XP: Registering for...?

lilacck28

Hi everyone! I posted this originally on the NEY board (for the record, I am, in fact, engaged. Wedding is May 2015), and someone suggested that I cross post it here. I've been fairly active on a few boards, but never the registering and gifts board, so I apologize if this is completely redundant!

 I'm in the process of registering. I decided that I'd like to have most of the registering by the time I send out save the dates in about 2 months (basically, I'd like to put my wedding website link on the STD, and I'd like the wedding website to be complete and not changing much in between STD and invitations. Illogical? perhaps). I didn't think I would make a very large registry, because we have all the basics and have been doing just fine for the past 2 and a half years. Plus, small apartment. However, FMIL has said multiple times that she wants to throw me a shower... so I definitely need to register! And... presents are fun. 

I have a few dilemmas. The list, I"m sure, will continue to grow. 

1. staub vs. le creusset dutch oven 

2. what size?? and round or oval?

I've read so many articles. My mom has a small staub, his mom has a larger le creusset. They both love them. I think we're going with the dark blue 6 qt round staub but... I'd love to hear your opinions! 

3. what color kitchen aid mixer??? We decided on pistachio originally, but they just came out with a new color... aqua mist. And I like it! it's all happy and bright. Fiance still prefers pistachio. He thinks over time we'll like that it can blend in better. thoughts? 

above is pistachio. Below is aqua. 

4. towels and sheets! brand recommendations? I like soft! 

5. FI and I would really like a kitchen mat. My mom bought one from william sonoma for a neighbor/ her best friend, and she raves about it. I stood on it in the william sonoma store and it was, for those 5 seconds, amazing. Right now we're only planning to register at bed, bath, and beyond, which does not carry the same brand. Does anyone know of good kitchen mat brands from BBB? 

6. We made a registry at Sur la Table, which is very similar to William Sonoma, but FMIL likes it better because, according to her, the people are nicer. But the link to the registry does not seem to work on our wedding website. Sur la Table has the same brand of kitchen mat as William sonoma, btw. Anyway... is it weird to register at two kitchen type places? BBB and sur la table/ william sonoma (if we can't get sur la table to work...)? This would probably be a very tiny registry made up of... well... the kitchen mat. and maybe a few other things that BBB doesn't happen to have. 

7. Should we register at more places than BBB and potentially a small registry at Sur la Table/ William Sonoma? If yes, where? Macy's? Target? Crate and Barrel? Pottery Barn? Elsewhere? Anyone have any good or bad experiences with any of the aforementioned places? 

8. what are some things that you are very excited to register for/ are SO glad that you registered for? anything you wish you hadn't? 

9. Any other thoughts/ suggestions.

10. Feel free to thread jack with your own registering quandaries!  (but also... maybe remember to give an opinion on mine!)

penguin44

1. We have le creuset and love it. DH used credit card points to get me a set. I like having the plastic knobs on the lids. It's easy to grab them, but they're still oven safe.

2. We have the 7.25 qt and 5.5 qt I think. We use the smaller one every day. Really only use the big one for big batches of things like chili. The big one is really heavy. I can barely lift it on my own. Ours are round. I also love our le creuset grill pan with panini press.

3. I like the pistachio. We have an old arts and crafts style house and that would fit with our kitchen beautifully.

4. We registered at Macy's for their hotel collection towels. Don't own them yet, so I can't say anything personally. They have very good reviews though. I'm not a huge fan of our current towels from BBB. We have the Duets.

5. Is it memory foam or something? What is special about it? My parents have memory foam mats in their bathroom and hate them because they absorb water and take forever to dry out.

6&7. We had registries at C & B, Macy's, and Amazon. We liked dishes at C&B, liked linens at Macy's, and most things were cheaper on amazon. Our C&B registry was almost completely bought out. Our college friends bought off of Macy's and Amazon. Everyone at C&B is super nice. If that affects your decision at all. We did our Macy's registry online.

8. We only registered for things we really wanted. Most people gave us dishes or cash. We didn't receive anything we didn't want (from the registry). I kind of regret registering at Amazon. DH really wanted to register on there since we both use it so much. Everything was cheaper on Amazon, but people still didn't really use it.

9. I was really surprised by how generous some of my friends were. I also think we wasted a bunch of time putting things on our registries. My mom said there wasn't enough on them, so we added a bunch of things. We really didn't need to do that. I had a shower and most people actually got me things that were off registry.

lilacck28

here's the link to the kitchen mat that we really like. It says that it's made of polyurethane. 

http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/wellness-mat/

emmyg65

1. It doesn't matter. Both Staub and Le Creuset are very high quality.

2. It depends on your family size and how much you cook large quantities. I think my Dutch oven is 4.5 or 5 quarts. It's perfect for pretty much everything. Not too big, not too small. I prefer the circular ones because they fit on the burner better. Six quart also sounds good.

3. That totally depends! I have the cinnamon one (dark red).

4-5. Dunno

6. I much prefer Sur La Table because I think it's a more serious cooking store. Williams-Sonoma is filled mostly with mixes and unitaskers that few serious cooks would consider. I don't it's weird to do BBB and Sur La Table. One is mass market and one is high end, so you get a range of products/prices.

7. Dunno

8. We registered for lovely, simple white porcelain dishes from Crate and Barrel (Aspen) that we just adore. They're sturdy, but elegant, good for everyday and special occasions. I adore whiteware because it's so versatile and it's easy to mix with fun serving pieces or linens. 

We also completed our small set of high-quality knives. If you don't have good knives, register for some! You really only need a chef's knife and a paring knife (and actually, I hardly ever use the paring knife). We have one of each by Wusthof (European-style curved blade) and one of each by Shun (Japanese Santoku style).

chibiyui

1. Both are amazing. It really just comes down to personal preference regarding shape, and finish. I have a Le Crueset round 5.5, love it.

2. Doesn't really matter, consider if you're going to use it stove or oven more, ovals can be trickier on ranges, but not a huge deal. If you 5-6 qt are good everyday size, 6-8 are better if you're constantly cooking huge portions.

3. I have a bright apple green kitchenaid, and I love it. Go with what you like. The pistachio will be more neutral over time, but realistically, almost any color is going to look dated 5-10 years down the road.

4. Macy's has some nice ass towels. All my sheets have come from discount stores.

5. I got nothing

6. No, it's not weird to have a registry at Sur La Table or Williams Sonoma AND BBB. SLT and WS have a much larger selection of specialty and high end cookware and gadgets. 

7. You could have registries elsewhere depending on what you need/like. Macy's has a very nice selection and registry system. Target I would only recommend if it's the most convenient for your guests or if you really fucking love Target. I had a Target registry and it was glitchy glitchy glitchy. Honestly, more trouble then it was worth for Target. Crate and Barrel was super easy to manage and has a nice selection of various items.

8. Flatware (Crate and Barrel), Le Crueset dutch oven (Crate and Barrel), Crystal stemware (Local Dept. Store)

Aray82

For Dutch ovens, I love Le Creuset and round is good because it's easier to stir things evenly, I registered for the 5.5 qt round and envision a lot of stirring on the stove before putting it in the oven. I haven't used any Staub products so I can't compare. I also went back and forth with color a lot and finally decided on pistachio. It gives a pop of color but will also blend nicely into whatever kitchen color scheme you wind up with over the years. We are likely moving for jobs next year so I wanted a color that would match whatever our future kitchen looks like. Plus I think the pistachio with silver trimming gives it a classic 1950s diner feel--makes me think of Back to the Future in a good way I also wanted something that wouldn't look to girly for FI since he'd be using it a lot too--my other color choice would have been the light pink which wouldn't have worked for him. The aqua is a bit girly, IMO. We registered for the Macy's Charter Club Classic Pima Cotton bath towels. They got great reviews online and felt great in the store. I would look at product reviews from people who've had towels for a long time about how they hold up after multiple Washings and if they retain softness over time.

Aray82

Aray82 said:

For Dutch ovens, I love Le Creuset and round is good because it's easier to stir things evenly, I registered for the 5.5 qt round and envision a lot of stirring on the stove before putting it in the oven. I haven't used any Staub products so I can't compare. I also went back and forth with color a lot and finally decided on pistachio. It gives a pop of color but will also blend nicely into whatever kitchen color scheme you wind up with over the years. We are likely moving for jobs next year so I wanted a color that would match whatever our future kitchen looks like. Plus I think the pistachio with silver trimming gives it a classic 1950s diner feel--makes me think of Back to the Future in a good way I also wanted something that wouldn't look to girly for FI since he'd be using it a lot too--my other color choice would have been the light pink which wouldn't have worked for him. The aqua is a bit girly, IMO. We registered for the Macy's Charter Club Classic Pima Cotton bath towels. They got great reviews online and felt great in the store. I would look at product reviews from people who've had towels for a long time about how they hold up after multiple Washings and if they retain softness over time.

Maybe the paragraphing will work with quoting?

wandajune6

I love my round LeCreuset. I have a smaller Staub that I rarely use. Both are great quality and size is truly a personal preference issue.

My KitchenAid mixer is gray. I've had it for years and am glad I bought a neutral as it looks good with everything. Think of it this way: will you want pistachio in 20 years?

We registered at Crate & Barrel, Amazon, and Target. Include one place with lower price options that's convenient for everyone- we chose Target over Macys because we have a lot of people who have smaller budgets. We didn't want to register with the expectation people would wait for sales. So far, Amazon and Crate & Barrel have gotten the most action.

We preferred the high end Fieldcrest towels at Target to what we saw at C&B. My sister registered for towels at Macy's (Charter Club higher end option) and found some colors lasted better than others. My parents recently bought some from Restoration Hardware that are so nice we nearly added them to our Amazon registry- we just didn't love the colors.

goldchocobo.defunct635829490514903826

I'm curious as to why you are registering so early.  Things get discontinued all the time and you'd have to replace them.  I was told that registering should be 5-6 months out would be okay.

caitlinmca

goldchocobo said:

I'm curious as to why you are registering so early.  Things get discontinued all the time and you'd have to replace them.  I was told that registering should be 5-6 months out would be okay.

Ditto! I am getting married April 2015 and we had our save the dates designed with our wedding website link on them and just sent them out last week and this week. We haven't registered yet, its not the end of the world if you have the link on them, your wedding website up and running with all the information filled in except the registry. Most people won't buy a gift until closer to your shower or the wedding anyways.

We were also told not to even bother to register until Dec-Jan for our April wedding because of the possibility of things being discontinued, etc.

lilacck28

I'm okay with updating the list if things get discontinued, but most of what we're registering for right now will be staples that have stuck around for quite a while (ie, kitchenaid stand mixer, dutch oven...) I won't be sending out save the dates until it is 6 months out from the wedding,  so that's when people will see the registry. I actually tend to buy gifts for couples as soon as I see a registry up (which I've noticed, at least in my circle, comes at the same time as the save the dates--between 6-8 months before the wedding). I like to get the first pick  

If I need to update the registry within the next 3 months, I will, just like I'll be sure to check on it throughout the rest of the 6 months afterwards.The registry has JUST gotten started really. I anticipate slowly adding things throughout the next three months as opposed to doing it all in one shot. Or maybe one of these days I'll just do it all, and then update the list later. I feel better getting things done early. I just made our save the dates, and it's like a load has been lifted! 

ps- I am attending a wedding in September of this year. They registered at BBB, crate and barrel, and Bloomingdales. They had their registry up when the save the dates went out 7 months ago. I bought them a gift right away... and I've kind of stalked their registries ever since. Like... really stalked. I think one item from BBB was out of stock at one point, and one item from Bloomingdales was discontinued, but those were the only changes.

lurkergirl

1. No experience with Staub, but I LOVE my Le Creuset.  You can also get Le Creuset seconds.  My understanding is that these items are less than perfect (mine has one teeny, tiny dot of red paint inside and a couple tiny little dimples...I think this was enough to qualify as imperfect, so it went to the outlet) or they are refurbished pieces.

2. My Le Creuset isn't a dutch oven.  It's a round 3-qt pot with a handle, and the "lid" also has a handle and is also an 8-in fry pan.

3. I went with sterling.  I like the aqua color of your options.

4. We have Ralph Lauren towels and registered for more of the same (well, not exactly...they're updated, but same brand)

5. My eyes popped out of my head when I saw the price of that mat.  It better be a reeeallly good mat for that money.

6. I did Macy's in store and BBB online (after reading stories here I was afraid to go inside haha).  And I think lots of people do 2 kitchen stores...they carry different products, so I think you're okay there.  Check prices too.  I made sure if things were available at both Macys and BBB, I went with the cheaper option. 

7. I think 2-3 registries is fine.   I would not do more.

8. I ended up registering for luggage.  We use awful duffel bags and it would be nice to have real bags.  I didn't do anything super fancy or big, just one small carry-on size bag for each of us.  If we don't get them we won't miss them, and if we do, it will be super exciting!

9.  Just always check for things being discontinued (as PPs have already stated.)

10. I'm also a May bride and already registered.  I had planned to wait until January, but my family has been borderline harassing me about it.  When I tried saying I would wait, I had a bunch of people say, "but I was going to get your Christmas presents from there!"  Uh...okay.  It's a wedding registry, but that's cool too, I guess.  (FWIW these are people who always get us home stuff anyway, so I know they are just wanting to get us what we want, but it still feels weird and even though they're the ones asking, I still feel a little gift grabby...)

labro

1. Either or. They are both great quality....I think Staub is cheaper though so guests may be more likely to buy you that iver the Le Creuset.

2. We received an 8 qt round dutch oven recently. I love it! Its huge but its perfect for roasts, casseroles, soups, you name it.

3. I would go with a neutral (white, silver, gray, or black) rather than a colored applaiance. 10 or 15 years down the road you may be living somewhere different or decorating in different colors. They just have more staying ooerr style wise...even if the lack of color seems boring. If the mixers werent so expensive to replace then I'd say go for it.

4. Hotel Collection at Macy's are the best towels ever! Some one recommended the Ralph Lauren towels and they are nice and a lower price point but after 2 years of regular use my hand towels and wash clothes are fraying and falling apart. The Charter Club Opulence 800 thread count Egyptian cotton sheets are also really nice.

5. Sorry can't help here. Don't use one.

6. I think they are pretty interchangeable. They carry many similar items/brands with similar prices. I see nothing wrong with a BBB and WS or BBB and SLT registry combo. I think it would be odd to register at both WS and SLT.

7. I've been very happy with all three of my registries so far and haven't had any issues. I'm registered at WS, Pottery Barn, and Macy's.

8. Our giant French press, our electric coffee grinder, the Waterford crystal, new wine glasses, new sheets and towels, the Williams Sonoma Goldtouch bakeware. I'm also adding some silly things just before the wedding so I can get the completion discount like peach trees and some gardening stuff from Williams Sonoma.