Hi! I haven’t forgotten about y’all, or this much requested post! Life is BUSY…. but I think we can all say that leading up to the holidays, am I right?! I’m in the midst of prepping for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Baby Hilgy, and you know, maintaining a social life, work life, eating right, and exercising. HAHA! So without further ado, one of my much anticipated posts:
The holidays are sneaking up on us, and “Gift Guides” are all over the internet. Now is also the perfect time to start thinking of your wedding registry, or maybe purchasing for others. (Take advantage of the mega sales that are coming up!!)
Registering for your wedding can be overwhelming. You start to question if you really need certain items, if some gadgets are too expensive, or maybe you already live with your fiance’ and feel like you don’t need much. During my engagement I turned to my close family and friends that were already married, and of course Facebook, on wedding registry must-haves. I can’t say I was less overwhelmed after reading everyone’s advice… but I wasn’t dreading the experience as much thanks to others telling me that they had fun. (Jake and I ended up making a fun Friday night of it!)
Before you read my small list of suggestions on top-items, my one other piece of advice is to consider ALL of your guests and the budget they will most likely set for themselves. For example, if you register at Crate and Barrel or Pottery Barn, maybe also register for Target or Amazon as well. Your guests will then have options on how much they are wanting to spend. Trust me, most ALL of your items will be bought either way. Jake and I ended up registering at Bed Bath and Beyond and also Macy’s. The price range varied, giving our guests flexibility, and no matter where they lived, both stores were pretty accessible.
Aside from my own personal opinions on what is necessary to register for, I asked around for others’ favorite items as well. Here’s a list below, and some direct links! Enjoy!
- Are you even engaged if you don’t register for a Kitchen Aide Mixer?! The colors are so fun to choose from, but unfortunately my husband wouldn’t let me go with the pop of bubblegum pink. UGH! **Also don’t forget the attachment. I love our spiralizer!
- My #1 recommended, most used, I couldn’t live without item? Our Ninja Coffee Maker. It’s a little pricey but I promise you, worth every single penny. I may have shed a tear when I opened it.
- Mini spatulas. Aside from our coffee maker, I use these cute spatulas almost every single day. Next time I’m at BBB, I may pick up another pack!
- Mud Pie, all things! So fun for hosting!
- A pretty cake dome. This was an item I registered for and thought, “I’ll never actually use this.” But I have it on my counter filled with muffins, homemade bread, etc. every single week. It’s almost too pretty not to have out! I’m so glad I ended up getting one.
- A large sized Wok. This is one of Jake’s favorite items. Perfect for stir fry.
- Extra sets of sheets and towels. (Can you ever have enough?!)
- Extra shower curtain liners. Don’t lie, those things get GROSS, and we don’t change them out nearly enough, like we should. And they don’t need to be fancy… grab these cheap ones from Amazon.
- Large salad/pasta bowls. Because let’s face it, cereal bowls are too hard to mix up your salads, pastas, etc. You need SPACE! Jake uses one almost every night at dinner. Great for large portions.
- Stackable bowls. (Glass and plastic)
- Nonstick pots and pans. LIFE CHANGING. The End.
- Pyrex storage dishes. I loved mine so much, I ended up buying another set with our gift cards. Plus, I feel very adult-like using glass and not leftover deli containers 🙂
- A dutch oven… again, I feel so fancy when I bring this baby out! Great for soups, stews, or baking homemade breads. (A splurge item, but nice to have for years to come.)
- Dyson cordless vacuum. To be honest, I’m not sure which exact one we were gifted, but this is worth every penny. We can vacuum our entire house in minutes due to it being cordless and so lightweight!
- If the cordless vacuums aren’t good enough for you, go ahead and sign yourself up for the Roomba.
- Red AND white wine glasses. I also got these outdoor stemless glasses that are perfect during summer cookouts!
- Speaking of summer cookouts, we use our veggie grilling basket almost every night during the summer!
- A good knife set. This was one of the most recommended items from other brides. *Bonus, check if the company also offers free sharpening*
- Of course any kind of slow cooker/crockpot will make you feel like you have your life together. My MIL gifted us this William Sonoma one and it’ s AMAZING! It’s easy to clean, has an automatic turn off button, and looks so sleek in your kitchen. Would highly recommend the splurge!
- A silicon muffin tin. More often than not, I am whipping up some kind of treat and realize I don’t have liners. With this, no muffin liners needed! **FYI! If you ever meal prep “egg muffins” for breakfast, THIS IS YOUR SAVING GRACE!**
- Soup bowl “oven mitts”. A family member made me a couple of these for my shower, but you can also find them on Amazon and Etsy if you’re not up to sewing yourself. These are also LIFE CHANGING! Honestly, please register for these and thank me later.
- Portable steamer. Perfect for travel, and way easier than getting out a giant ironing board and waiting for your iron to warm up. There are so many on Amazon to choose from!
- Bose speaker system. Ours currently sits in our kitchen, connects through our phones, and works throughout the entire house! We use it every single day.
- Lawn equipment….because while you’re using your new kitchen tools, your husband will need something to keep him busy too 😉
- Speaking of manly, outdoor stuff; a shop vacuum. What’s more adult than getting excited to clean out your garage and cars?!
- Lastly, don’t forget to add a few Holiday themed items to your registry. For example, a Santa cookie jar, or Thanksgiving platter. It’ll be the best surprise when you pull out that special piece every year when decorating!
After displaying your beautiful new Kitchen Aid mixer on your counter, and testing out your new wine glasses, don’t forget the most important registry step… thank you notes 😉 XOXO
