wedding registry lookback: home & entertaining

Entertaining

• Stemware: These will likely be the first items purchased on your registry (everyone wants to help celebrate!). Schott Zweisel is one of the best known purveyors of crystal glasses, and their Pure Collection is made of a “Tritan” material that is intended to be chip and scratch resistant (ours still look great 2 years later!). There are many fantastic options for wine glasses, but I thought these were both beautiful and high quality – and at the same time, I won’t be devastated if one breaks as I can order a 2-pack replacement set on Amazon. We asked for the Burgundy, Sauvignon Blanc and Champagne glasses, in addition to the coordinating Old Fashioned glasses from the same collection for cocktails.
• Flatware:  Similar to stemware, there are many, many options here. I knew I wanted something suitable for both everyday and entertaining. Originally, I had my heart set on gold or rose gold flatware, but I quickly learned that these are not intended for every day use. I tried two different Lenox manufactured sets (widely regarded as some of the most high-quality), only to find that the gold coloring would rub off if put in the dishwasher or used to eat anything acidic. Such a shame because they are so pretty – I seriously considered just hand-washing to make it work, but quickly realized that is just not realistic for us! Thanks to Bloomingdales’ excellent return policy, I was able to exchange them for the same style in silver, Marchesa by Lenox Flatware 18/10, Imperial Caviar 5 Piece Place Setting, which we have been very happy with. We also requested the coordinating serving set for entertaining. Finally, I wanted to include steak knives, and hated the hideous black-handled versions. These Wusthof knives pair nicely with our flatware.
• Dishware: Is china over? Please don’t tell Grandma Betty I wrote this, as she is hoarding at least 3 sets for me. I wanted to find dishes that would be suitable for both everyday and entertaining. Heath Ceramics is a San Francisco institution, having been started here in 1959, and I love their simple styles and muted colors (not competing with what’s on the plate!). I fell in love with the Alabama Chanin design and couldn’t resist registering for this gorgeous Camellia Opaque 5-piece set. The fact that they are individually handmade made the rather obscene price point a bit easier to stomach. You do also get a small discount for buying dishes in sets, as well as a registry completion discount (15%). We also supplemented the set with pasta bowls, regular dinner plates, serving bowls and platters. I love having two sets of the full-size dinner plates, one for everyday and the other for when we’re being fancy. These Chilewich Dahlia placemats paired perfectly for a sophisticated table setting.
• Serving: It’s nice to have a few serving pieces to dress up the table when we have company or make a special meal. As mentioned above, we opted for a number of coordinating Heath pieces (see here for the full Alabama Chanin collection). For wine, we love this Le Creuset Vitesse Decanter and Aerator, and for water we always use this Soma Sustainable Carafe & Plant-Based Water Filter – both make excellent gifts!

Home

• Towels: Chrissy C. of Eat Some Wear Some introduced me to Coyuchi, and as it turns out they are local to the Bay Area! We purchased a set from the Air Weight towel collection in Fog – they are made from organic cotton and fair-trade certified. Tom loves the extra-large Sheet size, but the Bath size that’s included in the Set would work well for most. 
• Vacuum: A good vacuum is essential, and the registry is the perfect time to update yours. I have always used Miele, and we requested the original version. This works extremely well and is very compact – perfect for apartment storage. With that said, after reading the Sweethome review I would definitely go for this upgraded model, the Complete C2, if I could.
• Bedding: Fresh bedding is a great way to make your matrimonial bed. Read more on my (extensive) bed-making recommendations in Making the (Perfect) Bed.

Kitchen

• The majority of our registry was comprised of kitchen gadgetry, and I think it’s the perfect opportunity to gather the goods you have always wanted but never purchased. I have a separate post on the essential kitchen items to register for here for a detailed look.