XP: We're registering tonight! And randoms.

JCbride2015

I'm sort of apprehensive about this, but mostly excited.  I have found all kinds of checklists of things we should register for, and we're crossing off plenty of stuff that we don't need.  And I have paid attention to all the threads about the favorite registry item, which were super helpful.  But I have a few questions.

1) Who else has registered at Macy's-- how much does the sales associate actively sell you on stuff?  Will we just walk around by ourselves?

2) I already have a set of fine china that was passed down in my family.  It's not really our taste, but it's a huge set (12 place settings) and it seems wasteful to register for another set just for style reasons.  Do you think this is a smart idea or will we later regret not having "our wedding china?"

3) Can we opt out of the "Dream Fund" or at least move it to the bottom of the page?

Also some other random updates!

-- We went over the guest list last night and Fi and I are on the same page about which family to invite.  Right now in our ideal world, we have a list that is right around our catering minimum, so it's not as bad as I thought.  We'll see how FPILs react about certain people we cut, but at least Fi is in my corner on this.

-- Anybody remember the jeans thread?  I found the perfect skinny Levi's for $40.  Thanks Knotties!

-- Our StDs are supposed to arrive today!  I'm super excited.  And we will shamelessly put one on our own fridge.  Because we're weirdos.

lurkergirl

1. Macys was awesome.  They offered to help us, but they were happy to let us go out on our own.  But if you have any questions, they are really good about answering them.  I did find that we were a little scan-crazy.  I deleted several items as soon as we got home and registered for some other things online that weren't in the store.

2. I always dreamed of wedding china.  Then I remembered I don't even have a formal dining room.  So, we just registered for a set of white dinnerware.  That way, when I do get my china, it can easily tie in with my white dishes.  Plus, china's expensive, and I would rather have some awesome kitchen tools (all clad pans, kitchen aid mixer, a wustoff knife).

3. Yes, we opted out of the dream fund.  Our helper gave us a knowing smile when we were like, "yeah, we don't want to ask for money."  They also give you a giant packet of coupons and stuff, and the pack includes registry cards.  I threw mine away...

Yay for settling the guest list!  We had an issue with this too, and I'm so glad we were able to figure it all out.  It's amazing what you can figure out with simple communication!!

Yay for skinny jeans!  I'm sure you look HAWT!!

Um, our save the date is totally on our fridge.  NO RAGRETS!

theartistformerlyknownas

Yay! Super fun.

I registered at Macy's, and I believe was opted out of the Dream Fund. It doesn't show up on my list but I don't remember if I did something to make that be so. We set ours up online initially though, and only went to the store to confirm our choices of silverware, glasses and towels (wanted to feel them first). We went to a kind of scummy Macy's (thought it would be easier to get in and out of than the Macy's in the nice mall) and actually had a really hard time getting anyone to help us! Once we got the gun in our hands, they left us alone.

If you don't have a Macy's credit card, I recommend getting one so you get the Star rewards! My rewards card is in the mail and I can't wait to see how much free stuff we earned.

Re: china... how much "not your style" is it? If you liked it, I see no reason not to keep it. I really wanted china because I loved the memories of breaking my mom's out for holidays and feeling really special whenever we got to use it. But as it turns out, it was actually her "wedding china" from her FIRST marriage, aka not to my dad! Whatever, didn't bother him, and it was really nice stuff. But if you don't like it, you shouldn't feel like that disqualifies you from getting your own.

kat1114

We registered at Macy's, but I did it online because I didn't feel like going to the store. I don't remember seeing anything about a Dream Fund, so I'm assuming you can opt out.

I can't speak for Macy's as far as the sales associate hounding you, but when we registered in-person at Crate & Barrel, they were super good about letting us do our own thing, and just periodically checking in to see if we had questions. But never did they try to sell us on anything.

And we also have our StD and wedding invite on the fridge. Welcome to the weirdo club:)

ohmrs2014

We registered at Macys and had the best experience.  We went all the way to Garden State Plaza because we knew the selection would be better than most other malls.  We were able to walk around ourselves and the consultant checked in with us every so often and she was available if we had questions or needed suggestions/opinions.  I know when we registered BBB, we were followed and I hated the experience so we moved our secondary registry to Crate and Barrel.

In terms of the dream fund, you can delete it off the registry once you activate it to view online.  I didn't, I left it, but I never advertised it as an option.

I say register for new china if you aren't happy with it.  If you get it great, if you don't, at least you know you don't need it.

climbingsingle

Where did you find the Levi's? 

JCbride2015

The china is not... terrible.  It's just not particularly pretty.  And I feel like I can't get rid of it for sentimental reasons, so we'll be storing it indefinitely.  Or maybe using it for certain things, and using a more modern set for others.  

The set we have is from "Western Germany" and has little flowers and insects on it.  It looks a lot like this:

JCbride2015

ClimbingBrideNY said:

Where did you find the Levi's? 

@ClimbingBrideNY I got them at the JC Macy's during the VIP sale, so they were 20% off the usual $50 price.  They are the high waisted "slimming" skinny jeans.  

climbingsingle

JCbride2015 said:

ClimbingBrideNY said:

Where did you find the Levi's? 

@ClimbingBrideNY I got them at the JC Macy's during the VIP sale, so they were 20% off the usual $50 price.  They are the high waisted "slimming" skinny jeans.  

Awesome! Thanks JC! 

sarawifenow

I am so so tired today. I know this because I read your title three times before I realized that I was replacing "randoms" with "condoms" in my brain. Yeah...that happened.

 

P.S.

I love those plates!

theartistformerlyknownas

JCbride2015 said:

The china is not... terrible.  It's just not particularly pretty.  And I feel like I can't get rid of it for sentimental reasons, so we'll be storing it indefinitely.  Or maybe using it for certain things, and using a more modern set for others.  

The set we have is from "Western Germany" and has little flowers and insects on it.  It looks a lot like this:

Ain't no way you'd catch me eating food off a plate with bugs printed on it.

I dream of licking gravy off these beautiful things though. 

JCbride2015

@Lolo883 The ones you posted are much more along the lines of what I'd want to register for.  But we also need day-to-day plates, too, because the ones we currently have are chipped to hell and just not good quality.  So if people are only going to get us enough to make one set, we would use the everyday stuff a lot more.

But yeah, I'm not a huge fan of the flowers and insects pattern.  See the little dragonflies?  There are some other buggies on some of the different pieces, too.  It's sort of a strange thing to put on china.

theartistformerlyknownas

JCbride2015 said:

@Lolo883 The ones you posted are much more along the lines of what I'd want to register for.  But we also need day-to-day plates, too, because the ones we currently have are chipped to hell and just not good quality.  So if people are only going to get us enough to make one set, we would use the everyday stuff a lot more.

But yeah, I'm not a huge fan of the flowers and insects pattern.  See the little dragonflies?  There are some other buggies on some of the different pieces, too.  It's sort of a strange thing to put on china.

Yeah that's rough. I was actually more worried though about getting a partial china set and having to come up with the money to complete it myself. Amazingly, we got the whole damn set. Didn't get any casual china, which I was OK with because I didn't totally love what we selected (you may remember my rant over effing dishes a few months ago, blah). Ours are chipped but serviceable, and I'd rather spend a little money on replacing those myself, whereas I appreciate the china being a gift more. Plus this way we can just get everyday dishes at IKEA and not be limited to the Target/Macy's selection.

raissyrais

You're so lucky to have china already but I do understand wanting to have your own. We're not registering for anything (DW) so we don't even have the option of having one on stand by on a registry list. BTW are your Stds fridge magnets?

CTYankeeBride

We registered at Macy's and the consultant was really helpful.  She didn't push anything at us and checked in on us once or twice while we scanned things.

We didn't register for fine china because I have a set handed down to me that I love and we do use it for special occasions.  If you don't think it would get any use it's fine to skip it and register for some nicer everyday dishes. 

The consultant added the Dream Fund to our registry and when we got home I went online and deleted it.  That seemed to be easier than trying to convince her that I really just didn't want it on there. 

JCbride2015

raissyrais said:

You're so lucky to have china already but I do understand wanting to have your own. We're not registering for anything (DW) so we don't even have the option of having one on stand by on a registry list. BTW are your Stds fridge magnets?

@raissyrais Yep, they are fridge magnets!  It was about 20 cents more each one than doing postcards so I won't be crushed if people don't actually stick them up.  But that sucker is going on our fridge.

pinkcow13

Yay fun!!!! I can't wait to order our STD's! We are taking engagement pics on October 6th, and will be ordering them shortly after. Where did you order yours from? I was looking on Magnet street and wedding paper divas.

JCbride2015

pinkcow13 said:

Yay fun!!!! I can't wait to order our STD's! We are taking engagement pics on October 6th, and will be ordering them shortly after. Where did you order yours from? I was looking on Magnet street and wedding paper divas.

@Pinkcow13 VistaPrint was drastically cheaper than those other sites.  100 StDs plus white envelopes, matching return address labels, and the shipping was $86.  The whole StD is pretty much a photo with some white text at the bottom, so I didn't need to find a great design or anything.  I'll let you know how the quality is when we get them later today.  

raissyrais

JCbride2015 said:

raissyrais said:

You're so lucky to have china already but I do understand wanting to have your own. We're not registering for anything (DW) so we don't even have the option of having one on stand by on a registry list. BTW are your Stds fridge magnets?

@raissyrais Yep, they are fridge magnets!  It was about 20 cents more each one than doing postcards so I won't be crushed if people don't actually stick them up.  But that sucker is going on our fridge.

Cute! My cousin had magnet StDs when she got married 3 years back and hers was on my fridge all the time! Go ahead and stick it. @pinkcow13 you could try vistaprint.com

NYCMercedes

Register for nice everyday china only as you already have fine china that you'll use maybe once or twice a year. No need for two sets of stuff you never use.

penguin44

I inherited two sets of china! One set I love, and one set is very girly and flowery. We decided to register for really nice white everyday china. Love it so far.

pinkcow13

raissyrais said:

JCbride2015 said:

raissyrais said:

You're so lucky to have china already but I do understand wanting to have your own. We're not registering for anything (DW) so we don't even have the option of having one on stand by on a registry list. BTW are your Stds fridge magnets?

@raissyrais Yep, they are fridge magnets!  It was about 20 cents more each one than doing postcards so I won't be crushed if people don't actually stick them up.  But that sucker is going on our fridge.

Cute! My cousin had magnet StDs when she got married 3 years back and hers was on my fridge all the time! Go ahead and stick it. @pinkcow13 you could try vistaprint.com

Stuck

Awesome, thanks guys! I might as well start pricing them out now!

ElcaB

We registered at Macy's & had no trouble opting out of the dream fund. They also left us alone while we registered but were there if we needed, which was nice.

I think formal china is silly. We registered for a set of everyday dinnerware instead. 

Have fun & let us know how it goes!

gladyscf

I used magnetstreet.com for our StDs and invitations.

They were pretty reasonable and I am happy with what we paid/received.

Also, our magnet is on our fridge!

AprilH81

JCbride2015 said:

I'm sort of apprehensive about this, but mostly excited.  I have found all kinds of checklists of things we should register for, and we're crossing off plenty of stuff that we don't need.  And I have paid attention to all the threads about the favorite registry item, which were super helpful.  But I have a few questions.

1) Who else has registered at Macy's-- how much does the sales associate actively sell you on stuff?  Will we just walk around by ourselves? This will vary by store and by associate, but in my experience they aren't pushy if you ask to be left alone.  

2) I already have a set of fine china that was passed down in my family.  It's not really our taste, but it's a huge set (12 place settings) and it seems wasteful to register for another set just for style reasons.  Do you think this is a smart idea or will we later regret not having "our wedding china?" I don't like most formal china, and what I do is super duper expensive.  We registered for Macy's Hotel Collection Bone China and use those as our every day dishes.  I also registered for stainless steel charger plates from Crate & Barrel for when I want to be fancy.  I personally wouldn't register for more china unless you HATE what you currently have.

3) Can we opt out of the "Dream Fund" or at least move it to the bottom of the page? We opted out, no problem.

Also some other random updates!

-- We went over the guest list last night and Fi and I are on the same page about which family to invite.  Right now in our ideal world, we have a list that is right around our catering minimum, so it's not as bad as I thought.  We'll see how FPILs react about certain people we cut, but at least Fi is in my corner on this.

-- Anybody remember the jeans thread?  I found the perfect skinny Levi's for $40.  Thanks Knotties!

-- Our StDs are supposed to arrive today!  I'm super excited.  And we will shamelessly put one on our own fridge.  Because we're weirdos.

For once I intentionally commented in the box.    My comments are in bold, have fun!

JCbride2015

Thanks for the thoughts, everyone!  I think for now we'll skip the formal china and register for a nice everyday set that will get a lot of use.  We can always reevaluate if the regular set goes really quickly or people express they want to purchase formal china.

ohmrs2014

AprilH81 said:

JCbride2015 said:

I'm sort of apprehensive about this, but mostly excited.  I have found all kinds of checklists of things we should register for, and we're crossing off plenty of stuff that we don't need.  And I have paid attention to all the threads about the favorite registry item, which were super helpful.  But I have a few questions.

1) Who else has registered at Macy's-- how much does the sales associate actively sell you on stuff?  Will we just walk around by ourselves? This will vary by store and by associate, but in my experience they aren't pushy if you ask to be left alone.  

2) I already have a set of fine china that was passed down in my family.  It's not really our taste, but it's a huge set (12 place settings) and it seems wasteful to register for another set just for style reasons.  Do you think this is a smart idea or will we later regret not having "our wedding china?" I don't like most formal china, and what I do is super duper expensive.  We registered for Macy's Hotel Collection Bone China and use those as our every day dishes.  I also registered for stainless steel charger plates from Crate & Barrel for when I want to be fancy.  I personally wouldn't register for more china unless you HATE what you currently have.

3) Can we opt out of the "Dream Fund" or at least move it to the bottom of the page? We opted out, no problem.

Also some other random updates!

-- We went over the guest list last night and Fi and I are on the same page about which family to invite.  Right now in our ideal world, we have a list that is right around our catering minimum, so it's not as bad as I thought.  We'll see how FPILs react about certain people we cut, but at least Fi is in my corner on this.

-- Anybody remember the jeans thread?  I found the perfect skinny Levi's for $40.  Thanks Knotties!

-- Our StDs are supposed to arrive today!  I'm super excited.  And we will shamelessly put one on our own fridge.  Because we're weirdos.

For once I intentionally commented in the box.    My comments are in bold, have fun!

I love the Hotel Collection Bone China set.  We registered for those as well.  We went with the square set because I needed to have them LOL.  I actually like the square plates and those were the only ones DH liked.

AprilH81

ohmrs2014 said:

I love the Hotel Collection Bone China set.  We registered for those as well.  We went with the square set because I needed to have them LOL.  I actually like the square plates and those were the only ones DH liked.

NO ONE bought our china (but we didn't get a lot of registry activity) so we used cash and gift cards to get everything. I don't regret it for a second. We went with 16 place settings (round, not square) just in case we break some or they change the "pattern" enough that they don't match up. We have been using it since February and not one issue with them and nothing got broken during our move.

Cookie Pusher

We didn't register, but I *do* have full service for 8 fine china. Which sits in bags in the bottom of my linen closet. And has done so for 8 years despite the amount of entertaining we do. Honestly? If you don't think you're going to get a fair amount of use out of them sooner than you'd get use out of nice appliances and gadgets, I would hold off on registering for it. There are several Lenox outlets and factory stores in the area where you can get beautiful place settings at a deep, deep discount. My set is beautiful and classic - and cost around $300 total.

ohmrs2014

AprilH81 said:

ohmrs2014 said:

I love the Hotel Collection Bone China set.  We registered for those as well.  We went with the square set because I needed to have them LOL.  I actually like the square plates and those were the only ones DH liked.

NO ONE bought our china (but we didn't get a lot of registry activity) so we used cash and gift cards to get everything. I don't regret it for a second. We went with 16 place settings (round, not square) just in case we break some or they change the "pattern" enough that they don't match up. We have been using it since February and not one issue with them and nothing got broken during our move.

We went with just 8 settings.  I was thinking of buying four more just to store for when we purchase a house, but they are a popular set so I'm thinking they won't be discontinued any time soon.  And we haven't had an issue with ours either.  I did break a bowl, but my own fault, I dropped it LOL.  Replacing it was simple.

We were lucky and DHs parents bought us the dishes and my parents finished off the collection, like the mugs and such.  We had nothing when we moved in together two months before the wedding.  I think our families realized that and they were so gracious at the bridal shower.  It sucked having to wait another two months to use everything LOL.

Our immediate families also bought items off our registry for Xmas because they knew we needed so much.  

esstee33

Ooooh, registering!! Have fun! I think I've mentioned before that I used to be a registry consultant for Macy's, so I hope this doesn't come off as sales-y, because I haven't worked there in like 2 1/2 years and honestly could not care less about their sales numbers anymore, haha. 

Most registry consultants won't hover, but some do. If you get a clingy one, just tell her you're cool on your own and you'll ask if you have questions. The regular home store associates should be able to help you with a ton of product knowledge things, too, so don't hesitate to ask them. 

Keep in mind that it doesn't hurt to ask for stuff even if you think there's no way in hell you'll get it, because you really never know. I had a rando guy come in one day and buy $1,000 worth of fine china for his coworker's daughter, and he wasn't even invited to the wedding! 

@AprilH81 mentioned the Hotel Collection Bone China, and that's a really, really good idea since you already have a set of fine china. It's bone china, so it's going to last essentially forever. I used to stand on teacups to show how durable it is, even though it looks super fragile. You can dress it up or down really easily, so you can use it everyday, or for special occasions. 

I certainly hope they let you opt out of that Dream Fund. They started throwing that shit around right before I left, and I really hoped it wouldn't make the final cut of programs to actually implement. 

Tip: register for more towels and sheets than you think you'll need, seriously.