Practical Gift Ideas

Registry Basics
Before you and your sweetheart start scanning items for your registry, do your homework. Consider the size of your space and where you will store your new items. If you’re living in an apartment or smaller condominium, you may want to rethink registering for the super-deluxe size barbecue grill. You’ll be surprised how quickly your new gifts can fill up your space.

Next, think about your guest list. Make sure that you have a variety of items to choose from and at different price points — high and low — so guests can purchase items they feel reflect their own taste and that they can afford. Be sure to consider your out-of-town guests as well, by registering for items that are available both at nationwide locations and online, such as Target and Bed Bath & Beyond, to help ensure they can access your registries from anywhere.

Kitchen and Bath Registry Ideas and Necessities

Now that the registry basics are covered, the fun can begin. Start with the rooms that you live in and use the most — the kitchen and bathroom.

Do you like to host dinner parties? Fine china should be on your list. According to theknot.com, crisp black-and-white dinnerware patterns are all the rage this season. Find something that will not only match your taste and decor, but also be a classic design for years to come.

Want to skip the china, but love to cook? Register for a complete collection of high-end cookware. Stores, such as Sur La Table, offer cool cooking gadgets for the basic, well-stocked and gourmet kitchens alike.

In addition to registering for the mainstays in the kitchen, such as sterling silver flatware and crystal stemware, don’t forget about everyday items like measuring cups and spoons, a kitchen scale, electronic timers or even a microwave oven.

Love a spa feeling and want to re-create it in your bathroom at home? Then don’t settle for a plain, ordinary shower experience when you can create an invigorating one. Register for a new showerhead. Many new showerheads, such as the Enliven showerhead from Moen (available at Target), offer multiple settings that suit any mood — “Relaxing” wide spray, “Invigorating” concentrated spray and “Refreshing” combination spray. Available in fixed and handheld versions, both feature a spray selector, making it easy to change settings and keep you and your spouse singing in the shower.

Continue to create your spa-like, romantic atmosphere by registering for luxury bath towels and high-thread-count sheets. Other items to consider, both extravagant and necessary, include: a down comforter, feather bed, pillows, alarm clock with dual alarms and a closet organizer.

Beyond the Registry

If you and your significant other are looking for adventure instead of objects, why not create memories instead? Family and friends can help purchase items including your airfare, honeymoon suite or candlelit dinners at your vacation destination on sites such as www.honeymoonwishes.com or www.thebigday.com. Register for horseback riding or scuba diving adventures for you and your sweetheart to have memories that will last a lifetime.

Finding Inspiration

Still need help finding inspiration before registering? Retailers, such as Target, offer planning ideas and buying guides on their Web site by category to help get you started.
Recent, popular items to register for include:

* Luggage
* Tool kit
* Bagless vacuum or steam cleaner
* Patio furniture
* Ultra compact digital camera (to help capture memories of your special day and new life together)

Before taking the big walk down the aisle, make sure you’re prepared with necessities that will last long after saying “I do.”

For more information about the Enliven three-setting showerheads available at Target, visit moen.com, or call (800) BUY-MOEN.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

Register at National Chains

7 Months Before Your Wedding

Registering for your wedding gifts may sound like one of the most fun tasks on the overall list! It really can be but to get the most out of it, you really want to be certain that you stay organized. Creating an overall checklist, colors, and keeping all of your needs in check can make this seemingly easy task much more enjoyable. It helps to first visit a few of the stores that you plan to register at to make sure that they not only have the items that you want, but also that guests can easily purchase them. You want to consider things such as shipping for the out of town guests, as well as the return policy. May not sound like much but when you consider all the things that you may register for, it can truly add up.

If you are in a home already then take inventory. Go room to room and consider what you might need or want for your home. Consider things that you may never necessarily buy for yourself such as fine china, nice serving pieces, and vases. This is the time to create your overall wish list and put everything that you could ever want on there—within reason of course! You want to take into consideration any color scheme that you have going by room or for the house as a whole because this is a great time to accessorize and specify what styles and colors that you want in each and every item. The more specific you get, the more likely you are to get exactly what you want.

As you will have guests likely buying you gifts for a bridal shower as well as your wedding, consider listing out items at various price points. Also consider registering at 2-3 stores to make shopping much easier. This can also ensure that you spread out your wish list and include items that may be found at one store but not another. It can also make shopping much more convenient on the guests—and returning much easier on you as a couple. Use the store’s checklists to stay organized and ensure that you don’t list out any duplicates. Before you walk around each store with the scanner (which can be so much fun for you and your beloved) take the time to walk through ahead of time with the checklist so that you are sure to capture everything on your wish list. This will also help prevent you from adding items just for fun. Consider some of the more unusual items as well such as luggage and holiday items—you’ll be happy later on if you happen to get some of these items. If you stay organized and on top of this task, then you are sure to have fun creating your wish list of all the items you could ever want as a married couple!

Groom’s Tireless Search For ‘Something Old’ Gives His Bride New Joy

(ARA) – Lt. Greg Martin wanted to give his fiancee the storybook wedding of her dreams. But he had a slight problem. She was in California planning their big day while he was on the other side of the world, stationed in Iraq. Being so far away made it even more difficult for him to hear the disappointment in her voice when she told him she couldn’t find something she had her heart set on for their big day.

“Years ago, my fiancee Shannon saw this cake topper she really liked in a department store that she thought would be perfect for her wedding day,” says Martin. “It’s called ‘Swept Away’, and after I proposed Shannon remembered it and said the name was so fitting because I swept her away.”

Unfortunately, the manufacturer of the topper, Lenox China, had discontinued it. Martin’s fiancee and her mother searched numerous stores and even got into bidding wars online, but couldn’t find the treasured piece. Martin started his own Internet search which led him to Replacements, Ltd., touted as the world’s largest supplier of old and new china, silver, crystal and collectibles. Unfortunately, Replacements had sold out of the cake topper as well. Little did a disappointed Martin know, his search had far from ended.

“My entire team was so touched by Greg’s story, how he was away serving our country and wanted so much to surprise his fiancee that we made it our mission to find that cake topper,” says Martha Newman, Internet services manager for Replacements, Ltd.  

Replacements has long helped those like Martin looking for patterns that are no longer in production. In fact, the company’s bridal registry offers hope to those brides looking to complete heirloom patterns lovingly passed down as wedding gifts from generation to generation.  

“Even though we sell active patterns, nearly 79 percent of our bridal registry sales are generated from discontinued and heirloom patterns,” says Donna Braswell-Bray, who oversees Replacements’ bridal program. “We’re one of the few places brides can turn to in finding patterns that are no longer being made, whether the manufacturer discontinued them last year or over a hundred years ago. In fact most manufacturers and department stores even refer customers to us for patterns they no longer carry.”

What’s more, if a bride doesn’t know the pattern name or who made it, Replacements research department will help track down that information through the company’s free pattern identification service. Replacements receives up to 3,000 requests weekly from people looking to identify patterns they’ve inherited or whose name they simply can’t remember.

As for Martin’s dilemma, Replacements’ buying services team launched a nationwide search and finally found the highly sought after cake topper.

“Many of us were in tears, we were clapping and just so overwhelmed,” says Newman. “We were so excited to let him know we were able to make this wish come true.”

Replacements shipped the cake topper directly to Martin’s fiancee, and he called her so they could open it together over the phone. “I wish I could have been there to see her reaction and her big smile,” says Martin. “Needless to say Shannon was stunned and very excited to get the cake topper she wanted so much. I can’t believe they were able to help me find exactly what she wanted to make our wedding day perfect!”

To learn more about the company’s bridal registry and free pattern identification service, visit www.replacements.com.

Courtesy of ARAcontent