TWO YEARS LATER

WHAT TO CONSIDER WHEN DECIDING WHAT TO REGISTER FOR

• Register for how you live. If you and your partner eat out 6 nights a week, it doesn’t make sense to register for every kitchen gadget out there. If you spend your weekends hiking and backpacking, then register for camping gear. Your friends and family look forward to gifting items you use regularly, so you always remember them. Sit down with your partner and think about how you guys live and what is most important to you when deciding what to register for
• Think of quality over quantity. Use your registry as an opportunity to collect beautiful every day pieces that become family heirlooms. Register for items you wouldn’t splurge on yourself, and save plastic, inexpensive gadgets and organization tools to acquire as you continue to live together. We found lots of our friends chipped in to purchase larger items on our list, which was a great solution to keep the number of our housewares and belongings to a minimum.
• Not everything needs to be expensive. Add price point variety to ensure your guests can find something in their budget. For example, with our everyday china, guests could purchase a single piece at a time. Items like mixing bowls or spoons were some of our favorite gifts, but were the less expensive options on our registry.
• Minimal is always better. Try to avoid trends, patterns, or bright colors. Keep your color palette to a neutral base to ensure you don’t tire of your pieces and they’ll always work with your decor. We kept everything to white, wood, marble, with some gray and blue linens thrown in. Two years later, we’re still using our registry pieces nearly every day.

HERE IS WHAT TO REGISTER FOR IF WE DID IT ALL OVER AGAIN (because they’re our absolute favorites)

Classic Flatware 

We were given a stunning set of monogrammed sterling silver that had been in the family, so we registered for a fun, modern version in a simple gold pattern. It’s been used at countless dinner parties, brunches and even pretty picnics.

Olive Wood Everything 

Nothing is more luxurious than a cool, casual olive wood bowl. We use ours for produce on the counter, like lemons or artichokes. They serve salad and pasta beautifully, and blend perfectly with my collection handed down from my grandmother. Consider serving boards and cooking utensils, too.

Plain White Bone China 

I caused a little bit of a “scuffle” with my mom and grandmother when I decided to register for plain white china instead of traditional gilded wedding patterns. I wanted something we’d use every day that was nicer than our hodgepodge collection of Ikea plates I bought in college. We ended up going with the Hotel Collection of bone china, which is the highest quality you can get (literally, these babies don’t scratch or chip – I’ve even dropped a plate directly on the floor), in the chicest smooth option we could find. Our plates still look brand new and we use them at least twice a day. And this shape bowl is used for almost everything in our house.

Then, we registered for platinum and gold woven edge accent plates, which layer on top of our everyday china for more formal occasions. Our pattern by Vera Wang is no longer available (glad we splurged after the wedding and completed the set), but it is a modern gold and silver hand drawn plaid and it’s perfection.

Wine Glasses

These were one of the first things to arrive after registering, because it’s a favorite gift to give. We also got a set of stemless that make pretty water glasses, too.

Linen Napkins 

We try to use real napkins as much as possible to minimize paper towel waste. As you know – pretty much everything I purchase needs to be linen, so these options were perfect for everyday because they wash so beautifully.

Affordable Serving Pieces 

I have fallen in love with the organic lines of these pieces by Sophie Conran and this serving dish is our go to for making anything we take to friends houses. The pieces have held up beautifully and they couldn’t be more affordable.

Marble Everything 

From vases to serving boards to rolling pins, we use our marble pieces in the kitchen constantly, and they are just what to register for. The vases hold olive wood utensils beautifully, so we don’t have wasted items sitting in cabinets until we need them. The pastry board makes our counters feel  instantly more luxe and I use it for flatlays all the time.

White Kitchenware

My mother in law had gifted us her white Kitchenaid when we moved to Austin, so we didn’t need to register for one – but it’s a classic piece that everyone is glad they registered for. Our Le Creuset is the workhorse of our kitchen and lives proudly on our stove year round. We’ve converted entirely to ceramic cookware and it cleans incredibly.

Make sure and grab Bar Keepers Friend on Amazon to keep them looking bright white (this stuff is literally magic). Opt for a cute white colander that looks pretty on open shelving since the cost difference is nominal. We use our mandolin literally every week and this inexpensive option does the job perfectly.

Linen, Linen, and more Linen 

For our bedroom, we knew we wanted to upgrade to linen and I’m so glad we did. (I can quote Quinn saying, “I won’t ever sleep in another kind of sheet again.”). These duvets wash amazingly, feel like a million bucks and look so chic on the bed – we got a white and a charcoal gray. These sheets are a dream – and we’ve filled in extra pillow cases with these affordable ones at Target. To keep our linen closet under control, we only have two sets of sheets and two duvet covers at a time (one on the bed, one being washed).

We were gifted our beautiful four poster bed by my grandmother for the wedding, and I love how sentimental it is. There is no place we spend more time and it reminds me of her every day.

Vacuum and Iron

When thinking of what to register for, do not skip over these! When we received our new iron, our lives changed. Ironing time was cut down by 70% and the finished product looks brand new. MIND BLOWN. Don’t forget a new ironing board cover, too, though. That made a huge difference, too. Lastly – we opted for a Shark Vacuum and have been super impressed with it. Half the cost of a Dyson, it’s performed just as well. I think. You’d have to ask our housekeeper. She does the vacuuming around here. 😂

Weigh in on what to register for! What would you add to the list? What would you register for? What would you skip? Let me know in the comments below.