Several inquiring minds have asked about my favorite items received off our registry and, while this may seem like a post more suited for the EAD Weddings, I decided to run with it over here in hopes that ya’ll like sneak-peeks into other folks’ homes just as much as I do!

Warning: I’m skipping over the items that I would guess 95% of American brides register for – we all know we love our colorful Kitchenaid mixers and our china pattern (if we went that route), and I would bet that most couples get great use out of their Calphalon / Le Creuset / All-Clad, etc.  So I’ll be concentrating on items that (a) surprised me with their usefulness and/or quality, or (b) are a bit out of the ordinary.

First up… a Good Quality Wood Cutting Board

We have the Artisan Cutting Board from Williams-Sonoma and I freakin’ love this thing!  Its big enough for a decent work station yet unobtrusive enough to leave out on the counter all the time.  Its light, making transfers to pots on the stove a snap.  And its good looks enable it to work double-duty as a serving platter (great for a cheese display).  Synthetic cutting boards definitely have their place in my kitchen, but I use this one every day and never put it away.

Basic White Dinnerware

If you know me, this one probably comes as a shocker because I love color!  I have candy-apple-red appliances, citrus-colored Le Creuset pieces, and the only thing in the “whites” laundry pile at our house are Evs’ undershirts and my athletic socks.  Even the china on our registry features a bright turquoise pattern.  But for some strange reason, my practical side took over when it came to everyday dinnerware (we chose Pottery Barn’s Great White Coupe collection).  I had half-convinced myself that we would end up taking all of it back in exchange for something more vibrant like Fiestaware (which I still adore), but food just looks so nice and clean and pretty atop the blank canvas of white dishes.  Plus, I love mixing these dishes with my collection of funky table linens and appetizer plates.

California Poppy Collection at World Market

Lisbon Salad Plate (Set of 4) at World Market

Latte Bowls (Set of 6) at Anthropologie

Forever Luxury Towels

I wish I remembered off the top of my head who gave us these towels so I could give them a huge, interweb shout-out, but alas, I have yet to memorize the Who Gave Us What Excel Spreadsheet.  Just know that I ain’t pulling your leg when I say that I never thought I could love a towel as much as I love these towels.  We registered for 3 sets of towels: one from Pottery Barn and two from Bed, Bath & Beyond – the Suite Collection towels and these Forever Luxury Towels.  Don’t get me wrong, they are all nice, high quality towels.  But stepping out of the shower and into one of the FL towels is like wrapping yourself in a cushy cloud – they are so freakin’ soft but also highly absorbent (you know those towels that are soft but don’t dry you off? I hate that).  They are also just the right size – big enough to get the job done and stay securely snug around you as you blowdry, etc., but not so huge that you feel like a human burrito.  Let’s just put it this way:  I am really, really glad that these towels just happen to match my bathroom instead of Evs’ – otherwise, I would be forced to come up with another not-so-convenient reason to hoard these suckers.

Pewter Serving Pieces

I can’t take any credit for this one.  My grandmother basically heckled mother into heckling me into adding a couple of Wilton Armetale pieces to our registry.  To be honest, I didn’t really see the point – yes, they were pretty and yes, I do like to entertain, but when I do its in a much more casual setting than what the older generations are used to.  I’d already selected some nesting service trays and a few large platters and bowls (including this set which I l.o.v.e.), and felt the addition of the pewter pieces was unnecessary.  Of course I was dead wrong.  Now, when I eat my humble pie (or my guacamole and salsa) I do so with the help of these beauties.  I think we have about four small, simple pieces total, and when they aren’t in use they help fill out the space in our many built-in book shelves in the dinning room (another double-duty use registry item).

Bialetti Mukka Glass Cappuccino Maker

I love coffee and drink it everyday.  Evs is… naturally caffeinated is how I like to put it.  Since my old Mr. Coffee works just fine and we have a fabulous coffeemaker at work, we didn’t feel the need to register for a fancy, expensive new coffeepot.  We did however scan this little stove-top beauty into the mix and it is sheer perfection!  Making lattes and cappuccinos has never been easier – you should see the foam on this little guy!

A Great Set of Knives

Evs was very excited about registering for the knives.  I could have cared less – I thought it was totally silly to spend so much money on knives when neither of us are Top Chef material.  Yes, yes, yes, everyone says good knives make all the difference, but they’re just knives, for pete’s sake!”  Wrong again.  I am now a believer in working with a quality set of knives – they really do make food prep easy-peasy.  We went with Wusthof and never looked back.

And finally… Our Biggest Registry Mistake:

We did end up taking a lot of gifts back – we changed our minds about what bedding we liked; we discovered that we didn’t need cereal bowls and soup bowls; and I’ll admit that I was a little overzealous with the scanner gun when it came to large platters.  As far as things that I wish I’d registered for and didn’t… kitchen gadgets! I’ve already gone back with my store credit and purchased a lemon zester, two pastry scrapers, and a lemon/lime juicer.  Luckily we have lots of store credit, but I wish I’d been a tad more adventurous in the kitchenwares department – especially since I like to cook.

But our biggest registry mistake was committing to a big, expensive kitchen electric without really thinking hard about its practicality.  We registered for the Breville Gourmet Grill but did not receive it as a gift.  Not ready to purchase a large outdoor grill quite yet, we used a good chunk of return credit to purchase this indoor grill.  Now, I am not knocking the quality of the grill – it does an excellent job for a glorified George Foreman.  But damn if that thing isn’t heavy and hard to clean.  Plus its huge – there is no way it could sit out all the time in our kitchen.  We fumbled around with it for a while and then missed the taste of outdoor grilling… and bought ourselves a “real man grill,” as the Evs calls it.  Moral of the Story: scan whatever the heck you want into that registry – but think long and hard about its practicality before committing to having it in your home (especially if its pricey)!

What are your favorite registry items and/or biggest registry missteps?