Registering for gifts was something of a confusing experience for me and Econo Man. Initially we had only two small registries, at online standbys Crate and Barrel and Bed, Bath & Beyond, because we weren’t looking to stock up on a bunch of stuff while we were living in a storage-starved apartment — no KitchenAid standing mixer for us. We also hoped that in the absence of a large registry, people would give us cash (which is sort of what my family does anyway).
Econo Man’s mom was not happy with this situation. Her gut was telling her that our tiny registry was going to get cleaned out in a matter of minutes, leaving some very disconcerted guests and a pile of possibly-unwanted household items on our doorstep, because her family and friends Do Not Give Cash.* She had to work on us a bit, but finally, she got my bridal butt down to a Denver registry standby, International Villa (which, sadly, just closed its doors after 30+ years in business), where I registered for a pretty set of everyday dishes and some nice serving pieces. I wish I’d had LPC’s excellent advice back then as I stared at the mountains of fine china and sparkly crystal in the International Villa showroom, but I think she would approve of our choices!
Like A. and G., Econo Man and I are really enjoying using our grown-up kitchen equipment and pretty household items. (And, despite the dire warnings I got about how awful off-registry gifts are, our off-registry gifts all rocked. So there.) But there are a few semi-random items that I’ve ended up appreciating way more than I thought possible.
* Stemless wine glasses
I registered for the Riedel O Cabernet/Merlot glasses on a whim after enjoying my friend J’s stemless wine glasses (and with my MIL’s urge to “expand” our registry still vivid in my head), and now they are among our most-used registry items. I love the delicate, paper-thin Riedel crystal. I also love their 21.5-ounce size, which at least partly fulfills my longing for great big tall giant wine glasses. But what Econo Man and I most love about these little guys is that they are dishwasher-friendly! Our stemmed Riedel glasses, um, aren’t. The only time we tried, one broke.
If $25 for 2 glasses is too steep for you, but you like the idea of stemless, dishwasher-friendly wine glasses, try these ones from Crate and Barrel.
* The Vinturi Wine Aerator
Image from Vinturi.org.uk
This was an off-registry item Sis** and Captain Awesome picked up for us. I’d never heard of this thing before, but it’s all kinds of cool. This nifty device aerates your wines as you pour — it’s sort of like rapidly decanting your glass of wine. It’s perfect for getting a young Cabernet or Bordeaux ready to drink if you, like me, have trouble remembering to uncork the bottle 1-2 hours before dinner.
Also, it makes a neat gurgling sound as you pour.
* Towels
I’ve never had nice new towels before. Ever since I left home, I’ve always culled my apartment’s towels from my mom’s castoffs (she likes to update with new colors every few years). But our fabulous, fluffy registry towels are more luxurious than any towels I’ve ever used, including hotel towels. I did not think it was possible to like towels this much, but these are just so cuddly.
* Tea set
Yes. A tea set. Eight cups, eight saucers, a creamer, a sugar bowl, and a teapot, all matching our everyday dishes (from Royal Doulton Carmina). We LOVE it. We used it for coffee when friends came over for brunch; we broke it out for actual tea with our families the day before Thanksgiving. Sometimes we use it just for the hell of it because it’s so darn pretty and it feels so decadent to sip tea from a matching tea set.
And you’re not going to believe me, but I’m going to tell you this anyway: the tea set was totally Econo Man’s idea.
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* And as it turned out, my MIL was right — everything on our registry was purchased, and a very disconcerted aunt called my MIL after the wedding to complain that “everything was gone” and she and her husband didn’t know what to get us!
** “Sister Awesome” was too nun-like a name for my sister-in-law. Now she’s just Sis, although nickname suggestions are still being solicited.
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