As I grow up I quickly learn that more and more things are not what they seem like in the movies. Do you know how many movies I've seen brides-to-be joyously walking through an immaculate home goods store carefully picking out their fine china, good crystal, and spotless silverware to be added to their wedding registry? I don't have an exact number, but I do have a ballpark - too many. And let me tell you something - that is not how it really is.
All of the wedding websites suggest you register at stores that will gives guests a variety of choices in both products and budgets, so when it came time to register for our wedding, Blake and I chose to register at 3 stores: Sur La Table, Target, and Crate and Barrel. And similar to a romantic comedy, I learned a lesson at each one until it was just right.
Lesson Number 1: Make an Appointment
We registered at Sur La Table on a whim one night. We were already at our local mall and had about an hour to kill and I decided that the best use of that hour was registering for wedding gifts. So with no preparation or forethought I walked in to the store and announced that we would be making a wedding registry. We quickly learned two things - Blake and I do not have the same style when it comes to anything related to kitchen ware and neither of us had enough cooking or baking knowledge to even be in that store in the first place. That's where an appointment would have come in handy. Sur La Table offers appointments for gift registries so that they can have a staff member ready to answer all of your questions - even the silly ones. The store and its products are amazing, so please take advantage of their offer to set up an appointment so you can get the full experience and be confident in your decisions instead of wondering out loud the difference between a cookie sheet and a jelly roll pan.
Lesson Number 2: Be Ready to get Weird Looks
Taking a cue from lesson number one, we registered at Target on a week night when we knew that store wasn't going to be too busy. At Target they have you do your registry entirely on your phone - you download their registry app and use your phone's camera to take a picture of the product's barcode and you're done! Simple as that. But unfortunately without an official looking scanner, you just look like a crazy lady wandering the aisles of Target taking pictures of everything. It was only when I turned around to find a little girl staring at me with a look I can only describe as equal parts terror and concern in the bedding aisle, that I realized Blake had wandered off and I was having a conversation with myself about the merits of down alternative pillows.
Lesson Number 3: Go to the Pros
There's a reason that everybody and their mother has registered at Crate and Barrel for their weddings. Not only are their products stylish and extremely durable, they know what they're doing. My local Crate and Barrel hosted a wedding registry event on a Sunday morning where they allowed engaged couples to come in before the store opened and register. They had a plethora of sales staff ready and willing to answer questions, give demonstrations, and help in any other way they could think of. When we entered we were handed a list of commonly registered items sorted by type and use and I could have kissed them. You know how I feel about beautifully arranged lists. The pros at Crate and Barrel let Blake cut things with insanely sharp knives, let me arrange a pretend dinner party with the cups, plates, and silverware of my choosing, and even gave us a gift on the way out the door! Crate and Barrel by far was the closest to the Hollywood registering experience I had imagined.
Keep smiling!
Kaylina
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