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?
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!)