Mrs. Jasmine, Chicago/LA
Age and Occupation: 25, Attorney
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Attorney
Engagement Date: March 24, 2007
Wedding Date: June 7, 2008
Blogging Since: September 20, 2007
Venue: Hotel on the westside of Los Angeles
About Me: I'm a happy-go-lucky, imaginative spirit trapped in the body of a lawyer. I love reading, shopping, dining out, and exploring my beloved adopted city of Chicago with my fiance. We're planning the wedding of our dreams in my hometown of Los Angeles and we're excited to incorporate our cherished Indian/Pakistani customs and traditions.
Registry Adventures: Part Two
January 28th, 2008 @ 3:28 pm by Mrs. Jasmine
On Sunday, Mr. Jasmine and I set off on the second leg of our registry adventure: Crate & Barrel. We were originally set to go to Williams-Sonoma next, but that’s postponed until later (i.e. after Super Bowl Sunday).
So early Sunday morning, we joined a horde of other engaged couples at the Crate & Barrel store, where we were served some delicious juice and breakfast treats. They had the event down to a science and I give them a lot of credit for their very easy to use scanner guns. We also received a lovely heart-shaped bowl, which I have to admit was a lot nicer than I was expecting.
The C&B registry was much different than our last one (Bloomingdales) in that we felt a lot more comfortable putting tons of stuff on it. All the prices are fairly reasonable and we were able to register for so much of the stuff we need, without wondering if it was too expnesive. The quality, style, and design of everything is really great too. Mr. Jasmine and I couldn’t decide on an everyday dinnerware pattern– I liked the simplicity of plain white and he preferred something with color. Finally, we decided on 6 place settings of a plain white set and 6 of a beautifully modern blue and white set and we can mix and match all of them. Yay for compromise!
My one complaint about C&B: the assistance was a little lacking. Even though the point of the registry event was to avoid the crowds and receive personal attention, I still felt there were too few registry consultants who could really help us. A woman in glassware insisted on describing all the wine and beer glasses to us in excruciating detail, even after telling her we were’t registering for any barware. I know she meant well, but it was tiresome to listen to, when we knew we were absolutely not buying any.
We found ourselves totally lost trying to choose a cookware set and the cookware consultant seemed unwilling or unable to help us. He also went off on a strange tangent, commenting that Mr. Jasmine and I look a lot alike, which I’ve honestly never heard before and don’t really think is true. When I joked back, “Don’t worry, we’re not related!!!”, he looked downright alarmed and then said, “No, I just meant you have the same features.” Hmm. But that’s not to say that all the consultants were unhelpful– the vast majority were very friendly and approachable. I think we’re going to wait and register for cookware at Williams-Sonoma and Macy’s**, which we’re hoping is a more intimate experience.
**Side Note: We are planning to delete our Bloomingdales Registry because we decided it was just not convenient enough for a lot of our guests. There’s no Bloomingdales Home in Michigan, where the vast majority of Mr. Jasmine’s guests are from and my family loves Macy’s. Thus, we are switching over to Macy’s instead. So I’ll be blogging about our Macy’s registry too! Sad to delete the Bloomie’s one though…
images courtsey of otto group, cv designs, and crate and barrel.
16 Responses to “Registry Adventures: Part Two”
Just to warn you Miss Jasmine — we found that Williams Sonoma prices for cookware were significantly more expensive than the same pieces or sets at other stores. I really wanted to register there (mostly because I LOVE their cookbooks and had visions of receiving an amazing collection of them at bridal showers…) but ultimately decided not to, because of the cost differences. Our All Clad set was MUCH cheaper at Bed, Bath & Beyond for the base set, and each individual piece was cheaper at Macy’s than at Williams-Sonoma (I believe the base set was still cheaper at Macy’s than at W-S).
I know several people who just adore Williams-Sonoma and register there regardless, so ignore this advice if you have a specific tie to the store, but we figured guests would want the best price possible, so we nixed the Williams-Sonoma registry!
julieulie: Thank you for the tip– comparing prices online, I think you’re definitely right. I think I’m just going to register for all of our cookware at Macy’s. I definitely want the best price for our guests.
I might forgo Williams-Sonoma altogether– although like you, I love, love that store. Or maybe I’ll just register for a handful of their cookbooks, which I also love, in case someone wants to buy me one for a bridal shower present 
You were there yesterday too?! I was totally looking out for you and Miss Peacock! But then again, I called to reserve a spot after they were already full, so they told us to come at 10, presumably thinking that some people would be done after an hour, but then they didn’t have a scanner available until 10:45 - I was already frustrated because ChicagoSteve wasn’t able to come with me at the last minute, so I was not amused by the long wait for the scanner, and then the store filled right up at 11 when the doors opened to the public (were there people in line outside?!) - after that I just stalked around the store looking pissed off and got out of there after scanning a mere 15ish items. But we went for the Mist dinnerware too - excellent choice!
I just checked to ensure that what I said was indeed true, and to give you an idea, the exact same set (All-Clad LTD 7 piece set — 4 pots/pans and 3 lids) is $699.95 at Williams-Sonoma and $499.99 at Bed, Bath & Beyond. For me and my income level at least, a $200 difference for the same thing is GINORMOUS.
julieulie: That is a *ridiculous* price difference!!! Why is the same exact thing more expensive at W-S? It it solely because of the name? That’s really bizarre and I would feel terrible asking our guests to buy something for $700 when it could be easily had for $500. Thanks for letting me and the other readers know about this.
yes i did the same thing too… signed up for so many registries but then just really deciding on two; crate and barrel and macy’s. i did bloomingdales but then deleted it because they may have as much sales as macys when it comes to purchasing the products.
i mean bloomingdales may NOT have as much sales as macys.. =D i wonder if we could edit our comments after posting.. =)
Chicago Sarah: I’m so sorry we missed you! We left right around 11 — the store was indeed starting to get crowded and both of us were exhausted! And yay for the Mist dinnerware– I was totally sold when I saw the place settings they laid out on the first floor.
I totally wanted to do this event in Boston! I called too late though, and they were already booked for yesterday’s event. They seem to have events all the time though, so I’ll have to pick another date.
In defense of W-S (my mom has worked there for years, gotta spread the love), oftentimes their complete sets of high-end cookware like AllClad or Calphalon come with tons of ‘extras’ that the same basic set at a department store might not include…things like specialty pots/pans, utensils, cookbooks, or even rebates. W-S also has a reeeeeeally generous return/exchange policy (a la Nordstrom’s). Not that these bonuses necessarily add up to $200, but that’s why it pays to comparison shop…or take any W-S gift cards/store credits you may have after the wedding to the W-S outlet, where I always have great luck, personally 
KS: Thanks for chiming in with the other side– I appreciate that. It’s always good to know the full story. And I would *love* to know where there’s a W-S outlet– I didn’t even know they had them, but I would love to go!
Miss Jasmine-
I hate to burst your bubble, but we also registered in Chicago and had a Horrible experience at Macy’s on State. Many of the items didn’t have prices, so we had no idea what we were asking our guests to pay for until we got home. We also had a hard time in the cookware dept where approx 10-12 ladies were all standing around the register talking and never offered to help. We had the gun, we obviously looked a little troubled at times, and no one even asked if we needed anything. We’re still registered there (as most of our families and friends will shop there) but I would have cancelled it otherwise! C&B was so much more user friendly and helpful, I thought, but we also didn’t go during an event. My best advice is to really, really do some internet searching on pots and pans (Consumer Reports, Amazon reviews for easy of use, Good Housekeeping articles (weird I know but helpful!)). It really helped us and we’re very happy with the set we registered for at C&B. It’s the cuisinart multi-clad, if you’re interested!!
Sorry you had a bad experience, but the idea of the salesguy getting all weird when you made the joke about being related totally cracks me up. What an awkward moment, lol.
Miss Jasmine, what is the glassware pictured in your post? I love it!
I’m pleased to say I had a fabulous experience registering at Macy’s on State Street: we went on a weekday in the afternoon, and we got lots of assistance and attention.
I went to this event in Phoenix, then later went to macys and was shocked that the same things at macys were more expensive than at crate and barrel. Check out http://www.cb2.com also, its a more modern version of crate and barrel and you can register online there. I ended up getting the same things at cb2 that were half the price and a whole lot cooler looking.
OOOH Miss Jasmine, what lovely plates! I registered for Claire dishware, but I am really loving your blue ones! Thanks for the tip.
