Registry Time!

Our friends are throwing us an engagement party next weekend, so we thought we should probably start a registry. Last night, we went to one of our favorite stores. We were so excited to walk around the store and use the gun. Then we got there and reality set in. We live at home with my mom and are planning on being here until the wedding, to save money for the wedding and a home. We realized last night that picking out registry items, when you don't have a home yet, is pretty hard!

I am a visual person and I couldn't pick anything up and visualize it in our future home because I have no idea what that home will look like. What if the kitchen is tiled a certain color and we can't use plates we picked out? What if the bathroom has the same issue? I know the logical thing to do is buy basic colors, but that is no fun to me!

We thought this may be somewhat of a problem, but it was worse than we expected. When we get a home, we are going into it with pretty much nothing. We have always always lived in apartments fully furnished and equipped with everything from the TV, microwave, utensils, dishes, measuring cups, you name it. So we don't really have anything other than two beautiful bedroom sets given to us by Mr. Newport's parent's (they moved last year and gave us two Ethan Allen sets from their guest rooms).

We set one criteria only: It has to be something we really need that is practical.

That really didn't work last night.

We ended up with 8 items. A pizza cutter, a dough scrapper (real practical, huh?), 3 candle holders, pilsner glasses, a trivet, a napkin holder, a 2 tiered server and a pitcher (probably the most practical!).

They are all things we will use, but when you need a lot, they probably aren't the most practical options. We need to focus more on dinnerware, utensils, pots and pans, tools (Mr. Newport's favorite idea!), etc.

I found a few tips over at Yum Sugar . (The above picture is from there, as well). Most of these I have heard before, but here are some of the top tips:

• Register at two or three different stores. This will give your guests options, especially if they do not live near one of your chosen stores.
• Over register by requesting more items than the number of people on your guest list. Also, be sure to check up on your registry a few days before your event. Most people purchase gifts a few days before. If there's nothing left on your registry, you're going to end up with some random items.
• Register for items in every budget. Don't shy away from big ticket items - a big trend is for guests to pool together for one large item. However, make sure there are enough affordable pieces on your registery too.
• When registering, make sure you specify both of your names. Some guests may want to personalize your gift and may need to know how to spell your names.

See the rest of the list, by clicking the Yum Sugar, link above.

I like that they say it is ok to register for big ticket items. A lot of places we are looking at offer completion bonuses. So after the wedding we can buy items left at 10-15% off, depending on the store. We were thinking of registering for a couch and dining table and chairs at one of the stores, but we didn't want to look greedy. It is mainly for the completion bonus afterwards, but after reading this, if a large (extremely large), group wanted to go in on a big ticket item, that would be awesome too!

What were some of your experinces while registering? Did you enjoy your first time registering or did it leave you a little frustrated? Any other great tips?