Today is a sick day for me, so I write to you guys with my tissues and hot green tea beside me. *sniffle, sniffle.
Kyle and I loved the registering process. Partly because it was like shopping without actually buying anything (which I'm sure was his favorite thing of all). We brought along his brother and his brother's girlfriend which made the process even more fun. A plus to registering before a lot of people our age (and making mistakes while doing it) is that we acquired some useful knowledge that I think will be very useful to all the engaged girls out there.
My Tips
1. Make sure you are well fed before going out to the store to register. Make it a fun date night! Go out to dinner, register, then pick up some ice cream on the way home. P.S. I found that when I had a
Starbucks in hand during, I was able to enjoy the trip even more ;)
2. Wear comfortable shoes. Seriously I can't believe I made this mistake. We spent 3 hours in target one of the times (partly because we were goofing off) and I wore my chunky flip flops. Let's just say I didn't make that mistake again at the next store. OUCHH.
3. Take a friend or another couple with you. We took Kyle's brother and his brother's girlfriend. Having them there made it so fun. Kyle didn't get bored because he had his brother (there's never a dull moment when they're with each other ) and I got help from his girlfriend/one of my best friends because I'm a horrible decision maker.
4. Let your Fiancé use the gun. There's something about using a "gun" in any context that makes the men happier. Trust me, I tried taking the gun and you would've thought I was with a two year old who just got his toy taken away. So bottom line let them have fun with the gun.
See what I mean about never a dull moment?
5. Its helpful for your guests if you choose to register at stores with many locations. With that being said, check out the stores return policy and perks that they offer for registering with them. We found that Bed Bath & Beyond and Macy's were the easiest to work with for returns and new purchases from our registry. Bed Bath & Beyond takes 20% off any purchase for a while after the wedding, not to mention the coupons that they always have that they will always honor even if they are expired. Unfortunately we had issues with Target. This was so sad for me because I'm a Target girl and always will be but for registering, we had so many problems. The registry computer wasn't working, the gun had issues and the registry wasn't tracking gifts that were purchased so we got triples of things. We also had issues with our returns. Remember I LOVE target and will always shop there, we just had a not so pleasant experience.
6. Know the style and appliance colors you are wanting for your new place. I had no idea what my style or what color scheme I wanted which made our trip very long because I was trying to get a feel for what my style was as a married woman not as a single 20 year old. Kyle and I also didn't know where we would be living once we got married so I didn't have anything to visualize with. (I ended up going with turquoise and red with stainless/black small appliances in the kitchen.)
7. If you don't know what you want and also don't have time to wander in the store aimlessly, then register for what you need first. You can always go back and register for more later once you figure out exactly what you want.
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| Poor boys, this is the result of being in Bed Bath & Beyond for 3 hours! haha |
8. Register sooner rather than later. Normally 3-6 months before your date is when you should register, but I say why wait?? If you do it sooner you're more likely to get engagement gifts you like because they'll (hopefully) be off your registry. Also, if Christmas is coming up, family members have the option to buy off the registry as well.
9. Go crazy! Ok maybe not crazy...but have fun and register for twice as many gifts as you have guests at the wedding. We had 150 guests at our wedding so we were supposed to register for 300 items. Don't let the number fool you, if you don't register for set of things the number of plates, bowls, baking items, towels, etc. add up QUICK. The more options you give your guests the more fun they will have buying for you. Oh and also make sure to vary the prices of the items you register for. Register for the China that Great Aunt Suzy WILL get you, but also realize that some have a not so large budget.
10. Know what you are wanting to invest in. You probably won't your expensive pots and pans set, blender, Kitchen Aid mixer, knives, luxury towels, frames, and vacuum you registered for. Not to worry, after all is said and done take inventory on what you have and what you would like to return because you realized you don't need 16 salad plates but really need coffee maker. The gift cards and coupons come in handy because you can use them for the big items. We didn't receive pots & pans, garbage can, blender, and other small appliances but we did receive plenty of cash and gift cards. We ended up investing in really nice pots and pans that were a pretty penny but we knew we would never fork out the cash if we had to on our own. Invest while you can because handing over the gift cards definitely doesn't hurt quite as bad as that ATM card.
Guess what! Now it's their turn! We had the privilege of joining Kyle's brother and my soon to be sister-in-law on their registering adventure.
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| Notice the Starbucks in hand and HE has the gun ;) |
I hope you found my tips useful and can use them when you get to have fun registering for your new chapter of life! If you have any questions or comments feel free to shoot me an email or leave a comment below :)
With Love, Kenzie Ann
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