Saturday, May 12, 2007

Latest Registry Review: After the Wedding Day

We've all been to the registries where people ask for pots, pans, towels, and sometimes that odd little kitchen gadget that you have no idea when they will ever use. Recently, I've been trying to find a non-traditional wedding registry where people can get really unique gifts. The one site that I've recently look at was After the Wedding Day: http://www.aftertheweddingday.com/



After the Wedding Day allows you and your your fiancé to register for activities that you want to do together (skydiving, kayaking, a beach vacation to Mexico, cooking classes). Guests can view your items and purchase bridal gifts for you - giving you a chance to have fun and enjoy each other during your newlywed year. It's defintely a different concept and I would say that memories of such activities are wonderful and unique wedding gifts. I do wonder about the perception that others may have as it is almost asking for "cash", but I think people would be open to contributing and I would suggest that you send pictures or stories from the actitivies they helped purchased.

Friday, April 27, 2007

Win Prizes! Kohl's Wedding Gift Registry


The Knot along with Kohl's are sponsoring a contest called "Bridal Aisle Gift Registry Bingo Sweepstakes". You can win a variety of home essentials or even a trip to Cancun. It really has nothing to do with wedding registries besides the fact that it forces you to create an account in Kohl's registry system before you can play. It's a free contest and you can enter it on a daily basis, so I guess it doesn't hurt especially if you were going to use Kohl's as your registry anyways. I've created so many accounts on various sites to check out their offerings, that one more really didn't make a difference to me and it's a fun little game to play while I'm bored. The promotion ends on April 18th. Here's the direct link to the game: http://weddings.theknot.com/bingo/kohls_intro.html

Friday, March 2, 2007

Register for Charity

As couples are getting married at a later stage and usually have everything they need, there is a growing trend towards having a registry for charity. Perhaps my analysis is incorrect on why more people are going this route, maybe it's just the fact that we have a great self-less society that wants to use every opportunity to give back to the community. Personally, I would prefer to register for more traditional items as I feel people would like to choose where their money goes to and may not believe in the same causes. Don't get me wrong, I think that charitable donations are a great idea, but I would probably steer away from it as a registry and perhaps make donations as the wedding favor. This way the money is coming directly out of you own pocket and you are still helping a cause that you believe in. In any case, there are now sites out there that help those who want to have a registry for their charities. I didn't interact with them much as I knew I wasn't going to use it, but it may be something that others are interested in.



The best one I found was http://www.justgive.org/weddings/index.jsp that has a section dedicated for wedding registries.

Sunday, February 25, 2007

Macy's Lifestyle Quiz


I found this quiz the other day in which you answer a few questions that classifies your lifestyle type and puts together a list of suggested registry items. Granted the quiz is sponsored by Macy's and all items listed are from them..... it was still interesting that most of the items they suggested would be items that I would include in my registry. There is definitely no science to this quiz and I don't think it really helps in any of your decision making process. Oh.. and if you are interested, apparently we fall in the Happy Hipsters category. I really didn't need this quiz to figure out that I don't take life too seriously or that I need a 12 cup muffin pan. I guess the quiz was just short enough to spark my interest.

Friday, February 2, 2007

Crate and Barrel Gift Registry Guide

My friends had always raved about Crate and Barrel's registry and I have purchased many gifts from them. It's always fun to watch engaged couples in the store scanning the items that they want and having a debate on whether or not they really need five different types of forks. It seems that people are often trying to fill up their registries with goodies that may never be used (can we say "Oxo ® Soap Dispensing Palm Brush") rather than things that would really be useful in the long run. However, I found that the Crate and Barrel site has put together a registry guide to help in the planning process and notes 50 things you should know before you register. Some of the advice given is common sense, but they do have a few good pointers especially on the quantity of items that you should get. I would suggest to give it a quick click through just to get a few ideas on things to keep in mind before you go scan-happy at your next visit with your fiancee to the store. You can get to the guide from the front page of the Registry area on the C&B site.


Monday, January 29, 2007

Williams-Sonoma Private Bridal Registry Events

It's hectic enough deciding what you want to put on your registry that I personally would at least like to make my decision somewhat in peace and not deal with massive crowds. Williams-Sonoma sponsors "The Store Is Yours" event where you can join other engaged couples in a closed-store event.


In other words, you are allowed into the store to shop for gifts you want to include on your registry before general public store hours. This is actually a great chance to interact with other engaged couples...although they are probably too busy shopping themselves. However, it does give you easier access to the store employees for questions since there aren't as many people around. I would certainly recommend that you attend one of these events. All you have to do is contact your local store to find out the day that they will hold this event which is on a pretty regular basis.