What do you wish you received for your wedding/showers?

[winnied]

I can't remember what I wish I got at my wedding/showers. I'm buying a shower gift for a friend soon and I want to get something she'd actually like. We all know we registered for things we really wanted and things we just put there to fill it up. She's also moving right after the wedding so should I take that into consideration?

[Deleted]

I did not register for anything just to fill up the registry. I wanted everything on our registry.

The things I really wanted tended to be the expensive things that I wouldn't buy myself -- pots and pan set, knife set, silver, china, mixer, etc.

[ECB]

Apr 11, 2013 9:27:12 GMT -5 v said:

I did not register for anything just to fill up the registry. I wanted everything on our registry.

       

Yeah, this.  If she registered and  you want to know she'll like it, then get her something from her registry. 

[aspentosh]

Something I didn't register for that I wish I had- pots and pans. I really need new ones but don't want to spend the money.

[kadams767]

I didn't register for anything I didn't want at the time. That being said, I wish I had registered for nicer versions of some things rather than certain cheaper things because they were pretty or I didn't know any better. So if I was going to go off registry for a gift, I would buy an upgraded version of something they already registered for, like a better quality food processor if they registered for a small crappy one, etc.

[winnied]

Ha, maybe it's just my friends who just throw stuff on the registry to fill it.

[mbcdefg]

Here are some things that we bought for ourselves in the years after our wedding because we didn't have it, because the originals broke and we had to replace them, or because we wanted extras:

cutting boards, serving platters, appetizer dishes, tongs, barbecue utensils, gravy boat, turkey roasting pan, decent salt and pepper shakers (we registered for a cheap set and they got oxidized/green right away), large serving spoons and forks, tablecloths, cloth napkins, ice cream attachment for the KitchenAid Mixer (we bought this as a treat with our registry gift cards), Le Creuset Dutch oven (birthday gift from MH), a spare measuring cup, digital meat thermometer (if I could register again, I'd register for a pricey instant thermometer because I can only justify buying myself a cheaper probe one), waffle maker, a good-quality can opener, good-quality whisks (regular and flat), immersion blender (gift from my sister), toaster, neutral sets of bedsheets, down comforter (Christmas gift from my mom; we had to buy a duvet cover ourselves though), shower curtains (we only registered for one and it's nice to mix it up sometimes)

[Deleted]

I liked all the things I put on my registry and I got everything. I got ALL my china,flatware & glasses.
Just be sure that the person you are buying for did the registry themselves. I was really annoyed to go to a speciality store, make my slection and then find out that the person I was buying for didnt pick out the stuff. Her Mother did and it was stuff that the bride really didnt want! GRRRR

[raangoli]

I had a Le Creuset Dutch oven on my registry and really wanted it (and still do) but never got it. I should have used the completion discount to get it.

[halfpint]

I think I really wanted everything, I didn't do a very large registry. The things I wanted most were my china place settings and crystal, because I knew the odds that I'd go out later and drop $$$$ on plates were slim to none.

My mother has been a doll, since we didn't get much of it for our shower/wedding, she went out and bought up a bunch of it, and over the last three years, we've been given all of it through various Christmas, birthday and anniversary gifts.

Cash/gift cards as gifts were nice, but I didn't end up spending any of it on registry completion. We didn't want to spend another dime after paying for the wedding, the honeymoon and buying a new house. From that standpoint, more tangible gifts would have been nice, since there were a lot of things that went unpurchased.

[Deleted]

I got a beautiful set of Tiffany crystal candlesticks - we didn't register there and I love them! But other than that, I wanted everything I registered for, and it "sold out" pretty fast, so I got some really creative and memorable gifts that I didn't register for.

Fondue set is one that I got (I think it was a Target / Michael Graves one) - off registry - but it was SO fun to get and use. We use it like twice a year but it is such a jolly fun time

[elocrates]

Perhaps not something I really wanted at the time, but one of my favorite gifts is still our ceramic veggie and dip tray. I still think about the people who gave it to us every time I use it.

[Deleted]

Nobody got us our flatware and I really wanted it. But I appreciated towels and dishes a lot.

[ladygrey]

We both love to cook, so pretty much everything on our Williams-Sonoma registry was stuff that we wanted: high-quality cookware, knives, Kitchen Aid mixer, dutch oven, etc. We probably received about 75% of the items, and bought the rest with our registry completion discount.

Also, a surprise gift that was not on a registry but I love is a beautiful Waterford crystal vase from DH's aunt and uncle. It's gorgeous and not something that we would have purchased ourselves.

[noodleoo]

Registry gifts. I spent a long time picking out stuff I really wanted and pretty much no one used it. Cash at the wedding was really graet, but I had a hard time buying registry gifts with it because the registry items were stuff I wouldn't really buy myself, so I felt bad using cash on it. For my shower, a lot of people went off registry and I was a little bummed. I ended up returning/exchanging a lot of things.

[lindyanne]

I agree with something from the registry made personal for a shower gift - a colander and towels made into a basket with some nice pasta and sauce. A cutting board and grill tool set with some rubs and BBQ sauces.

[M]

I wanted everything on my registry. I did get a lot of stuff that weren't on my registry and while I appreciate the thought, I ended up donating a lot of it because I really can't deal with clutter. I only keep things that I need.

There were two things I really like and kept not from my registry. A set of towels that came with matching monogrammed wash cloths in our wedding color that says "Mr." and "Mrs." I don't go by Mrs. but it's cute. We also got a picture frame to display our invitation on one side and a wedding pic on the other.

[BAMFMrsB]

One of my favorite registry items was a Kate Spade picture frame. It is one of the few items DH was willing to put on the entertainment center (BFD, trust me) and it has our favorite wedding pic in it.

[rachelgreen]

Even though we didn't have a big use for it, I was really happy I registered for our china. I didn't register for the matching pieces like the serving platter or the salt & pepper shakers, etc. In hindsight I should have because we now host Thanksgiving every year and the pattern was discontinued. We moved out of state a month after our wedding so I'm of the thought train of it wouldn't make much difference to me to have to move these items.

[minniebee]

I liked everything I got off my registry. I didn't register for extra stuff I didn't want.

With 2 exceptions, the off-registry gifts were things I didn't really like and haven't used. Some items got donated. However, I still have some of them, I feel too bad to donate a wedding gift from someone close to me like my grandma or my aunt, especially since some of the gifts were homemade (a quilt for example).

A few people did personalized gifts for us, but they didn't know I wasn't changing my last name, so the personalized gifts weren't great for us. Before giving a personalized gift, make absolutely sure you know what their name(s) will be after the wedding.

[winnied]

Apr 11, 2013 10:27:50 GMT -5 milsaroo said:

How far away is she moving? That would determine what I got her.

And as far as the registry goes, I wanted every item on my registry and didn't add anything "just because". I did appreciate the unnecessary gifts - like the hot air popcorn popper we registered for, and the gift included seeds and toppings and the typical red and white striped popcorn boxes. It was cute and even though we could live without a hot air popper, it was nice to get it because it was fun and something I wouldn't have bought myself because it isn't a necessity.

She's moving to Texas but will be a military wife so moving will be frequent.

[mollybrown]

I wish I had received more cash. That's the only thing that I didn't register for that I really wanted

[definitelyO]

A go-to shower gift that a friend of mine gives is a box with 3 or 4 books in it.
There is a note on the first book that says "For the Honeymoon" - the book is the Kama Sutra
I forget the 2nd book and note - but it's some sort of relationship building book for after your first married fight...
The 3rd book has a note that says "When you and DH are blessed" - the book is The Girlfiend's Guide to Pregnancy

[Deleted]

Apr 11, 2013 12:14:05 GMT -5 definitelyO said:

A go-to shower gift that a friend of mine gives is a box with 3 or 4 books in it.
There is a note on the first book that says "For the Honeymoon" - the book is the Kama Sutra
I forget the 2nd book and note - but it's some sort of relationship building book for after your first married fight...
The 3rd book has a note that says "When you and DH are blessed" - the book is The Girlfiend's Guide to Pregnancy

That would definitely go on my list of "What I'm glad I didn't receive for my wedding/shower"

[Deleted]

My two favorite gifts were off registry--a king sized blanket from pottery barn (we have a queen sized bed and I had no clue how much I would LOVE the larger size--it doubles as a bed spread in summer) and a hand knit throw blanket from a family friend.

However, I have a feeling this is not universal.

[chia]

I really wish I would have gotten the expensive ($90) pepper mill. I am STILL looking for that dang pepper mill, since it's discontinued now!
Someone bought me a cheap one, and it broke pretty fast.

I also wish someone would have bought me nice pans.

[galaxy8227]

My bedding, my dishes, my glassware were the things I really wanted off my registry. The things that were "fillers" were mostly kitchen utensils, picture frames, and decorative items. They were all items I liked, but I put them on mostly to have all levels of prices on my registry

[raangoli]

Apr 11, 2013 12:21:57 GMT -5 v said:

Apr 11, 2013 12:14:05 GMT -5 definitelyO said:

A go-to shower gift that a friend of mine gives is a box with 3 or 4 books in it.
There is a note on the first book that says "For the Honeymoon" - the book is the Kama Sutra
I forget the 2nd book and note - but it's some sort of relationship building book for after your first married fight...
The 3rd book has a note that says "When you and DH are blessed" - the book is The Girlfiend's Guide to Pregnancy

That would definitely go on my list of "What I'm glad I didn't receive for my wedding/shower"

Yeah this is the kind of gift that you have to really know the recipient and whether they will like it. It's not a bad idea per se, but I think I'd like it if much more if it were done with wine rather than books.

[Deleted]

Apr 11, 2013 12:47:19 GMT -5 raangoli said:

Apr 11, 2013 12:21:57 GMT -5 v said:

That would definitely go on my list of "What I'm glad I didn't receive for my wedding/shower"

Yeah this is the kind of gift that you have to really know the recipient and whether they will like it. It's not a bad idea per se, but I think I'd like it if much more if it were done with wine rather than books.

I'd also like it more if I didn't have to open the kama sutra in front of my mother-in-law, I actually read self-help books, and was planning on having a child at some point.  You know?

With wine I'm more okay with the idea I suppose (it is too cutesy for my taste, but reasonable minds may differ), but also it doesn't make much practical sense.  Are we really going to sit down and drink a bottle of wine someone else selected for us in the midst of our first fight?  What if we don't have kids for several years (or not at all) -- is the wine going to keep that long?  So it wouldn't be used for its intended purposes, in which case I'd just prefer a case of good wine that I am meant to drink whenever.

Also, the wines that go along with these thing tend to have cutesy/"clever"
names, right?  Wine Buying 101: a gimmicky name is almost always a sign of not good wine.

[raangoli]

Apr 11, 2013 12:55:35 GMT -5 v said:

Apr 11, 2013 12:47:19 GMT -5 raangoli said:

Yeah this is the kind of gift that you have to really know the recipient and whether they will like it. It's not a bad idea per se, but I think I'd like it if much more if it were done with wine rather than books.

I'd also like it more if I didn't have to open the kama sutra in front of my mother-in-law, I actually read self-help books, and was planning on having a child at some point.  You know?

With wine I'm more okay with the idea I suppose (it is too cutesy for my taste, but reasonable minds may differ), but also it doesn't make much practical sense.  Are we really going to sit down and drink a bottle of wine someone else selected for us in the midst of our first fight?  What if we don't have kids for several years (or not at all) -- is the wine going to keep that long?  So it wouldn't be used for its intended purposes, in which case I'd just prefer a case of good wine that I am meant to drink whenever.

Also, the wines that go along with these thing tend to have cutesy/"clever"
names, right?  Wine Buying 101: a gimmicky name is almost always a sign of not good wine.

I've only done this once for a friend because I knew that she would like it. I honestly didn't think that they would actually follow the "rules" and drink after their first fight etc. I know I wouldn't, and I would drink the wine when I felt like it.  But it was "cutesy" without being risque like opening lingerie or a book on kama sutra in front of family. 

And I definitely did not follow the cute or clever naming scheme. I bought what I knew they liked.