G and I are about to hit our ONE YEAR WEDDING ANNIVERSARY.
Guys, I’m getting kind of emotional thinking about that. This year has absolutely flown by. And to be 100% honest, it’s been nothing but a blast.
Since we got married 4 months after I graduated college, and a year after Garrett graduated, we really weren’t starting out with a lot of things. I know that isn’t the case for everyone though! There are a million lists on the Internet of all the essentials you need to register for that you can reference, but I figured I would highlight some things that I love the most that I got from my registry, the things that I use the most, the things you might be forgetting to add, and the things that I ended up returning.
MY TOP PICKS TO REGISTER FOR:
1. Kitchen-aid Stand mixer
This one is a classic. I choose the KitchenAid Classic Plus 4.5 qt Stand Mixer in white. Perfect size! My mom has a smaller version, and I definitely prefer my full sized one! And I love the white, it looks so pretty and looks so classic since we leave it out on our counter all the time.
2. Kate spade tea kettle
This one may be pointless for you. Depends I suppose. G and I drink a lot of tea and like to make french press coffee, so we use this sucker a lot. Plus it’s adorable and adds a cute pop of color in our kitchen! We have it in turquoise.
3. Crock-Pot Slow cooker
Once you master crock-pot basics, you will be obsessed with it. We use ours AT LEAST twice a week it feels like. It switches to warm automatically after your selected time, so if you only need something to cook for 4 hours, but will be gone for 6 hours, it will still be cooked perfectly (and warm!) when you get home. I make chili really often, and let it cook while I’m at work. Since I work literally all day, I set it for 10 hours, so even when I get home after about 13 hours, it’s still hot and perfect 🙂
4. Pyrex set
Any fans of leftovers? Like I love cooking chili and bringing the leftovers into work the next day! I like reheating things in glass versus plastic because I just don’t know about potential chemicals :/ Pyrex is so durable, and I use all of these different sizes! Perfect for baking, storage, etc.
5. An amazing Fluffy Down Comforter
We put this in a duvet cover and it has transformed out bed into literally the warmest, coziest bed in existence.
6. I-Life Robotic Vacuum
I’ve talked about this before, and I didn’t actually get this from my registry; but I bought it a month or so after G and I got married and we loveeee this thing! A heck of a lot cheaper than a Roomba, but HECK it’s your registry, so if you want a Roomba, put it on your registry!
7. Frames
Where else are you going to put all of your beautiful new wedding photos?? These pretty brass and matted ones from Target are perfect for creating a gallery wall with your new wedding photos 🙂
8. Essential Oil Diffuser
Our diffuser gets used every day. I use the lavender oil at night, lemongrass in the afternoon, and a special oil blend when I’m feeling a little under the weather. I truly sleep better when I use the lavender oil and I always wake up feeling slightly better when I utilize my “sick blend” 🙂
9. A Good Cast-Iron Pan
This one is cheap, but is actually great! A good cast iron pan can last a lifetime and beyond 🙂
10. A blender that will actually do the job
I’m a big fan of our Ninja Blender. It actually blends things and crushes ice!
11. GoPro
We used ours to take lots of cute photos and videos on our honeymoon. I compiled all of the photos and videos of our adventures to make a short video to document our honeymoon. We continue to bring it with us on all of our adventures to take surprisingly good quality photos!
12. An awesome air Mattress
This air-mattress is comfy, won’t deflate on you, and has a built in air pump! You just plug it in, and it will inflate itself… no extra pump needed! And then when you need to take it down, it pumps the air out by a motor so that you can fold it up super easily.
WHAT I DON’T USE:
1. Electric Juicer
I had good intentions with the juicer 🙁 Unfortunately, it has yet to make it out of the box.
2. Electric Kettle
Originally had an electric kettle on our registry and then once someone bought it for us at a shower, I thought long and hard about it, and realized that I would prefer an old school tea kettle. Who needs another appliance to clutter their cabinets? At least an old school kettle looks pretty when you leave it out all the time!
3. Kitchen-Aid Food Processor
I want to use this more. I was SO excited when I got this. But if we are being honest, I have only used it once. I hope I will have more opportunities to use it more, but unfortunately, at this current moment, I have not been cooking the type of recipes that generally warrant the use of a food processor. Working on it.
4. A salad Spinner
Too much work, takes up too much room, just another thing to clean up.
OTHER TIPS:
1. choose items at a wide variety of price points
A lot of people will like to get something at a low price point to go along with a check or gift card. And if you want something at a high price, if you register for it at Target and people can contribute money to make it a group gift. But if no one gets it for you, have no fear! After your wedding, Target will send you a coupon for 15% off all items on your registry that didn’t get fulfilled. You will be bound to have lots of gift cards, so use the gift cards to buy that big ticket item at a discount!
2. Make more than 1 registry
Tbh, I had 3 registries! I choose Bed, Bath, and Beyond, Target, and Anthropologie! Target because if I wanted to return something, I could use the store credit for literally anything I need. Bed, Bath, and Beyond because a lot of people like to use those 20% off coupons. And Anthropologie for the unique things!
Amazon has a registry program too, which is super convinient for your guests who have Amazon Prime and love to online shop. Plus Amazon has LITERALLY everything!!! Plus they give you a 20% coupon after your wedding for whatever was not purchased!
3. Put some unique things on your registry
Some of your guests will love getting you something that is a little bit more unique than a crock-pot! That is why I made a registry with Anthropologie– to include some items that were statement pieces and that I normally wouldn’t buy just because.
Examples:
Iron Entryway Shelf Set
This iron entryway shelf set is so cute. We use this to organize our keys and mail. One of my favorite things that I got from our wedding! It’s so unique!
A Unique Vase
This particular style is sold out now (I have the taller striped vase in the picture), but I linked some other pretty vases that I love from Anthro!
Anthropologie: Swirled Glass Vase: $28; Embossed Floral Vase: $28
A Fun Cookie Jar
My brother-in-law ended up getting us this and I love it! It’s so quirky and fits our personalities perfectly.
Share your tips from your own wedding registry below! And if you are currently planning your wedding, share the item you are most excited about on your registry!
P.S. if you buy any items through my links, I may earn a small commission 🙂
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