You never know what you'll find...

When you're least expecting it!

We had finished registering at Wiliams Sonoma and Bed, Beth and Beyond, and we had almost given up on finding place settings that we really loved.

One of the great things about Central and Upstate NY in the summer are all the festivals. There are literally festivals in every town, every weekend, covering every interest, from wine and food, to crafts and toys, and somewhere during our festival hopping, we met (and subsequently somewhat stalked) a wonderful potter named Ede Walker.

Ede had a booth at a festival early in the summer very close to our house. We were innocently walking around, enjoying the weather and we stumbled upon this:

personal photos

It was...perfect. It was exactly what we were hoping for in a place setting and more. We talked to Ede for a few minutes and took her card. Thus began our roadtrip around Central New York. Every time there was a pottery festival in the area, we took a drive. Finally, Ede had a larger exhibit set up, and we stole a few minutes of her time. She was happy and excited to be able to do a whole set for us, plates, bowls, serving platters, etc. and we took it from there.

You can see some of the pictures that Ede sent me of pieces she made for our set:

All photos by Ede and sent to me

Ede is in the process of setting up an online registry so that it will be easy for our guests to purchase from it, and we can't wait to use our new, handmade (and dishwasher safe!) dishes for a long time!

Were you very excited about one (or a set) of your registry items? Do you want more information about setting up a kosher kitchen? I'd be happy to lend some guidance!

Daddy, I want a Golden Goose now!

(source)

As we began registering, I couldn't help but feel a little bit like Roald Dahl's famous character. What business did I have telling people what to get us? However, with 300 guests, we were inevitably going to be getting gifts, and quite a few of them, and I was quickly convinced that we should register so we received gifts that we liked, and not that we would have to return. We had difficulty at first building our registry list, being that we have each lived on own for several years, and together for almost three years. However, we looked at the registry as an opportunity to trade out our hand-me-down appliances, and warped pots and pans, and get some new and well-made products.

Our registry grew very quickly because we keep a kosher house. This means we need two of literally everything! Two sets of pots and pans, two sets of dishes, even two different bowls and attachments for my standing mixer (pause: LOVE my KitchenAid mixer, I use it ALL the time. If you cook or bake a lot, and don't already have one, register for it! Mine is pink :) ). Also, being that we are having a large crowd ranging in age and financial situations, we decided to register for a range of items.

We headed out to Williams Sonoma first. Oh, it is a cook's heaven. I'm hardly a chef but I do love to cook, and I could have moved right in there. The sale associate was so nice, and so helpful, and we actually had a great time spending our afternoon choosing different items - holding knives, and gazing lovingly at Le Creuset stoneware. Here is a sampling of what made it on to our registry at Williams Sonoma:

The aforementioned Le Creuset - we registered for a couple different pieces

All-Clad cookware - they say it lasts forever!

(source for all three pictures)

So these cheese knives were not actually on our registry but we received and kept them anyway. The thank you note for these contained the line, "we'll think of you now every time we cut the cheese." Who says you have to grow up to get married!

After beginning our registry at Williams Sonoma, we headed to Bed, Beth and Beyond. I have to make a leetle addendum here. While Mr. Hermit Crab had a great time with me at Williams Sonoma, one store was enough for this fiance. We talked extensively about our registry and he and I agreed that I could probably handle BB&B on my own. This is not the end of Mr. Hermit Crab's involvement in registering though, just you wait for it!

Anyway, I headed headed out to my local BB&B. We figured that this would be a good choice because we loaded it with more affordable items, and most people live near at least one (not to mention the good ol' interwebs).

Here are a few things that we listed on our registry here:

Yum, I wish those cookies were included!

We've always wanted one of these, but never wanted to buy it ourselves...helloooo registry!

These will replace my dishwasher-eaten set

Oh, the delicious winter meals this will one day make...

Salad always tastes better in a bamboo bowl, right?
(source for all pictures)

And thus concluded my fun with the registry gun. I will say, I have had very good experiences with both registries. The sales associates couldn't be more friendly and helpful, the perks are great (discounts after the wedding, gift cards, etc.) and the online management options make keeping up with the registry from home so easy. I would recommend both of these stores if you are beginning your registry hunt.

Although these were only partial looks (okay, really teeny tiny peeks) at our registries, you may have noticed an important set of items that are conspicuously missing. Did you guess? If you guessed dishes, you'd be right. Since we will need two sets of every day dishes - one for meat, and one for dairy - we knew from the beginning that we would not be getting china. But we do need to get something to eat on.

My dad moved not too long ago and gave us this beautiful set of dishes that we decided to use for dairy. Here is a sample of some of the dishes:

(source)

The meat set was entirely up to us though, and you'll never guess what we've ended up choosing. We looked and looked and just couldn't find anything that we liked, until one day, we literally stumbled over it. I'll give you a hint, you won't find it on a traditional registry...stay tuned!

What sorts of things did you register for? Did you want to registry for something, but had a hard time finding it? Share your registering experiences!