Four of my super-amazing and totally-awesome friends are getting married this fall, so I’ve been spending a lot of time perusing wedding registries as of lately. It has really taken me back to the excitement and confusion I felt when I was thinking about what to put on our wedding registry (yes, I realize that I said “I” instead of “we,” but get real, the husband did not want to be involved with that stuff).
Back when I got married, I didn’t know how to cook. I mean, I could brown hamburger to make spaghetti with meat sauce, but I couldn’t saute a chicken breast or even make rice. I didn’t know what to put on a wedding registry, and what I really didn’t need.
I thought it would be fun to share with you the things I wish I had put on that wedding registry, and what I wish I hadn’t purchased. Oddly, all of the items that I wish I didn’t own were ones that I bought for myself!
After a wedding, you usually have the option to buy any un-purchased items on your registry at a discount, so I bought a few things that we didn’t receive as presents. In hindsight, maybe no one bought them for us because they knew they were a stupid idea.
But, hey, way to go friends and family! You picked out some super awesome stuff 🙂
I’ve split this post into three sections: What I wish I had registered for, what I really didn’t need, and what I couldn’t live without. Each of the affiliate links below will take you over to Amazon to see the tools I use and love!
What I Wish I Had Registered For
- A cherry/olive pitter, and an apple peeler/corer/slicer. Yep, two totally random objects. I’m not saying that everyone needs to own these two items, but I spend a lot of time pitting, peeling, coring, and slicing, so it makes sense for me to keep these around. These wedding registry items are ones that you’ll use to accomplish the tasks you find yourself doing over and over again. Here are links to some good ones.
- Big, wooden cutting/carving boards. Nothing is as awkward as pulling the turkey out on Thanksgiving in front of your whole family only to realize that you do not own a cutting board big enough to carve the darn thing. Check out this one in the link below.
- Four sets of nice sheets. You’ll need a set for your room and the guest room, plus an extra one for each during laundry day. Somehow I completely forgot about registering for sheets, and my guest room *still* has really scratchy sheets that I bought from the Fred Meyer Red Tag store for $17.
- A Dutch or French Oven, preferably with enameled cast iron. High-quality stove-to-oven cookware is worth its weight in gold. If you feel like splurging, register for Le Creuset. A more moderately priced alternative is Lodge brand. I have one of each and love them both, see links below for each.
- Yard care stuff. Uh, yeah. There’s this part of your house called the “outside.” A lawnmower, weed whacker, and leaf blower would have really come in handy.
- Stainless steel cookware. I know that your first instinct is to go for the non-stick, but stainless is what will give you a golden brown sear on your food (plus it can go in the dishwasher). See the link below for an awesome set I use.
- KitchenIQ Zester. I seriously just got this last week (see link below) and it’s the best thing ever. I use my zester for grating Parmesan cheese, ginger, and garlic as well as zesting citrus. I love the KitchenIQ Zester because it has a reservoir to catch the trimmings with measurement lines to tell you how much you have already grated. When you slide the reservoir off, the attached squeegee drags alongside the grater to pick up any pieces stuck in the tool. It’s a kitchen miracle.
- Camping gear. An air mattress, tent, and outdoor dining kit would be an awesome thing to register for. I know that not everybody camps, but just register for items that fit your hobbies. Maybe you and your betrothed like to kayak, hike, bowl, or tailgate. Get creative!
- Storage and Organizers. Uh, yeah. You’ll definitely need somewhere to store all of the wonderful items you receive. Don’t forget to plan for shelf organizers and spice rack storage.
What I Really Didn’t Need
- Forty-seven different non-stick pans. I really could have done with just one or two. I love my Caphalon Jumbo Fryer, Anolon Wok, and Cooks non-stick omelette pan, but other than that I use cast iron or stainless for pretty much everything. See the links below for the ones I use.
- “His and Hers” anything. This includes monogrammed towels, beer cozies, pillowcases, bathrobes, etc. It seemed cute at the time, but now it’s just silly.
- A pizza cutter. Seriously, it’s the most useless gadget ever. Just use a good knife, or if you make pizza on a weekly basis you could invest in one of these crazy things in the link below.
What I Couldn’t Live Without
- My Lodge Cast Iron Skillet. Seriously, I use this thing for pretty much everything but boiling water. I even take it camping! It’s pre-seasoned, so you don’t have to do any crazy seasoning stuff to it before you use it. See link below.
- My luggage. A nice set of luggage might not be something you’d buy for yourself, but you’ll appreciate having it once you use it. You don’t want the zipper breaking on your rinky-dink suitcase when you’re trying to get through airport security on your honeymoon.
- My KitchenAid stand-mixer. Yes, I know it is cliche, but I just love it. I use mine for kneading bread (hey, that’s hard work!), slicing/grating/shredding fruits and vegetables, whipping cream, shredding chicken, and about fifty other things. It’s a bit of a right of passage for a bride-to-be. With that said, don’t bother registering for one unless you think you’re really going to use it! See the link below.
- My Wusthof knives. Oh, how I love my knives. It’s amazing what you can accomplish in the kitchen if you just have one good knife and one good pan. You can register for a set, or for individual pieces. I’d recommend getting a chef’s knife, bread knife, and paring knife to start out with. You can handle just about anything with those three bad boys.
Alright, so what do you think?
Did I forget anything? What wedding registry ideas would you recommend? What do you own now that you wish you had put on your wedding registry list?
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Comments
I think I’m a few years late to the game on this post, but this has been so helpful as we start planning our registry, especially with the comments.
I would add two of my favorite kitchen tools that I don’t see previously mentioned:
A pastry cutter! I use it to cut dough obviously, but also to cut baked goods (think brownies, rice krispies) and even to scrape things off the counter or scoop up hot food if a spatula just won’t cut it. Mine even has a ruler on it which I’ve found very handy.
Also an immersion blender. I didn’t know what I was missing until I got this! When your dishes are piling up and you don’t want to pull out the blender, this bad boy is amazing for mixing soups and sauces and even blending things like batters and salsas.
Thank you for this list! I am currently building my registry and this was very helpful.
A step stool comes in such handy! We have a tall, 2-step one with a handle and another small, collapsible one.
These are definitely some great ideas and some I’d never think of. Also, I’d just like to say, thank you for calling it a weed whacker. I haven’t heard anyone else say that in so long! Lol
my top tips
some of these are low price point items for filling in the registry & must haves i use often,
go to a restaurant supply store (like ace-mart)
1- get 2 nice heavy sheet pans. you can use them for a wide variety of things.. i paid $4 for each of mine (i have 3)
2- a heavy duty muffin tin. with paper liners.
** add on item** they have pan handle covers to be used with the fajita skillets in a restaurant, i have 4 i use on the cast iron skillets that way don’t accidentally grab the handle while cooking. they were $3 for 2 !!
any BBB or good kitchen ware store
3- oil mist sprayer, comes i handy when i run out of no stick spray !
4- nice heavy measuring spoons and cups, glass measuring cups too.
5- a handled mixing bowl
6- cast iron skillet, dutch oven, grill pan (if you like to cook and will take the time to season it well- and care for it, if not stick to stainless cookware. non stick is not worth the money)
7- a good 6-8 piece stainless cookware set. i have a heavy bottom farber ware set with glass lids i got on clearance at a kitchen store for $68, with two sized pans, 3 pots and a steam pot with a removable basket)
8 – a neutral table cloth and cotton napkin set (12 napkins). do not get a poly blend as they do not adsorb anything.
9- an 8-12 place settings, neutral to go with any main event. (i have two sets of 6 white place settings- they do not match exactly but are very close) ditto on the silverware set of 12
10- whisk, good flat spatula, vented spatula, 4-5 piece bamboo utensils ( i use these most since they do not scratch the cast iron :), slotted & solid spoon.
11- glass or good pottery cookware and table serving items. i prob have way too much, but a good french white set (6-7 pieces) should last you a long time
from pampered chef
12- a good quality grater with a catch box on bottom , or a rotary grater
13- slanted measuring cups (3 sizes)
14- bamboo bagel tongs.. can easily get stuff out of the toaster
15- the set of 2 small paring knives.
16- i love their copper designed trivets, i have 2, wish i had ordered more.
17- invest in good dark colored kitchen towels, and oven mitts. hey hide stains better.
I am registering for my upcoming wedding and I was wondering what are the best cookie sheets/ cupcake pans ? Thanks!
I would add a coffee grinder and kitchen scissors for cutting up chicken. Happily, I received both of these.
Ooh, good ideas!
Thank you so much for this helpful advice! I am getting married in June and we are about to tackle the wedding registry process and I found your knowledge and experience so helpful! I didn’t even think of an apple peeler or corer but I am so glad to have read this post because I’m sure it will save so much time when making yummy pies! God bless you!
So glad to be of help, Bailey!
Am I the only one that finds it ironic that you found a pizza cutter to be completely useless, yet you really, really wanted a device to core/slice your apples for you? Apple corer’s are the epitome of a kitchen gadget designed for laziness.
You definitely have a point! The reason why I put the apple corer/peeler/slicer on there is because it’s a huge pain in the ass to peel, core, and slice a ton of apples by hand for pie or applesauce. Once you do a huge batch of apples by hand you’ll appreciate the peeler tool. I also use it for potatoes!
I am getting married next Fall and have been researching registries for weeks! This was the most helpful article I have come across, especially with everyone’s comments and suggestions. Thank you! I finally feel like I have a starting point for registering 🙂 Le Creuset and Wusthof knives, here I come!
I’m so glad to be of help, Gabi! Congratulations!!
My Wusthofs, cast iron, and Le Creuset are the great kitchen loves of my life.
Knives are one of those things you don’t really think much about until you use a good one, and then a whole new world opens up before you. I used a motley assortment of grocery-store knives most of my life, until one day I tried a Wusthof Classic chef’s knife and I fell in love.
If you spend any time at all cutting things in the kitchen, invest in a really good chef’s knife and then take good care of it. It’s one expense you will never regret.
Couldn’t have said it better myself, Katie!!
This is a great article, my wedding is in 5 weeks and I wanted to make sure I had everything taken care of before people started buying gifts, so very timely for me too! 🙂
We did the registry at Bed Bath & Beyond, but we also did one on Amazon. It’s awesome because you can use their Universal Registry plugin to add things from any retail site on the internet, even if that site doesn’t have registry capabilities. So if you love a couple things from Williams Sonoma, for instance, but not enough to fill a registry, you can include them in your Amazon one. Same for some of that outdoor stuff you mentioned, we put a few things from Home Depot and I got a set of really great gardening hand tools and things like that at my bridal shower.
Lisa, that idea for an Amazon wedding registry is brilliant! I was struggling to find the “right” place to have my registry from! Thanks!
Tongs! LOL. I’m 4″10, and have three different pairs, and love them. They’re also great for reaching things off high spaces when you don’t want to grab a foot stool!
Such a great point! I definitely hadn’t thought of that 🙂
OMG kitchen tongs!! I have a 9″ and a 12″ OXO stainless and nylon pair that I use almost daily. Great for transferring/flipping meat, loading up plates, outdoor grilling, etc. Dishwasher-safe and yet look nice enough to use as serving pieces at the table. I couldn’t live without them, and wish I had more than two!
Also, cast iron (either regular or enameled like a Dutch oven) is great for Southern-style cornbread 😉
So true!! I don’t know what I would do without my kitchen tongs!
Really great list of ideas and so spot on. I do have one to add. Perfect for a wedding gift from the groom, Maid-of-Honor, Mother of the bride, or wedding party. We accept a few photos and create a sketch of her beautiful wedding dress. Every girl dreams of that magical day and a piece of art to remember that perfect moment is captured in the sketch.
What a fun idea!!
To whomever brought this article into existence, we thank you! My fiance’ and I are getting married in June. When people started asking for our registry, he and I gave each other the same confused glance. We knew it was for home-goods. But had no idea what to register for in the way of that. Now we can shop smart and enjoy this process.
I’m so glad I was able to help you out!! Congratulations of your upcoming wedding!
Hi! I am working on my registry, and have come across a Dutch oven a few times. I have never used one and my mom doesn’t use one. What does it do? Is it comparable to an electric crock pot? I will register for a crock pot, so I don’t want to register for something that basicay does the same thing! Thanks for any help 🙂
Hi, Sarah! A Dutch Oven is basically a large, sturdy pot with a lid. I like to use cast iron because you can use it on your stove top (say, to brown some chicken thighs) and then transfer it to your oven to cook (to slow-braise the chicken). The moisture in the pot forms condensation on the inside of the lid, which then “rains” down onto the food, essentially basting it while it cooks, similar to how a crockpot works.
Great suggestions. I am sharing this with my daughter, who just got engaged. One comment, though: I would keep my wood carving board away from turkey, or any other meat. Even well-oiled wood is porous, and will absorb all those meat juices, and you can’t just toss it in the dishwasher or sink. Get a silinon or teflon cutting board for the meat, and save the wood one for veggies and bread.
Hey, Dean! Check out this article from the NYT: http://www.nytimes.com/1993/02/10/health/wooden-cutting-boards-found-safer-than-plastic.html
What do you think?
What a great post. I loved it thank you for your wisdom. I’m getting married 2016. Can’t wait!
cookie sheets! And my go to kitchen gadget a food processor (the good kind)
Love this list! Have you ever had any trouble using your Artisan mixer to knead dough? I make pizza dough fairly frequently, and wasn’t sure if I should register for an Artisan (so many colours!), or if it would be better to register for one of the more powerful bowl-lift models. I’ve heard that sometimes the Artisan isn’t powerful enough to knead.
Yes, I actually had a terrible incident once where it hopped itself right off of my counter! I still use it all the time to knead bread (probably twice a week) and haven’t had any issues. I’d love to upgrade to a professional model, though!
Hi Anetta! Great post, thanks for the tips!
My bread maker usually gets put off to the side in the kitchen on the floor out of the way and you can still prep on the counter, insert the bucket in the maker and press start for this specific reason! They have minds of their own, definitely safer when they can’t get any lower! Since it takes a while, you will have that much more counter space to work with while the maker is doing its thing.
Thank you so much for this list (and all the ladies who commented)! We are getting married in May and I’ve been struggling with what to register for. I know that bringing an “experienced” (I refuse to call her old, because she really isn’t lol) friend made a HUGE difference because she could point out things that I wouldn’t have thought of – like the carving board! Another great tip I got from one of the sales ladies is to tackle your registry room-by-room over a couple of different days. That gives you time to think of things you may of missed and gives you an opportunity to go back.
Thanks again! Good luck to all the other brides, moms etc!
That’s great advice, Erin! Thanks for sharing!!
Wish I had registered for a quality knife sharpener 🙁
This list is great! My fiancé and I have been living together for 5 years already and I’m a pretty avid cook who used to bake professionally. I’m struggling to find things I *don’t* already have. It is totally true that you can own your kitchen like a pro with just a really good chefs knife, bread knife, and pairing knife, and a cast iron Dutch oven is my FAVORITE thing in the kitchen. It’s super versatile and gives great heat distribution.
I totally hadn’t thought about a carving board – I love that idea. I also really like the cherry pitter/apple corer – those are great low cost item to throw on there.
Hi, Kate! I’m so glad you like the list – you should also check out this post I wrote about gifts for Foodies: https://thewanderlustkitchen.com/food-lover-ultimate-gift-guide/
There are probably a few things on there that you hadn’t thought to register for! Congratulations on your upcoming nuptials!!
I would say this post is good on the whole. But a pizza wheel is one of the best multi-taskers in the kitchen. Pizza, marshmallows, brownies, and sort of dough. While an apple peeler/corer does one job.
I use my apple peeler for potatoes, too! 😉
You will come to value your pizza cutter! When you have teenagers around the house, they are great. A lot more pizza gets eaten in those years, especially if you have boys! The less my boys were handling knives, the better I liked it!
Hello, this was an amazing article. I just loved how elaborate it was.
My daughter is getting married next fall, I suggested to them to register at Home Depot…. they laughed at me. They’ll be moving into a new home they’ve purchased, they’ll need things like a good garden hose that doesn’t kink, and the thing you roll it up on. They need to do some painting, and paint at $40 or more a gallon, a few of those would be great. Or at least request gift cards to your favorite store, which could be the down payment on the riding lawnmower, or the backyard dining set.
Kitchen stuff is great, but it’s a personal thing, like the blogger said, you know what you use, like to use and anything else is just stuff that gets in the way.
I completely agree with you Monika. Home Depot is a great idea! I did not know how expensive it was moving into a home, and it has taken my fiancé and I years to build up all the things we needed for our home from home improvement stores.
One of the nicest things my daughter and I did before she registered was to go through the housewares and linens department and talk over the things she was thinking of signing up for. After all, I’ve been a housewife (among other things) for 40 years! We not only discussed what to buy, but which were the most important to get the highest quality. She made up her own mind, of course, but used my experience to fill in the gaps where she simply just didn’t have the knowledge yet. So, I’d just like to encourage brides to go to the older women in your life and have a fun time exchanging ideas.
P.S. I think all of these ideas posted are great!
My grandma bought me a KitchenAid hand mixer for my bridal shower, and it’s turned out to be my favorite gift. I registered for a stand mixer but never got one, and since we’re 5 years in and still in an apartment (all of which have had tiny kitchens), I haven’t missed it. My hand mixer mixes up cookies and cake batter just fine.
Also, a set of Pyrex cooking/storage dishes (with lids) are invaluable. Mine came with baking pans, smaller bowls for leftovers or melting in the microwave, and a pie plate.
This is a really good comprehensive list but I couldn’t call my kitchen complete without my hand held wand-mixer. (Braun makes a good one) Makes large and small batches of creamed soup is a jiff and you don’t have to get the stand up mixer all dirty! I have also used it to make juices in a pinch. Those mornings when I don’t have time to pull out the juicer. Great thing to register for in a moderate price range. (Popular shower gift!)
I’m getting married pretty soon and I found this blog very helpful! Especially with the pots and pans, I didn’t know which type to register for! But I do own one stainless steel pan and I love it so much. Thanks for posting this!
Awesome, Natasha! I’m so glad you found this useful 🙂
Stand mixer is the one thing I use to this day from my wedding registry…. 10 years ago!
I think a pizza cutter is good, though.I even use it to cut my quesadillas. I’d add a good set of mixing bowls, and silicone baking masts.
Ooh, good ideas, Shelli! I actually don’t own any silicone baking mats… yet 🙂
The pizza cutter is the best thing ever when you have kids!! No more taking forever to cut things up…the pizza cutter to the rescue!
I totally agree! I could not live without my pizza cutter, it makes pizza sharing so much easier without worrying of hiding quickly any knife before my toddler tries to snatch it.
So funny, I had no idea so many people used theirs all the time! In my family it was always shoved to the back of the gadget drawer. I figure, I need to use a knife to prep ingredients, so I’ll just have to get used to knife safety when we have kids. Either way, one less gadget for me to worry about 😉
I agree! The pizza cutterms is underrated! I have a good pizza cutter and it’s used for pie crust, ginger snaps, making breakfast bars, fondant /gumpaste, etc! Far more than just for pizza!
Yes!! I love this post… I got really into cooking the year before I was married, so luckily I didn’t end up with too much extra (though I never did take those rice bowls out of the box!). I most agree on the three knives – emphasizing NOT to buy a set. I would add a good processor on there. It opens your world up to a lot more food options! (Though I will admit I bought mine for $5 at a garage sale and it’s amazing…wasn’t on my registry.)
Oooh, great addition, Beth! I couldn’t live without my processor either!
Totally agree! I love my knife set, amazing!