From Wishlists to Registries

From Wishlists to Registries

January 30th, 2010 @ 3:20 pm by Mrs. Parfait
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Every Christmas since I was a little girl, I’ve made my parents and brother a collage of things I want (and definitely do not need). It started with My Little Ponies and Lisa Frank stationery and has progressed to this crazy thing you see below. I would stop, but they ask for it every year, and who am I to keep secrets?

From Wishlists to Registries : wedding gift ideas registry Dsc05682 Christmas Wishlist 2008

(It’s slightly embarrassing how greedy I am. I’ll comfort myself in knowing this was two Christmases ago, and I’ve scaled it down since then. Kind of.)

See, I’m pretty good at knowing what I like and want at any given moment. But none of these items are necessary. And my tastes change so fast! Probably the only things on there I’d still want are the bike and bowls. Oh wait, I’d take that Flip cam, too. Anything from Tiffany’s wouldn’t hurt either…

Wait, okay, so my next point is: When it comes to things that I *need*—things that I’ll like *forever*—my brain comes to a screeching halt.

Which brings us to my problem with registries. We thought of a few places to register; I got all website-clicking-happy; and then I froze! One night, I added 20 things to our registry and took them all down within minutes. I kept asking myself, “Am I going to like this in 20 years?” and, “Is black here to stay?” and, “Shouldn’t I read just one more review… about every single option?”

The hardest part is that we don’t have anything to start with. When we move in together, we’ll both be moving out of our families’ homes, which means nothing is really ours. The dishes, the chairs, the knives—they all stay with our families. But I feel like I’m choosing everything in our future home during this one fleeting moment in which I love delicate details, clean lines, and black and white. What happens if my tastes change toward vintage or bold colors?

I’m at a standstill right now. Any advice from those of you who have already registered? How did you approach the task?

Tags: gift-ideas, registry |

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27 Responses to “From Wishlists to Registries”

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Member

di5308 (message) 382 posts, Helper bee

OMG I had a crisis when I was picking out a blender for FI last year for Christmas. It was our first joint appliance, and I began panicking about whether it would match all of our future appliances and what color our kitchen would be painted in the house we are several years away from buying!

Seriously I just needed a reality check. I ended up with stainless, and when it came time for registries I went with clean and classic looks. I had to realize that there are more important things in life than every single kitchen item matching perfectly.

Maybe talk with FI about style you each like and pick things that match the best you can.

1/30/10 @ 3:41 pm (reply)

Member

Swiss Miss to Bee (message) 1,004 posts, Bumble bee

we just pointed the gun and shot away. it was fun and we didnt’ think tooooo much aobut it. we were pretty limited since we’ll be livng in Europe and all the plugs and wattage are diff so we had to hunt down some special items on amazon.com but I had to say good bye to the Kitchen Aid mixer thing that EVERYone gets in a cool color I would have liked blue. Or red…orange? Oh well, it’s a moot point b/c the Eruopean ones are even more exp. then the US ones.

1/30/10 @ 4:02 pm (reply)

Member

Snowflake Brit (message) 78 posts, Worker bee

We’re starting to look for items ourselves. I’d suggest looking for simple lines and classic colours in high quality items and then go for fashion or ones you like in items that will be replaced in the future ie everyday items.

1/30/10 @ 4:09 pm (reply)

Guest

periwinkle

Remember that stuff breaks, toasters quit toasting, towels wear out, you’ll probably have a bigger place someday and move things around, and it’s okay if everything on the list isn’t forever. A few special lasting things are great, but everything on your list will not still be with you in 15 years.

1/30/10 @ 4:24 pm (reply)

Bee

Miss Hermit Crab (message) 3,530 posts, Sugar bee

I think you should find something you love NOW and go for it! like @periwinkle said, you unfortunately (or fortunately) won’t have everything forever, so at least you’ll be happy now! Enjoy - it’s fun envisioning your first home together

1/30/10 @ 4:30 pm (reply)

Guest

Miss Sundrop

Also, if you see another one you like better, you can return the one you received as a gift for a gift card. Its not final. Its not a 20 year life decision. That’s what helped me get started a couple of weeks ago. Think of it more like your Christmas wish collage, its now. Not forever.

1/30/10 @ 4:32 pm (reply)

Member

canegirl08 (message) 158 posts, Blushing bee

The best thing to do is to pick plain staple items (silverware, main dishes) and then jazz them up with awesome accent pieces. For example, pick a basic white dinner plate and then get fun funky placemats and napkins. The food is going to cover up any design anyway and placemats and napkins are easier to change. You can also apply this rule to glassware (plain glasses with funky pitchers) or silverware (plain silverware with funky servingware).

This way if you get tired of something, you still have a good base to work with and you don’t have the expense of changing EVERYTHING.

You can also really dress up a table with accessories that will pull all the looks together.

I actually registered for a couple different kinds of napkins and placemats so I could rotate. One is a bit more formal, one matches our dining room color scheme (for right now) and the last is one that was really modern.

1/30/10 @ 4:34 pm (reply)

Guest

Sarah Townsend

I am having the exact same crisis right now. Our wedding is only three months away so I’m feeling a bit of a time crunch in registering, which is fun, but slightly stressful when you start to think how all these things will look together. Will my bath towels match my shower curtain? Should I get extra for a future guest room? If I want to do my kitchen in red and my living room in blue and my bedroom in purple will that look bad? Does it matter? I decided to go with classic items, and to only register for what we need NOW. I’m getting all white dishes, with the exception of red Le Creuset (because red is always a fave of mine in the kitchen department) and a few colorful accent pieces, like pitchers, tablecloths, etc. As another commenter said, you can always return & exchange anything that is wildly out of place. Chances are we’ll all have to play the return & exchange game anyway, because not everyone will stick to our registry lists! Good luck!

1/30/10 @ 4:53 pm (reply)

Member

lindz221 (message) 80 posts, Worker bee

Just pick quality appliances and items that are simple and timeless. As long as nothing is too trendy you probably won’t mind it in 10 years. I am not registering for anything decor-related since I know my tastes change there.

1/30/10 @ 5:09 pm (reply)

10.

Bee

Mrs. Mouse (message) 5,844 posts, Bee Keeper

When it comes to things that you know you’re going to have to make do with for a long time, choose simplicity over exciting and fun. When it comes to cheaper things, things that will need to be replaced every couple of years anyway, go for the thing that are a little more out there in terms of style. For example, I’d choose everyday china in a solid white or cream color and a classic shape. Nothing too modern or too vintage looking. But you could also add other “fun” things, like bright-colored mixing bowls or towels, since you’ll likely replace those more regularly.

1/30/10 @ 5:37 pm (reply)

11.

Bee

Miss Nachos (message) 1,733 posts, Bumble bee

I would choose a color scheme and it’ll go a lot smoother from there. Don’t over think it, our place is a hodge podge of so many different things and it just kinda worked. If you see it and you like it and it’s your tastes, it’ll flow.

1/30/10 @ 5:44 pm (reply)

12.

Bee

Miss Ribbons (message) 2,018 posts, Buzzing bee

I just have to say, I made collages too when I was little. I would just cut out stuff from the giant jcpenney christmas catalog and generally go nuts.

I’m just going with white stuff for now, knowing I can get some funky chargers, napkins, platters, etc down the road. Invest in classic pieces that you can accessorize with trendy stuff later!

1/30/10 @ 5:52 pm (reply)

13.

Bee

Miss Scissors (message) 7,343 posts, Bee Keeper

I love your collage, btw. I just made lists as a kid!

We’re going minimalist and modern, but not trendy. I don’t really see our tastes changing that much, but I might be wrong. White plates are always classic though.

1/30/10 @ 6:50 pm (reply)

14.

Bee

Miss Giraffe (message) 4,216 posts, Honey bee

I wonder the same things! How can I pick out all things for our future home that I know I’ll like 10 years from now!

1/30/10 @ 7:59 pm (reply)

15.

Member

Ms. Library (message) 1,250 posts, Bumble bee

Choose things that are cool, but not necessarily things that you will have to get a Ph.D. to run. I was pumped about “top of the line” stuff, but we realized that we wouldn’t know what to do with half of it later on. Definitely enlist Mr. Parfait’s help (if he wants to) and look at each piece together when making big decisions. It helps to bounce ideas around.

1/30/10 @ 8:21 pm (reply)

16.

Member

tea (message) 7,263 posts, Bee Keeper

i never thought to make collages. i just did the boring lists!

1/30/10 @ 10:24 pm (reply)

17.

Bee

Miss Pug (message) 3,753 posts, Honey bee

mr. pug and i have been living together for a couple of years and we have tons of home stuff (consequence of being 30+), but i *still* edited my registry about 50 times. i actually have a post coming up later about this issue, so hopefully i can share some tips.

1/30/10 @ 11:17 pm (reply)

18.

Bee

Mrs. Dumpling (message) 722 posts, Busy bee

if you think your list was bad, you should have seen mine this year. and i have a kid. I asked for about $2K worth of stuff.

1/31/10 @ 12:57 am (reply)

19.

Guest

Miss bliss

I think that you should think about what makes you think that a home is lovely. For example, I’ve been enjoying Victoria magazine since I was a teenager. I love old homes and antiques… so it would make sense that I might pick vintage styles. I love crystal, sterling, and china. I plan on having parties and celebrations thoughout my life…so things like that fit my style. Some of your registry will last a lifetime, and other things are going to go out of style. Your toaster, sheets, and towels are probably going to wear out. So don’t worry about picking trendy there. Dishes are more long lasting… If you go with a pottery style… it will probably chip in a few years… While a bone china will last and last. I have everyday bone china, and a collection of bone china that is a 100 years old and still looks lovely. Some of my great grandmothers wedding crystal has survived and is a treasured family keepsake. So think long term on some items… don’t worry about it being trendy… it will reflect your wedding era! My other great grandmother’s wedding china has Autumn leaves on it… which is a wonderful reminder of her October wedding!

1/31/10 @ 1:53 pm (reply)

20.

Member

jmc (message) 882 posts, Busy bee

Go classic wherever possible, and it’s not like you’ll literally use all of this stuff forever. I have trendy napkins and stuff from our registry, but whatever, I can get new napkins anytime. I was suspicious of the new colored kitchen stuff though. I got my kitchenaid in white because I WILL have that forever, and I might not think aqua or orange is totally cute 20 years from now.

1/31/10 @ 8:53 pm (reply)

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