Registration Station

Hooray to starting our Wedding Registry today! How exciting... and exhausting. To prepare for the event, last night I looked at several suggestive registry lists and together we compiled our own list of "must haves." Today we perused the aisles of Target and Kohl's and found item after item on our list. We could have easily checked everything off and been home by lunch. Unfortunately, we didn't really find many items we actually liked. So rather than settling by adding items that less than met our expectations, we said, "Maybe later."

I've read several articles on wedding Web sites and in magazines about registering for items in a wide range of price points to accommodate the budgets of your many friends and family. I don't disagree with this concept. As someone who knows plenty of people on a tight budget, I think it's appropriate to make your wedding an affordable event for all you would like to attend. However, I'm not about to register for a $10 gadget or knickknack I will never use for the sole purpose of expanding the lower price point of my registry.

If your 5 college friends can only afford something inexpensive on their own, they shouldn't feel guilty for all chipping in to buy one item you'll really love. Other options: Items that really speak to who you are as a couple. Love music? iTunes gift cards. Foodies? A wonderful bottle of wine or tickets to a local food and/or wine festival. My favorite new registry option... honeymoon registries! I'm working on convincing Aaron right now that we need to register for our honeymoon in Ocho Rios, Jamaica.

Aaron and I have lived together for several years and after combining housewares, purchasing new items together, and receiving exactly what we want for gifts, we find ourselves with little that we need to register for. We pretty much decided that hangers, a filing cabinet and an ironing board were the only real necessities. :) We're really happy with the things we have and don't want to put something on the registry just to get something new. So for family and friends who might be reading this, if you don't see something on our registry that you're dying to get us... hold tight. I'm working on something we're sure to love and remember for a lifetime.