cake stand, and ice cream dishes (why did I register for special ice cream dishes when basic bowls work even better?!).
- My friend Cody: plush white towels, a 9 x 13 baking dish, a throw blanket, a welcome sign wall hanging, and of course white dishes.
- My friend Kristin (you’ve seen her awesome house here): white everyday dishes, knives/cutlery, small electronics like toaster/hand mixer, serving platters that don’t go out of style (plain but nice), and basic glasses. All boring kitchen stuff! But I have friends who got married 8-10 years ago and registered for trendy everyday ware (in a specific color and style) and are now replacing it all since they no longer like it!
- My friend Lisa: a nice set of knives, pots and pans, flatware, and an ice cream maker (we’ve been married 13 years, so nearly everything else has been replaced).
- My brother (who’s officially Doctor Dan, not Almost-Doctor-Dan – woot!): basic towels, a good knife set, simple flatware, a coffee maker, and picture frames.
- My sister-in-law Katie: coffee maker (still going strong after 9 years!), casual dishes, stainless steel silverware, serving dishes that match our casual dishes, Wustof knives (we surely would have put pots and pans on this list but we already had those before we got married, but those are still going strong too).
- My mother-in-law Kathy: wow- who can remember?! Haha. Crock pot, hand crank ice cream maker, big woven basket that we use as a laundry basket, glass canister set, and a beautiful bowl. We were very practical and did not register for fancy china.
So there you have it. A whole lotta registry loves and a few shoulda-woulda-couldas. What are your favorite registry items? Anything you got that you wish you hadn’t? Or that you later purchased and wished had made it onto your registry? Hindsight is 20/20, huh?
Christie says
I think my favorite items were the Crate and Barrel nesting bowls, down comforter, Le Creuset dutch oven, white platters and nice bed pillows. These were the items that were most practical and we have used them the most out of everything.
Least practical, registering for “formal” china. I am so happy no one purchased any of it. It was one of those things I registered for because I thought that all adults have to have formal china. In reality, formal china doesn’t fit in with the way we live and entertain.
Emily says
So happy we registered for: basic Crate & barrel white dishes, Pyrex glass baking dishes/storage containers, white fluffy towels, good pots/pans, high thread count sheets, coffee maker, garlic press (use alllllll the time, so much easier than chopping garlic)
Regret: fancy crystal serving bowl, espresso cups/saucers
Wish we would have registered for: bigger cutting boards, better knives
The most shocking part of this whole post was finding out you guys don’t own a coffee maker?!?!! Floored.
Anke says
So interesting. I don’t have a wedding coming up any time soon, but I’ve made more than one mental note reading through your and the readers’ suggestions!
Thanks for the advice!
Tamara S. says
I think it’s interesting how you and your friends love the white towels and white dishes. Maybe it’s just that the bulk of weddings I attended were 5-7 years ago but I don’t remember anyone ever registering for white items! Though I’m of the opinion that no matter what you choose, classic or not you’ll get tired of the dishes and towels that are 10 years old.
You should do a post about the worst wedding presents that people have received. We got a few doozies!
Amanda says
We kept every item on our registry under a certain dollar amount, so that nobody would feel pressured to pay a lot for a gift. (I’ve definitely had that experience of looking into someone’s registry, seeing that the least expensive thing on it is over $200 and thinking “Yikes!”)
We love our dishes. We registered for basic, everyday dishes but in a bright color. We’ve been able to mix and match other dishes with them that coordinate but aren’t spot on. The set of 9 nesting glass bowls was a bit of a bust — they’re really fragile.
We did not register for nearly enough serving platters or pitchers. We entertain a lot, and I’ve purchased several additional platters and pitchers.
The big wooden salad bowl with smaller, individual bowls. I almost never use it. It’s neat because my husband and I both grew up in houses with big wooden salad bowls, but there’s just two of us, so it’s kind of a bit too big for everyday use. In a few years, hopefully, it won’t be a bust, though.
We use our coffee cups we registered for every day. We also use the brightly colored bowls we registered for for everything from cereal to setting out chips when we have guests. Unfortunately, they break a lot more easily than we anticipated, so only a couple years in and I’ve already replaced them.
Definitely read reviews about products. If you have a dishwasher and plan on dishwashing glasses, don’t get the glasses that break in the dishwasher. Some of the cuter (brightly colored) things tend to be seasonal or not out for long, so they’re less likely to have reviews.
Oh, and this is probably obvious, but if the person who doesn’t do the cooking says “That cooking tool looks neat, we should go for it,” unless the response is “Yes, that’s something I’ve always wanted,” you will probably never use it.
Corrie says
I love LOVE this post. I am getting married in 39 days (eeek! not that I’m counting!) and this was very helpful. We have registered for a few nice basics, but I’m definitely going to add some nice white towels and serving pieces. Thanks for the ideas!
Valerie says
White towels are the best! We love them
A couple other tips for laundering towels: do NOT use fabric softener or dryer sheets; if you can, do an extra rinse at the end of your wash cycle – it clears out all the detergent; if they get mildewy, sun/UV rays should help.
When I got married, we did not register for nice everyday drinking glasses and I wish we would have. What were we thinking?
The one thing I regret is that our flatware was discontinued the year we registered, and I got no warning from Macy’s, so we had to hunt it down to complete our set. However, I love the pattern, I am just sad that it can’t be found anymore.
LauraC says
Such a fun post! I think we did ok on our registry. We have a funny story about it; Josh was leaving two weeks after he proposed for Basic Training and I wanted him to have a chance to pick things out with me (even though he didn’t really care). So we were looking at china and I showed him a pattern I loved, but would never register for because they were $$$. He grabbed the gun from me and promptly registered for them. He made me promise to leave them on there, so what could I do? I just about died from mortification, but we received several sets and were able to pick up the rest afterwards with a discount. I grew up using Mom’s china every holiday, and that’s what we do too. It makes it special and I don’t regret having them at all. I still love it eight years later, and am glad Josh thought I deserved them. One thing I remember from our wedding was being overwhelmed by the generosity of family and friends, so I try to pass it on when we attend weddings now. It really is more fun to give than to receive . . .
Martha says
We received so many nice gifts – china (which I do use once a week, even if I am serving pizza. The good china isn’t for the special events. Everyday life is special!!!), crystal, towels, etc. However, one of my favorite gifts was a nice cake pan with a lid filled with good knives, spices and a cookbook. I still have all the items except the spices and use them all the time. We have been married 12 years!!!!
Yadi says
My husband and I just got married in May and we registered for and LOVE LOVE LOVE our Cuisanart Griddler, that multi tasks as a panini maker (just flip the metal plates) and you can also get waffle plates. We use it ALL THE TIME!! We also use our Crock Pot on a weekly basis.
We did the same as everyone else and registered for plain white dishes and plain glasses and the stemless wine glasses for the same reason as Sherry…they can be used for so much more than just wine! (I got the idea from a cruise I was on with my family and now they also make me think of being on a cruise…lol).
Hollie says
If the newlyweds are moving into a new home or have the DIY itch, I’d recommend gift cards to Lowe’s or Home Depot. That’s what I gave my brother and sister-in-law when they got married, and they were thrilled to be able to purchase needed supplies for their kitchen renovation. If the couple has been living together for some time, compiling a registry can be tricky. I know a couple who actually listed DVDs on their registry at Target!
Sandy says
Sorry if I missed this in the comments, but I absolutely LOVE those “J” and “S” initial mugs in the third pic of this post. Do you remember where they are from?
Thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
They were from Anthropologie a while back.
xo,
s
Yadi says
The initial mugs are still available at Anthropologie. My husband and I received our initials as gifts!
Kaitlyn says
You… you don’t make waffles?
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, nope! We buy wheat Eggo ones sometimes, but other than that we go out to breakfast maybe once every few months and order them there. Otherwise it’s usually cereal or bagels or smoothies around here! We rarely even make scrambled eggs! Haha.
xo,
s
Mary says
I just got married in march follwed by a crazy military scheduled move so by the time our stuff comes out of storage in September, we won’t have seen our wedding gifts since we got them in February! They were all in boxes so once we finally get to unpack them, it will be like a wedding shower all over again! Woohoo!
One thing we made sure to register for was simple white plates! People gave us so much grief over them but I love the idea of matching all kinds of things with them and not having to repurchase because they don’t go with something in the future.
Did y’all get a lot of stuff that wasn’t on your registry? We didn’t register for a George foreman grill or a set of THREE crockpots but we sure got ’em!
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yes, we got some random things that we probably wouldn’t have picked, but it was sweet and thoughtful of people to try to personalize things. We also got some gift cards to various places (Lowe’s, Home Depot, Target, etc) and money too – which was awesome!
xo,
s
Sheela says
A lot of great suggestions here! One thing I haven’t seen mentioned is luggage. That’s a great thing to register for. Also, the Breville Compact Smart oven is an awesome countertop oven that makes toast and bakes up to a 12″ pizza! It’s been wonderful (although I got that recently – not as a wedding gift, since I got married almost 16 years ago!)
For those who cook and bake, Le Creuset is a wonderful splurge gift, and a set of half sheet pans are a great inexpensive thing to put on your registry, but are so useful!
Erin says
I would add high quality, high thread count sheets! You can never have too many sets of sheets – or towels. And they never go out of style if you get solid colors!
Brandi says
We got married 8 years ago, when we were just 20, and wish I had known more – really, anything! – when we registered. The good things were very simple dishes (Noritake Colorwave in graphite), OXO kitchen utensils, Cuisinart ice cream maker and Kitchenaid mixer. These have all held up great through several moves, a baby and our klutzy selves.
I usually buy from a registry, since I know those are the things couples need, want and will use. However, if I come up with a crafty personalized project, I will do that – something like personalizing a Pyrex for potlucks – that will still be useful even if they aren’t the potlucking type. If you don’t register, you will still get gifts, but they will be things you don’t want, can’t use or would never choose for yourself.
Nicole Harris says
it’s hard for me to buy registry gifts for couples who have lived together for an extended period of time before their wedding. the point of a traditional wedding shower is to give the bride and groom gifts to use as they start a household together, not just to replace things they already have with nicer, newer ones. just my opinion anyway.
and i use my george foreman grill weekly, in fact i am on my 2nd one! great way to cook chicken breasts!
Lindsey d. says
I’ve lived on my own for an extended period of time, as has my boyfriend. When we marry, I know we will certainly need towels, more bedding and household goods to replace things that have worn out over 10 years of living on our own, weren’t high-quality in the first place or were hand-me-downs that have reached the end of their life.
Are you saying that just because we didn’t meet each other until we were in our 30s, when we already had jobs and homes, we don’t deserve to be celebrated with nice things? Do you also not give gifts to people on their 50th wedding anniversary? I mean, they’ve lived together for a long time; what could they need? I’m glad you aren’t my friend…
Kara says
Love that Cat got Fiestaware! It’s made in West Virginia, where I live, and there’s a great outlet store in Flatwoods on I-79 (literally the middle of the state aka nowhere), and you can get “irregular” and surplus pieces super cheap. I just picked up 8 saucers for my mom for less than $8. We can detect no imperfections.
But Plain White va. Multi-color Fiesta was my biggest registry issue! I went with Crate & Barrell’s Roulette (white with texture) and have no regrets. Very durable and I love it. But, as I mentioned, my mom just recently replaced her old white dishes with bright, happy Fiesta, and we are all so in love with it. It makes for the happiest kitchen cupboard in the entire world.
Amy says
Agree with recommending simple, classic dishes and glasses… and I see that not only do we agree, but we have the exact same dish and glassware patterns, Sherry! ha!
My regret was what I’ll call “aspirational” bedding… WAY too fancy for us and we never use it. It’s easy to get all swept away in the store, but best to choose things that fit you now.
Jeremy says
Not registry related at all….but who are those two kids in the wedding picture? I didn’t recognize John without his Burger mullet tail! You both look so young!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, I know, right? Five years and a two year old later (and a few kitchen/bathroom renos)… time has caught up with us! Haha.
xo,
s
Molly says
Worst item I registered for: a molcajate. I mean…why did I think i was the type to make homemade Guacamole? I’m just not, as delicious as it would be.
However, I LOVE my Bona mop, which keeps our hardwoods (we have no carpet) looking as brand new as the day we refinished them. I also use the heck out of several pretty white casserole dishes we received that look great on the table. I wish I’d gotten a larger variety of serving dishes. I have quite a few small and quite large, but not as many medium pieces.
Jen@The Decor Scene says
Regrets: China place settings. We have never used them and I don’t know that we ever will. Some crystal vases that I registered for, but it snow balled into others buying even more vases that I didn’t like or want. How many expensive vases can one family use. Cheap knive set. Cheap pots & pans.
Cons: white dishes, stainless utensils, picture frames
My words of advice: register for what you want, not what you think others will want to buy for you because they buy those things for everyone else in the family. Register for what you think you will use over the years…you can always buy more stuff in the future when you need them or just borrow it from someone in the family if it’s only a once in a while kind of product.
Shannon says
This is such a helpful post! I was feeling super awkward not wanting to register for THE kitchenaid mixer but now I feel better. Thanks!
Stephanie says
We were young, clueless and still living with our parents when we got married so we registered for inexpensive items. Needless to say six years later almost all of it has been replaced. My next purchase is some basic white dinnerware. Any recommendations?
YoungHouseLove says
We got ours from Linens N Things but we hear Bed Bath & Beyond has similar stuff!
xo,
s
Amanda says
We absolutely love our basic white dishes and C&B silverware that we got – we wish we would have registered for more sets of those, though (we registered for 8, but have people over frequently so we wish we would have gotten 12). We definitely regretted asking for some more specific decor-type things – we had a couple of bedding sets or random colorful decor pieces that we registered for thinking we would use them forever, but we moved shortly after our wedding and the stuff just didn’t work in our new house. If we could do it again we’d stick to more classic, timeless pieces only!
Ruthie says
REgister for nice towels… our striped gray ones from Target didn’t hold the test of time. Also, I would agree on white everyday china. Ours from Target didn’t hold up either! What else? Some fun nesting bowls or some fun measuring spoons are always great. And recips from friends and family. You can never have too many! That’s the most treasured thing that I have now that I got 7 yrs ago at my shower.
Ruthie says
p.s. The worst wedding gift I got was a half used candle, burnt wick and all sitting on a ceramic cat plate. We couldn’t figure out if it was a re-gift or a return to the dollar store :-)
Amy @ Lovely Nest says
I’m on the other side of the ice cream maker. We didn’t register for one (not intentionally – just never thought about it), but received one as a gift anyway and it’s one of my favorite gifts. Practically speaking, it only really gets used in the summer, but ice cream is one of my favorite foods (ok, probably favorite) so it’s great to whip up a batch to take to parties or as a special dessert when friends or family are over. Again, everyone’s different, but I loved it as one of our few not-super-practical-but-totally-works-for-us gifts.
jenb says
We received LL Bean sleeping bags for a wedding gift. I thought it was strange at the time. But 22 years later they are still going strong and I would have to say that they have been one of the best gifts we got.
Donita says
We will be married 37 years in October. I’m almost certain that I have only two items from when we got married. I did not register *we live in the sticks and had never heard of that LOL*. I have an aluminum pizza pan, we use it for everything, it has pizza cut marks, but still bakes the best biscuits ever. We have a LARGE yellow Tupperware bowl with lid. I do have one of the glass bowls that my mom and dad got when they were married. I cherish it and no longer use it, now that I am older and even more clumsy. :-) Loved this post!!! Great ideas!!!
Begoña says
Great list!!! We love our classic white dishes and a fancy le creuset pot timeless and really good quality, they will last forever.
I’ll add to your list a great luggage set. One of the best gifts ever.
EngineerMom says
We’ve been married 5 years. I happen to love eating special meals on my mom’s china, so we registered for Lenox Federal Platinum. It’s very versatile, and we use it for holidays, birthdays, anniversaries, etc. I pull it out several times a year, and I registered the pattern so even if a plate gets broken by one of my two kids, it’s not that expensive to replace.
Things I regret registering for:
espresso machine – we love coffee and lattes, mochas, but cleaning it isnt worth it, so we go out to a coffe shop for the espresso drinks
Tablecloths – my tastes have changed, and I now wish we’d just not bothered.
Bathroom cups, soap dish, shower curtain – we’ve moved twice in the five years we’ve been married, and the cups have broken, and the shower curtain only matched our first bathroom!
Rice cooker- such a pain to clean, I always ended making rice just in a saucepan
Things I recommend registering for
Plain white kitchen towels and washcloths, so useful
Good white bathroom towels if you dont already have some (I did)
Steamer basket for a saucepan
Good regular (not nonstick) pots and pans, a set like all clad will last a lifetime, rather then spending money on new pots every couple of years
One nonstick pan, knowing you’ll still have to replace nonstick in several years
morgan says
We got married 10 months ago, and ended up getting very few things from our registry, but the few things we did get that we LOVE are:
-Square white crate a barrel dish set for 8
-A super nice $80 stainless steel/bamboo dish drying rack. (we dont have a dishwasher, and this thing almost makes dishes fun)
-Clear glasses
-Extra nice silverware in a matte finish.
-mini hardwood floor vacuum
-A top of the line Honda lawnmower <-LOVE!
lizaanne says
Without a doubt, the best thing we registered for (6 years go) and still use ALL THE TIME is a 6 foot folding table. It was so funny, my dad’s wife asked us “what are you going to use THAT for??” LOL!!! I don’t think we even knew how great it would be.
We have this one: http://www.target.com/p/collapsible-portable-6-banquet-table/-/A-541355
Seriously – it gets used for crafts, DIY projects, laundry folding, and then we put a pretty table cloth on it and it becomes extra seating for Thanksgiving at our friends house, and we feed 12 on china/crystal/silver, and no one even notices the table underneath! And when it’s not being used it folds flat and hides in the basement. This one is super sturdy and very well made.
Highly recommended!!!
Megan says
My husband is a mechanic, and has thousands and thousands of dollars in tools, in his toolbox, at work. So when we got married, he registered for tools that we would use around the house and for him to work on our cars when he was not at work. This was pretty awesome, all of his guy friends bought him the cool boy toys. Now we have a well stocked garage & work bench. We of course registered for all the other normal registry stuff too. But having a guy friendly registry (I think he registered at Sears) worked out amazingly well.
Julie says
I wish we had registered for good knives. I didn’t want to come across as frivolous or preying on the generosity of others, so we got a basic set from Target. They rusted within the first few months, and we ended up replacing them ourselves a couple of years later.
On the other side, I personally don’t see the point of fine china. A passed-on heirloom, ok, but to buy your own? Unless you regularly have the Queen over for tea, I think everyday dishes are much more practical (and much easier to store!)
Olivia says
This was a super fun post, even though I got married 2 years ago. There is a lot of stuff we got but haven’t used yet, and I’m starting to think about giving some of it away. We are now expecting our first and I’m going to have to do a baby registry soon…feel free to tell us all about baby registries too! Haha
Kara says
I got married at 25 and I remember still feeling soooo young at the time! And I was just moving out of my parents house so I had nothing in the way of..well…anything! If I had gotten married now instead (6 years later) I don’t think I’d register even though I so appreciate everything we got. Hands down favorite is our set of All Clad cookware from my very generous Mom and Grammy.
Leah says
I was just married in April but had a lot of kitchen items from living on my own for awhile. I Love my kitchen aid stand mixer (that I already owned). I make fresh whipped cream all of the time with it as well as my own frosting.
I also love our everyday white plates that we registered for. They’re heavy like restaurant plates but will last forever.
The one thing I wish I had registered for was a bread maker. I ended up buying one anyway with wedding money afterwards. We no longer buy bread and make pizza at home. I plan on trying to make my own hamburger and hotdog buns too!
JoAnna says
I really wish we hadn’t registered for china. All that expense and we don’t use it. I’ve got a guilt complex about it :(
As for the KitchenAid mixer…my aunt that I have only met twice bought me one. I LOVE LOVE LOVE it. It’s basic white and I’m thinking of writing her a second thank you note for it these 11 years later.
I can’t remember much else of what we got for our simple little wedding, but I can think of several things not needed for babies after having three kids. That’s a whole other story :D
twelvedaysold says
I’ve tried doing a search through the previous comments listed (so, sorry if it’s already been asked), but are the Greenware pots and pans you have Cuisinart? I thought they would be easier to search for! But there’s a Cuisinart Greenware Nonstick 10-Piece Cookware Set on Amazon and I’m wondering if that’s the same stuff.
Thanks, and great list!
YoungHouseLove says
Yes, they’re Cuisinart but are a few years old. That set sounds right though!
xo,
s
Carolyn says
This is completely random – but I noticed in your first house kitchen photos that you didn’t have a backsplash, just the small granite rise. Any reason why?? Did you ever think of taking it down to put up a backsplash? Is that even possible? Curious because my current kitchen has the rise, and I would love to do a backsplash, but I don’t think it would look good without taking down the granite. Very informative post, btw!
YoungHouseLove says
We didn’t put a backsplash in the last kitchen because we liked the flexibility of being able to paint a different color (which is an easier change than replacing tile). Now that we love our new backsplash, we kind of regret not doing one in the old kitchen. But we had no problem pulling out the granite rise in this current kitchen (and we even pulled it out around our bathroom) so I think you definitely could do it. This post might help: https://www.younghouselove.com/2011/01/take-it-away/
-John
Brooke says
My friend talked my husband and I out of registering for a knife set and it was the best decision we made! He made the point that most people only use the chef’s knife, a paring knife and a bread knife but sets come with 3-5 other types of knives you’ll never use. So instead of registering for a cheap set or an expensive one that no one would buy we registered for 3 nice individual knives (chef’s knife, paring knife, bread knive) and a kapoosh knife block (http://www.amazon.com/Kapoosh-650-Holder-Woodgrain-Finish/dp/B000Q4I9LM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1343769485&sr=8-1&keywords=kapoosh+knife+block) that holds any size and combination. We also got a steak knife set that fits in the kapoosh. It’s great because the knives we have we use everyday and didn’t waste money on specialty knives that would sit in the block!
harlie says
I agree with most of what you have in your list. Except two things (plus the coffee maker, but if you’re a tea person, it’s a good call): the toaster oven and the waffle iron.
Our toaster oven toasts about 6 slices at a time and it does that very well. But more often we want to make just a few cookies or a small pizza or a couple of servings of garlic cheese bread. I might even want to toast some nuts. Sure, we could use our large oven, but it takes about three times longer to preheat and it uses several times the energy that our little toaster oven does. I love, LOVE my toaster oven and will never go back to just a plain toaster.
Now, the one that seems completely frivolous: the waffle iron. I can totally understand not getting one because most people probably don’t use theirs much. We worried that maybe we wouldn’t either, but we registered for it after we got all our basics and people still kept asking what we wanted. We are so glad we did!
My husband and I make waffles almost every weekend and it’s so much fun! Our son is turning one and is starting to get into the waffle love. When we host guests, making waffles turns breakfast into a big event and no one wants to sleep in late. A waffle iron probably isn’t for everyone, but if this one ever bites the dust, I’ll have no problem shelling out the moolah to replace it.
Lynn @ Our Useful Hands says
This is such a timely post. It put a smile on my face because this weekend we started tweaking our housewarming gift registry to shave it down to essentials and some perks and splurges. Now after perusing this post I think we can knock a few more things around again. Side note: a few years back 2 of our friends got hitched but they both come from some serious “old money” (like…The Hamptons money) and wanted literally for nothing. So what a pleasant surprise when their gift registry turned out to be from Target with like 5 items on it: toothpaste, a can opener in the shape of a toucan bird, Froot Loops cereal, a box of Cheerios, and wait for it…a box of feminine products. Yep. We were laughing for days. They are still the coolest, chillest, laid back couple down to this day. Gotta love em. We still don’t let them live that registry down.
My best, Lynn
Alex says
I am a “have dessert, will travel” kind of girl, and I loved my Pyrex baking dish with lid and travel container.
My favorite gift to give right now is the 31bags large utility tote with the bride’s new last name. It folds almost flat for storage and is perfect for carrying pretty much anything.
Lori @ Lighten Up! says
Love this idea! I think it is really special to give something with her “new” name, and their stuff is awesome. Of course, I am a Thirty-One junkie (currently traveling for 6 months with my toiletry bag, zipper pouch, Cindy tote and pop crossbody purse)- I should be a consultant!
Sara says
I couldn’t live without a good set of Pyrex pans and mixing bowls.
I wish I registered for my Kitchenaid Mixer, but didn’t because I never thought I would use it. Turns out I use it once a week now.
My spice rack is something I would think twice on and also the stainless steel containers, Oxo Good Grips containers are so much better, and I replaced all my containers with them.
Alyssa says
We LOVE our crockpot- especially in the fall/winter, we use it at least once a week. We actually love our toaster oven too. We don’t really eat much toast, and we love using it to reheat things like pizza without firing up the whole big oven!
Jaimie says
For the past several weddings we’ve attended, we’ve organized a group gift (with other friends) for a gift certificate to an art gallery. We received this as a gift ourselves, and it was wonderful. Having original art in your home is a great memento and really adds personality, but when you’re just starting out you usually can’t justify budgeting for a bigger piece. When I think about it, we use many of our wedding gifts, seven years on: white towels, everyday dishes, good knives, good-quality pots. We didn’t register for a set of fine china because I inherited a set. But we did register for stoneware that is practically indestructible, and used wedding cash to complete our set.