Registries Completed!

Brian and I are finally done with the arduous task of registering. We registered at the following places:

1. Crate & Barrel
2. Target
3. Bed, Bath & Beyond

All three registries can be viewed online by just searching for our names.

When it came to registering, Crate & Barrel was our favorite experience. We went to their wedding event to register and it was a lot of fun. They gave us free food, let us wander free and we got the heart shaped bowl (pictured above) as a gift for registering. They definitely won me over. Plus, many of their products were more reasonably priced than at Bed, Bath & Beyond! Who knew?

My Registry Research

I am a bit obsessive. I have a fear of getting discombobulated at the store when I register. So, I treated the registry like any other project I take on: I did my research.

I read, cover to cover, Alton Brown’s Gear for your Kitchen and took copious notes about the products he uses and recommends. Brian and I adore Alton Brown and basically follow his advice in the kitchen as often as possible. So, I now have an 8 page registry list that is annotated with all of Alton Brown’s advice. For example, when Brian and I pick a cooling rack we want to make sure that it has the following:

• That it will fit on my cookie sheet so that I can use it in the oven (to cook meat over a pan and catch drippings)
• It must be woven and not parallel bars
• It should be made of chromed steel

When we choose a stock pot we want it to have:

• Heavy gauge metal that is anodized aluminum, stainless steel with aluminum or copper-cored disk or cladded stainless steel)
• Comfortable sturdy loop handles
• Be able to hold about 8-12 quarts

I think my hard work will pay off. I hope that my detailed list will help keep the whole experience under control and simple.

I was wondering, is there anything that you would recommend that I definitely have on the registry? Please comment!

Wedding Registry Planning!

Brian and I (Alicia) are gearing up to register this weekend. We are starting off at Bed, Bath & Beyond tomorrow morning. Bed, Bath & Beyond seems like a good choice because they have many branches and a wide variety of products (no I am not being paid by them to say that). Plus, it is the basic home store that Brian and I use the most in New York.

Next, we plan on doing a Target registry online from home. We are doing it from home because the Target in Brooklyn is horrible (see The Consumerist’s article calling the Brooklyn Target an “Abortion of Retail”). That store is so awful that I have actually written complaint letters to Target Corporate about it. None the less, Brian and I enjoy every other Target we have been to and want to register there.

Finally, I reserved a couple of spots for us to attend the Crate and Barrel Wedding Event on February 22nd. It is on a Sunday morning before the store opens, so all the engaged couples can have the store to themselves before they open for the day. There is supposed to be free food and we get a heart shaped bowl for registering. It sounds like fun and we are excited to go.

Is there anywhere else that I should register? If you have a suggestion, please comment!