HaselBride

Registry Frustrations

I've posted about our registry frustrations before. You all provided great ideas for the registry, but it wasn't enough! Our mothers keep pestering us {read me} to add more! My fantastic aunts are throwing me a shower back home in August and Nick's family is holding one in my honor in September, so it is time to add some more options to the list.

Problem is if we need something new for our house {decorative element, a chair, etc.}, I look for a long time at every store imaginable and eventually I'll come across something I love that is perfect and I'll buy it. I'm not going to walk into one store and find something perfect immediately. I guess I am just picky? Narrowing our registry down to a few stores has been murder on me and deciding what to put on them has been even worse. {Especially since I decided to forgo the headache of registering at the returns-unfriendly Target where I always find stuff I love.}

It is really stressing me out to pick out every utensil, tray, or plate I'd like us to have for the next 50 years while making sure everything coordinates. I know that's so silly to say because it is supposed to be fun, but it is the truth. I don't want people to be upset because they don't have a lot to chose from, but at the same time I don't need 75 chip and dip sets. Seriously. The one I have will do the job.

To relieve some of the stress, I downloaded Crate and Barrel's plain Jane, but very helpful registry checklist. {Available as a pdf and online.} I liked the pdf because it was easy to read and bare bones {no blurbs to read through about each item} and it had boxes for check marks. A few weeks ago before we rounded out our registry at Bed Bath and Beyond, I printed out our registries from Crate and Barrel and Macy's and went through the checklist page by page. Lines went through things we do NOT need {soup tureen, mattress, etc.}, checks went through stuff we'd registered for, and circles or question marks went next to items we should consider registering for. It definitely took a little bit of the stress of and helped me narrow down the items we needed to add at BBB or look for at the other stores.

After it was all said and done I felt a bit better about the whole thing and a lot less stressed. If I had it to do over, I'd have started with that list from the beginning. Circling things we might like, crossing off stuff we don't need. Hopefully my ideas will help you other brides be more organized about it from the get go and not be stressed like me! Did you have any methods for registering? Did it stress you out a bit?

Dream Registry Item #2: Madeline Weinrib Pillows

Photos: top O at Home Fall 2007, p30 & 131; bottom InStyle Home Fall/Winter 2007, p9.

The next item on my dream registry has been on the list for awhile. This past fall when I saw these Madeline Weinrib ikat pillows in nearly every home magazine, it was love at first sight. However, at $450 a pop I don't forsee me owning one anytime soon. A girl can dream though.

Pillow images © Madeline Weinrib Atelier.

The pillows can be seen online at Madeline Weinrib Atelier. They aren't actually available for purchase online, but I'm pretty sure they can be found at ABC Carpet & Home in NYC. {You lucky NYC ducks.}

Dream Registry Item #1

I'm starting an new category "dream registry" based on Perfect Bound's Registry Bliss. I plan to update it whenever I find an item I just can't live without, BUT probably won't get. :)  This first item is exactly that.

When Nick and I were in Atlanta a few weeks ago, we shopped until he dropped. I could have stayed a few months longer. Before we went, I consulted some Atlanta knotties, the Lucky Atlanta shopping guide {here} and the design*sponge guide to Atlanta {here}. Both the Lucky and design*sponge guides mentioned ShopSCAD Atlanta. I knew I had to stop by.

And when I did, I found the first item for our dream registry: a three panel painting on what appears to be three vintage panel doors {far right in the photograph} by artist Justin Kuhn. I could honestly see this painting in our home. To make matters worse, Nick liked it. We agreed on something for our home! Crazy.

I seriously think about this painting every day. I wish, wish, wish we would hit the lotto. Forget a new car, that can wait. The first thing I would do is jump in the car and drive to Atlanta to buy this. Okay, I could buy both if I hit the lotto, but honestly this painting would be first on my list. It rocks my socks. The texture and the size, I could go on and on.

Part of the reason I love it so much is because it evokes so many great memories for me. My grandmother had a rug like this in her basement. My baby cousin {also, one of my bridesmaids} and I used to spend hours and hours giggling and spinning round and round until we almost got sick.

I think every couple should own at least one piece of art they absolutely love; this is that piece for me.

Photographs © HaselBride, painting © Justin Kuhn.