Gift Registry

graysquirrel

I'm full of questions tonight! FI and I are getting ready to register and are trying to figure out a system for ourselves so we don't duplicate too many things. We would like to be able to do it at 2 or 3 stores. For those of you who did go to multiple places, how did you decide what to pick at the different stores? Did you have a system like all kitchen at one place, or did you just select different enough items from one store to the next? This may be a dumb question, but we over think pretty much everything. 

TriSaratops10

We just picked different things from various stores -- in terms of the higher priced items (blender, table settings, knives, etc) we looked at the different stores to see which place would be cheaper as well as most convenient.

GL! It's fun!

Izzygrim

We went with Target, BB&B, and Menards. We didn't have any particular system, but we did register for our knife set and pots and pans at BB&B because we felt their's were a little better quality and would be longer-lasting than the ones at Target. Also did the kitchen gadgety type stuff at BB&B because they have a better selection of stuff there. Then we registered for a ton of other stuff at Target because my family is from a small town with no BB&B anywhere near, so we knew people would buy mostly at Target so we wanted to make sure to have as much as possible on that registry, so we did our towels, pillows, vases, etc, there.

Someone gave us the advice that when it comes to things like pots and pans and knife sets to make sure you regsiter for what you really want and what you think will last so that people don't spend a bunch of money on a set you're going to want to replace in 5 years, because they are so expensive to replace. She said we'd be shocked at what people would buy, and she was right. I was pretty sure no one would get those sets for us because they were so expensive (around $300 each), but we got our pots and pans at our first shower and our knife set already shows fulfilled on the regsitry! Just a bit of unsolicited advice there, sorry

hkiesling

Also, consider what stores will be convenient for your guests.  We have a lot of family from small towns, so we registered at Target, Menards, and Kohls. Those stores were within 45 miles of most people's houses. 

I agree with pp about registering for quality goods, but also register for lower priced items.  We got the Cooking with Calphalon pot and pan set.  Besides the main set, there was also a bunch of seperate pans (stir fry, griddle, sauce pan, chef pan, etc).  I think we have every pan in the set.

graysquirrel

Thank you for the advice! We were planning on BB&b and Kohls because most people should have one of those close by. I will take your advice and go for the quality goods. We are really hoping for a nice knife set!

kristigiles

we did Target, Kohls and Macys.  Kohls has been SUPER popular, I highly suggest it!  Our entire Kohls registry is almost gone.  I would be careful registering so early though...we registered about 5 months before the wedding and we've had to change quite a few items because of things being discontinued and on clearance and whatnot.  Have fun!

graysquirrel

We are doing everything early because our schedules are too hectic during the school year.

duhbeckster

We mostly just picked things we liked at each of the three stores we registered at (Kohls, BB&B, Macys). Like other people said, we picked stores that had stuff we liked but also that were convenient for our guests (my hometown has neither Macys nor BB&B but does have a Kohls.) We also registered pretty far out (before we sent STDs), and although it means more follow-up later to deal with discontinued items, it meant we didn't have to worry too much that someone might be looking at the registry right when we added stuff to it. We went to all three stores and zapped everything we liked and then sat down at home and compared all of them online, adjusting quantities or deleting duplicates/similar items as needed.

beka0404

Honestly, I registered early and had so many issues with items being discontinued that I had to actually delete my entire Target registry and start over. I'm a FT student too - trust me, you can knock off your registry in a single day closer to your wedding. Had I followed that advice, I would have saved myself TONS of work.

We registered at Target, Crate & Barrel and Williams-Sonoma. I tried to register for as much as possible at Target because so many of our guests are from outstate and not all are comfortable shopping online. Specialty cooking tools are on the Williams-Sonoma registry, Crate & Barrel has our china and glassware and other household goods. I did the C&B registry entirely online - I had the Target registry open in another tab and edited between the two.