apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

www.crateandbarrel.com

Easy to update and maintain, and you can register for gift cards.

Also Target. I wish IKEA had a registry!

i second the crate and barrel recommendation.
i got married just 3 months ago and we registered there (as well as rei). c&b has products in a variety of price ranges (very important for a registry). our registry worked out so well that every single item we registered for was purchased (which is crazy!).

congrats on your upcoming wedding!

DWR has a wish list, which can function for all intents and purposes the same way an official registry can on other sites.

The same may be true with roomandboard, but I dunno.

Obviously the aesthestic you are going for.

Hi my fiance and I have our register at Bloomingdales and Williams & sonoma. Consider the first one, is a place where you can find everything at. :)

we registered at three places- bed, bath, and beyond has everything, but the overwhelming amount of stuff makes the process not so fun- macy's was terrible- crate and barrel was actually fun to register at. they make it simple and there's a ton of great, clean stuff.

For basics--sheets, towels, kitchenware, appliances--I highly recommend Bed, Bath, and Beyond. They have an amazing return policy and will give you cash if you return anything on your registry. Their prices are also better than Williams Sonoma or Macys, even for the same items (for example, our All-Clad stainless steel pots and pans were cheaper at BBB).

I do really like the stainless flatware at Williams Sonoma; their tableware in general is pretty fabulous, though perhaps not as modern as you want.

Crate and Barrel has a great registry program, but I caution you against registering for things like plates and glassware there. A bunch of friends registered for stemware and glasses, only to find that they break really, really easily.

If you're interested in fine china or silver, I highly recommend Michael C. Fina. They have a much larger selection than any other retailer I could find, including Macy's and other department stores. And they have a decent website.

My graphic designer friend and her husband registered at Maxwell Silver, www.maxwellsilverny.com, where you can have access to products at Dwell, Global Table (my favorite), Hable, etc.

The first thing that comes to mind is, most assuredly, Crate and Barrel.

I agree with those who've already mentioned Crate and Barrel. They actually offer a 10% discount on anything you register for and don't get.

I suggested DWR as I was really thinking of more interesting presents.

We registered at crateandbarrel and the other usual suspects as they do make the process easier, but design-wise dont ususally have that much cool stuff.

One problem with michaelcfina is that they dont discount. This works poorly in two ways.
A place like macys or bloomingdales allows people to buy something on your registry at a discounted price.
Michael Fina allows you to hold off on receiving the individual items so you can get the full value and put it towards other stuff. This is good, but their prices are so high the money doesnt go as far as it would elsewhere.

My fiance and I also need to register in the next few months. Just wanted to pass on the word that we have been warned against Target because of tricky return policies-- when you return things after 3 months or so, you have to pick something of the same amount from the same department-- and silly things like that. In addition, the stock changes so frequently that it can be frustrating for people to find registry items. Really a shame because I like the stuff there.

The only place that we know we are registering for sure is Crate and Barrel. We have also been told that they have a special day set aside for couples to register when the store opens early for that purpose....don't know if that is a local thing or if other stores do that also. Might be worth looking into.

My cousin registered at mossonline-- http://www.mossonline.com/registry-exec/ -- for a few really sexy, expensive things that they had been drooling over. For basics (and cheap stuff for your student relatives) they did crate & barrel.

BBB's cashback policy is very nice, but after having dishes/bathgoods/linens from there for about 1.5 years, it's clear they are of lower quality than C&B for example. Probably related in no small part to the particular things I selected, however.

My husband and I registered at Crate & Barrel as well. I know that my local C&B store held "Sunday Morning Engagements" in February, where the store is only open to engaged couples looking to register. You have to sign up online or by calling the store you'd like to register at, but they serve you breakfast and let you run wild!

Another thing that most people don't know (including ourselves) is that even after your wedding is over, you can add things to your registry to use your 10% off coupon on. This and being at the right place at the right time is how we got the Madison Large Extension Dining table for only 479! (Floor models are our friend...)

Definitely go with C&B.

Linens & Things also is a good one simply because the 10% off completion coupon is good for a year and can be used multiple times, unlike most places (C&B included) where the coupon can only be used once.

You can register at Design Public, which has a lot of beautiful things. We considered doing that, but ended up deciding against it because the things we wanted from there were so expensive we thought our registry would look kind of obnoxious. We ended up going with C&B, Amazon, Bed Bath & Beyond, and the I Do Foundation for a charity registry.

If you have a local store that you like, you might ask them if they have an online registry--I know in DC at least a few stores will do that for you, so that out of town people can shop there too.

my husband and I registered at crate and barrel. we also got almost everything we asked for. the things we like most are the porcelain placesettings we got, the kitchen appliances and cookware (cheaper than WS, but still very nice), and our glasses (although the delicate wine glasses I chose do break easily). The expensive stainless steel barware we got rusted very early on, which was annoying. i also wouldn't recommend their towels and sheets, since they seemed pretty low-quality to me.

macys has great linens, but their registry is very hard to work with and shipping takes forever. we probably would have been better off buying those items ourselves after the wedding.

you might also check out CB2. they just started an all-purpose registry program. i wish we'd had access to that when we got married.

Let me also echo the Crate & Barrel sentiments. Their staff is very helpful, and the registry process is very easy--all the way through maintenance. This option will be your best one, especially if you have a lot of non-NYC residents coming to your wedding (as my wife and I did this past summer).

If you want your stuff to be distinctly funkier, you can also register at CB2, but your guests are pretty-much Internet-bound if you go that route. Not to say that that's bad, but a lot of people love the idea of going to a store and seeing what they're buying you with their naked eyes.

I think good ol' Crate & Barrel will give you almost everything you're looking for. You shouldn't have trouble finding plenty of beautiful stuff that fits the "AT" aesthetic. And the sturdiness/makeup of their items is a helluva lot better than what you'd get at west elm or something.

we registered at heathceramics.com.

instead of getting two sets of dishes, one for everyday and another for special occasions, we got one great set that we use ALL the time.

We registered at Bed, Bath, and Beyond, which we highly recommend. Their customer service can't be beat; returns were easy and painless (cash back!). They're also a lot more accessible to your relatives in Florida than places like C&B (which we also liked).

For "off the grid" gifts, we also used FindGift.com, which allows you to pick items from ANYWHERE. So you can select things from local shops... or just list a generic concept ("a turntable"), allowing guests to shop around. (Our close friends preferred to buy off this list, whereas the old folks used BB&B.)

If Target is on your radar, you might want to think about going with amazon.com.

my husband and i call crate and barrel cracked and broken- in the mail we received a souflee pan in muliple pieces and a chipped creamer. Plus, when we got a $300 furniture piece from them, at home we discovered its butcher block wood top was cracked down the center.

Also, Their merchandise is constantly changing, which isn't good if your wedding is more than 6 months away. (by our wedding, our registry items were mostly unavailable).

we enjoyed what we got from bed, bath, and beyond; though. we highly recommend them.

my favorite place to register, though- was amazon. they have *everything*. we registered for lodge logic cast iron pieces there, king arthur bakeware, as well as a drill, bits, and movies to add to our collection.

Jane- My fiance and I were thinking of registering at Heath also. When I ordered some samples from the website (because I couldn't get my hands on the colors I wanted in NYC) I found it a little hard to navigate. Did you have any problems... if so it sounds like it was worth it?

The other place we are probably going to register is Crate and Barrel.

Design sponge had some recommendations awhile ago:

http://designsponge.blogspot.com/2006/03/wedding-bells-and-registries.html

My fiance and I are planning on arranging an account with a picture framer's and having that be our main registry item. We don't actually need much in the way of "stuff", but we do have a lot of unframed art. Williams-Sonoma is on our list of possibles for some nice kitchen/bakeware items.

We registered at Lekker Home. It's in Boston, but has a Website.

http://www.lekkerhome.com

I don't think anyone has thrown this one out there--The Conran Shop. They have a great mix of furniture, kitchenware, dishware, silverware, etc. I wish I had registered here when I got married last year but I opted against it because their website wasn't great. I think they've update it since. Congratulations!

I just want to caution people against registering at Williams Sonoma. I found the whole process with them extremely frustrating. Even when we received two of the same item due to their error, a cash refund was not an option. What's more, when I tried to exchange something in a store which had been purchased online, they actually couldn't process it as an exchange, or give a credit for it then and there. I had to buy the new item, and wait for an additional credit to come in the mail, weeks later. Bed, Bath and Beyond carries most of the same kitchen gear, and from what I've heard, are MUCH easier to deal with.

Tyrza--yeah, we had the same annoying time trying to exchange stuff with Williams Sonoma. We really thought they were trying to make it as difficult as possible--sending you a kind of store check, instead of giving you immediate credit--in hopes that you'd forget, lose the slip, and they'd be the richer. Not cool at all. And they act like their online store and brick and mortar stores aren't at all related.

But they did have a really cool feature on the website, a "thank you note organizer" or something, which tells you exactly who bought what and gives you their address. I wish other companies would copy that.

We did Williams-Sonoma, Crate and Barrel, and Target, although the vast majority of people bought from the first two stores. Not too exciting choices, but they covered all the bases.

shira -

it certainly helps if you can visit the heath showroom in sausalito, ca., which is what we did. if not, i think they carry the line at moss.

i would try phoning any orders in. it is harder to navigate than other registries but so worth it. i love all of my heath stuff so much!

velocityartanddesign.com and designpublic.com both have registry options and most definitely an AP aesthetic.

Why don't you have guest contribute to a charity instead? I find the whole wedding industry tacky and selfish.

if you register through weddingchannel.com a portion of all gift sales goes to a charity of your picking. william sonoma, c&b, macys, bloomingdales, neimans and more are part of the program. never done it but looks easy.

I registered at Bed Bath & Beyond, Crate& Barrel and mossonline. I could have eliminated Crate & Barrell because BBB had pretty much the same type of items we wanted. I also had a few problems with breakage from Crate& Barrel.

I would also suggest www.unicahome.com -they have items found at moss but tons more extensive and their prices are reasonable.

My husband and I registered at William Sonoma, Tiffany and Bed, Bath and Beyond. The best place is William Sonoma, hands down. We registered for a stove top espresso maker, used it for almost a year. And when it stopped working, they accepted it back for a store credit, no questions asked, no receipt, nothing.

They were so nice about it and I was completely amazed that they took back the crusty, darkened, used cappuccino maker.

Oh, and by the way, the staff at Bloomingdales was obnoxious. I walked out of that store in ten minutes.

We did our whole registery on findgift.com -- the biggest downside is that it is a mouthful. Try enunciating "findgiftdotcom"

It works a bit like Amazon, but you can point guests to gifts at all kinds of stores (including the moma design store, which has gorgeous flatware but no registry) or just be vague about what you want.

The other advantage for us was that we could identify a couple of organizations we like and put them right on the registry with a link to their online donation page, and we were able to identify small designers and add things Crate and Barrel will never have to the registry. Ditto for organic cotton sheets and towels. The internets are full of green home shops, every one of them seems to be a mixed bag in terms of variety and price, we found recycled glass tumblers one place and organic sheets at another but could put everything on a single list.

For double bonus advantage points, we also added a section on "things you could make" and highlighted some gorgeous textiles (mostly found through decor8) for cocktail napkins and tablecloths. That only works if you have crafty friends, I suppose, but we do.

I was worried that it would be too complex, but so far, it hasn't been an issue, folks seem to get it.

If you love Scandinavian design, check out http://www.finnstyle.com. That's where we got our nice modern wedding gifts.

We registered at C&B, BB&B and Macy's. Def do C&B and BB&Bs ... great service and great selection of basics.

Williams and sonoma is the best. my kitchen is now full of all clad and le creuset. AAAhhhh, what a smart choice. of course, the other day i visited abc carpet and wished that we had put them on our list for linens.

I generally like the aesthetic of Crate & Barrel over Williams-Sonoma, but they discontinue their patterns quite frequently -- which isn't so great if you break something or want to buy more of the same thing.

Also, someone mentioned earlier that Michael C. Fina doesn't discount, but they do. It is a one-time only thing, but it's comparable to other stores.

Bed, Bath and Beyond has so many choices, but most of the time not what I want -- they always seem to carry my 2nd choice of things, but maybe that doesn't matter to some people (e.g. I wanted a stovetop griddle. BBB only has a cheap, alumninum model, but other stores carry cast iron versions). Their prices aren't cheap either.

We only registered at Crate & Barrel. Overall we had a great experience. A few times gifts were sent in separate packages making it confusing. For example we received napkins before the tablecloth that someone had purchased together. Only the tablecloth had gift wrap.

The day before the wedding I added the Petrie Couch (in mocha) so we could then get C&B's discount on it. We used some of our C&B gift cards toward the couch purchase.

I also would recommend registering at Gaiam.com for organic cotton linens.

Just to sum up my experience after asking the Q:
1. Crate & Barrel: surprisngly limited and very disappointing.

2. Williams & Sonoma: overpriced and offered nothing special

So the winning registried were:
1. Michael C. Fina: they have a surpringly good selection of flatware and decent options for dinnerware and glassware. Best part: they don't ship anything until after an after-event meeting at which point you could actually trade everything you receive in and start over.

2. Bed Bath & Beyond: I know, I know, I tried to avoid the big boxes. However, you can't lose with their cookware selection (even had some nice Bodum products). Best part - you can return items for $.

I am really need to registerÂ… actually I needed to do it a month ago. Anyway, we are a young couple, but we have live on our own and have all of the house wares that we need and can store until we move into a larger home.
We really want cash, but I am told by both mothers that I cannot ask for money. They are both against a honeymoon registry.
we really donÂ’t need any of the stuff and any of typical registry stores.

WHO GIVES CASH BACK OTHER THAN BB&B?

Thank you for responding

if you can answer my previously posted question, please respond to thejadeling@hotmail.com

my fiance and i just went out this weekend and started our wedding registry. i would very much like to echo craig's assessment of c&b. i'd always thought that i would be a big fan of the c&b registry - it seems to be *the* place that people register at, the commentors on here have overall positive comments, etc. after going there and starting the registry, we were pretty disappointed. we like to think that we're pretty modern people, but there were very few items at c&b that we were inspired to actually scan and add to our list. there will be two of us in 650 square feet and we already have a lot of cookware, etc. we don't want to ask for gifts if we don't really like and need them. we ended up going to macy's next and finding far more things that we liked. plus their 10% completion discount is better than that of c&b (10% off for 90 days @ macy's - as opposed to 10% off on one day @ c&b). just my two cents!