apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Toaster/Convection oven

We also got married recently at City Hall and since we as a couple had everything that one could think of, we did not register. But the one cool thing I did get (and it was from someone who did not make it to the wedding) was a WilliamsSonoma gift card which I exchanged for the large oval LeCreuset dutch oven. Oh also the other thing was a 4 different sets of 6 settings Riedel wine glasses - it was one of those things I always wanted...

I second gift cards, specifically Williams-Sonoma. People put kitchen aide mixers on their register because they can't afford them on their own based on practicality. My kitchen aide mixer is one of my favorite things but I rarely use it unless we have a party or it's Christmastime. But to me it's almost a piece of sculpture. It's a focal point of the kitchen. And for that, it's worth the money, but my husband would never agree. That's what we used some of our gift cards for, luckily my aqua one was on sale.

lorie99: i admit, my husband and i registered for the mixer as well. (he uses it more than i do.) i just think it's funny that it shows up on 99% of the wedding registries out there. i mean, what other specific product is that ubiquitous on the registries!

I like to give a gift certificate to one of the couple's favorite restaurants. They've just spent all of their money on a wedding and honeymoon and a stress free night out when they get home is welcome.

I didn't get my kitchenaid until the Christmas after our wedding... but I use it all the time. Our best gift might have been a Bodum fondue pot. I know, who does fondue... answer: my husband and I for like a month straight. That stuff is addictive.

Forget the merchandise, honeymoon registries are the wave of the future.

I hope not! Honeymoon registries are tacky. They scream, "Hey, pay for our vacation!" If you don't have any registry and are already an established household, most people will give cash anyway.

the best wedding gift we got was art! our friends had a picture of my husband and me made into a pop art piece, so they framed the canvas and sent it to us.

the runner up? a hookah! we love it and it's a perfect piece to entertain guests!

Because KitchenAid pretty much dominates the market on stand mixers. I mean, there are probably blenders, plates, toasters, cookware, etc on everyone's registry, but there are tons of options for those. Cuisinart and Viking have stand mixers too, but with fewer options (color, design) and a higher cost. Plus, everyone knows someone with a 30-year-old KitchenAid - there's no worrying about how it will work or how long it will last.

I can't imagine waiting until I'm married to get one, but I do a lot of baking.

dancingspring: good points re. the mixer. now that you mentioned it, i think the color choices are a big selling factor for a lot of people.

Best gift we got was cash. We put it in our savings account and it eventually went towards the down payment for our first house.

On the one hand, gift cards are lovely because you can buy your heart's desire. On the other hand, the denomination can be tricky... I think psychologically, getting something you love and will use over and over is nicer, even if you know it was inexpensive. $35 to spend at Best Buy seems cheap, especially when you (or your loved ones) are spending $80 a head on a fabulous party.

That being said, if you know the couple likes to entertain, there are some items everybody needs but forgets to ask for. Small serving tongs, a simple glass water pitcher, attractive carafes for coffee and hot water.

Nobody needs more picture frames unless there's something special inside them!

Generous cash for a down payment on a house is sublime.

Find out where they're going on their honeymoon, and give them a big gift certificate for a swanky dinner out. We did this for friends and they loved it.

I love the idea of a piece of art, so long as the couple actually likes said art!

For couples that like coffee, a good espresso machine is a great gift - although that can get rather expensive. My boyfriend and I are not married, but we do live together. We have received some pretty generous gifts, including an Expobar espresso machine (gorgeous) and a Cuisinart Food Processor (we love to cook).

Amy, I really like your idea of a certificate to one of the couple's favorite restaurants.

why do you need to give a gift everytime someone gets married?

I hated all the art we got as wedding gifts. None of those people really know me well enough to buy me art. Pretty much nobody in the WORLD knows me well enough to buy me art. Except my dad and one sister. That's it.

What I loved receiving was all the beautiful linens - big cooshy towels, crisp sheets and colorful tablecloths with matching napkins. But I was also in major nesting phase. And I didn't register for a Kitchenaid stand mixer because my hand mixer works just fine. Everyone told me I should and I just decided I'd rather have more linens. Mmm linens.

ca's question reminds of a Sex & the City episode...

ca, you dont NEED to give a gift. however, i imagine that whenever i get married and have a wonderful new living situation full of my things and my husbands things, it will be pretty great to have things that are "ours", especially things that are daily reminders of our friends and family. weddings are a joyous occasion...why be sour about giving a gift? though im sure i might have a different tune if i was invited to someones 3rd or 4th wedding.........

i think most couples who register for gifts usually plan on some people not being able to afford a whole lot, so they add inexpensive things to their registry like picture frames or individual towel sets or something. that way, those people dont feel awkward about not being able to afford a gift. but if you're attending a wedding where everything on the registry is super expensive, i think its fine to buy something else you think they'd enjoy that is a bit friendlier to your budget. sure the couple is spending $$ per person on the wedding, but its inconsiderate to assume everyone can afford $100 wedding gifts.

i think tastefully given gifts of cash are acceptable, but i think asking for honeymoon money is really tacky.

We had everything we needed before we got married. So we registered at a place called Justgive.org

You can choose from thousands of charities and have people make donations in your name. We picked 4 that were near and dear to our hearts.

Our favorite charities get the money, our guests get a tax write-off, and we don't have become over-consumers just because we got married. It's a win-win-win.

Hi~
We didn't register either. I thought registering was a way of saying "You *have* to give us something". But we got, well... a lot of money, and that payed for part of the house, and nice linens (though we sleep in a queen size and we got all king size linens), glasses of many kinds, a great piece of art, and my mother gave us the Kitchen Aid, which as someone already said, is iconic, beautiful and very useful if you plan to have a large family like we do. And for those "ugly"gifts, we love them, too, because they remind us of our wedding, more than the pretty ones that don't tease a bit.

Cash was nice. Helped us have a very nice honeymoon and pay for wedding bills.
But, the best gift we got was a light up Frisbee. We constantly use it and everyone that sees it flips out. It's super cool.

I didn't realize gift expectations were tied to how much the reception cost per person. Interesting...

They're not supposed to be, ethernaut...some people, however....

i, personally, would much prefer to give someone memories than a material object. gift certificate to a restaurant, movies, climbing gym, museum membership, massages/spa, a cruise on the bay, opera/show tickets, etc.

i also love the idea of art involving the couple. (hell, if they are a really creative couple, get them art supplies and wrap it with a pretty bow.)

We registered for the kitchenaid mixer but didn't get it (too bad, so sad!).

The coolest gift we got, was not off our registry. One of our friends sent us a small gps unit for the car, with a card that read "A little something to help you find your way through life...together" I just thought the sentiment was really sweet and heartfelt...and the gps has come in handy!

The best shower gift I received was a white cashmere cardigan sweater. Our honeymoon was in a very cold place and knowing that, a friend's mom sent the sweater with a note saying something like "To keep you toasty during your cool days in Quebec"

The woman who gave us the gps is the daughter of the woman who gave us the sweater...great giftgiving must be in their genes!

The best wedding gift I ever gave was a bottle of dessert wine that would age in time for their first anniversary, for when the bride was planning on freezing a piece of their wedding cake. (Not that I know much about aging wines, I just asked around for a rec.)

The cake didn't end up making it that long, and the couple actually lost the bottle of wine until around their third anniversary. But they did love it.

that GPS gift, bluestar, is awesome.

Our favorite gift was tickets for three plays, staggered throughout our first year of marriage. they were plays we loved but wouldn't have necessarily spent the money on.

A close second was the double-burner griddle. We didn't register for it, but my husband is irrationally attached to it since he can make an entire pack of bacon AND some pancakes all at once.

Our default gift is really nice, high-thread-count sheets in a color they've registered for. No one's complained yet....

My most favorite gift I received at my wedding was a pair of lovely down-filled pillows. I still use them although I should probably get new ones. I buy pillows for almost every wedding I go to.
I got the biggest thank you from a couple for a really nice framed black and white photo I took of them a few months before the wedding.

If I had gotten down-filled pillows, I would have had to give them away - I'm allergic.