When we got married 3 years ago, I was SO excited to create a registry. Not going to lie, I had actually been researching pots and pans, and deciding on home decor colours YEARS before we were even engaged ??♀️. I took the registry process pretty seriously, and wanted to register for things that I knew would last us years, and years!
3 years down the road, I can honestly say I am so happy with the items we received as wedding gifts, and use many of them every single day. Because everything was so well thought out and researched before hand!
Obviously your registry will depend on your lifestyle. Do you love to host groups of people? Are you busy and always on the go? Do you love color or do you prefer white? Do you strive to live a minimal lifestyle? Don’t assume that what is a perfect fit for someone else will work for you!
That being said, I wanted to share the things I registered for that I have been loving! As well as a few things that I would change!
Things NOT to register for:
- White bedding. Okay…I don’t actually regret this, because I love our white bedding. And will probably buy more white bedding in the future. But just so you know…if your husband does anything other than sit at a desk in a sterile office all day…he will somehow still manage to stain your white bedding. I don’t know how they do it, but somehow their bodies just absorb dirt, and then release it into your beautiful white sheets.
- Decor! This might not be a popular one, but personally I wanted to register for the things I needed. I knew that I’d prefer to buy home decor for myself later on, once we were more settled in our space. Personally, I liked that all of our larger items were taken care of, and we could shop for fun home decor items later (with wedding money!)
- Gadgets. Ok, I know some people love kitchen gadgets…but I do not. I don’t need a different tool to cut every different vegetable. And even if you do love those gadgets, make sure you will actually have space for them!
- Random kitchen appliances. Again, this is personal preference. But I’m not the type of person who likes to have a toaster, toaster oven, Instant-pot, crockpot, air fryer, etc….We only have a crockpot and a toaster, and that’s perfect for us! I think this is another example where you need to make sure you’ll have the space for these items. Otherwise they’ll end up put away in the basement where you forget about them!
Items to register for!
- High Quality Pots & Pans – We registered for a more expensive set of pots and pans, but I’m so glad because 3 years later they still look great! We use these nearly every day and have been so happy with them!
- Cast-Iron Pan: We didn’t actually register for this, but I wish we had! The non-stick pans we did register only lasted us about 2 years…(plus non-stick is full of yucky chemical). I wish we had just asked for cast-iron from the beginning because they will last us forever! We have a 10 inch pan, but I would register for at least 2 sizes!
- Everyday and “Fancy” dishes! I love that we have two different sets of dishes. Our “every day” dishes are blue, and gorgeous! But I also love having a white set that is neutral for holidays! Whatever you decide on for dishes, I recommend getting more place settings that you think you need!
- High Quality Pillows: Take this opportunity to invest in some high quality pillows for your bed! I actually don’t love the pillow I got, so I’d recommend finding something with at least a 30 day guarantee. But regardless, a nice pillow for sleeping will be a great investment.
- Vacuum: You may have noticed a theme here, but I will always recommend high quality items that will last you FOREVER! We didn’t love the original vacuum we registered for, and thankfully we were able to trade it in for our cordless Dyson which I 100% recommend! We use it every single day, and absolutely love it.
- Bath Towels: Again, take this opportunity to get some nice, high quality bath towels. And be sure to get extras for when you have guests over! We have 4 large bath towels, and I honestly think 6 would have been nice. I always have to sacrifice my hair towel when we have guests over! ? I really wanted white towels but Quinton was pretty against them, so we went with dark grey. Honestly, I love our dark grey towels because they still look great 3 years later!
- Camping Gear! Obviously, if you hate camping….you probably don’t need camping gear. But maybe think of another hobby that your friends and family could support? We didn’t really register for camping gear, but got so much as wedding gifts and it was a huge, unexpected blessing! This is a perfect addition if you feel like you already have a lot of the typical wedding registry items!
I hope this helps you as you prepare your wedding registry! We loved the process of picking out things for our future home, so I hope you do as well! If you’re already married, I’d love to hear what items you love from your registry, and which you would pass on!
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