Registering: The Good, The Bad and The Milk Frother

Four coffee makers ... really?

By Jessica Solloway

The only waffles I know how to make are the ones that defrost in the microwave. The closest I've come to a milk frother is being in line at Starbucks...and my salads are definitely not worthy of being served in a $200 bowl. But now thanks to my wedding registry, it's a whole new ballgame.

I was so excited to register, but now I definitely find it humorous that I will soon have a kitchen full of fancy cooking gadgets, serving dishes, and pots and pans that a gourmet chef should have. Considering my cooking skills are "beginner" at best, and my current dishes are from Ikea... I am going to have start watching a LOT of Food Network to prepare for what's to come.  

We registered at Bed Bath & Beyond, Crate & Barrel, Neiman Marcus and Bloomingdales. I can't tell you how much fun it was to roam around with that little "gun", zapping things. It was like being a kid in a candy store, but with the potential to break a lot of really expensive things by accident.

Bloomingdales and Neiman's were great for the high end dishes and serving pieces. But for everyday stuff, we had a lot of luck at Bed Bath & Beyond and Crate & Barrel.

We went to this cool event at Crate & Barrel, where they opened the store early for people that were registering, which was nice because there were no crowds. They were making waffles to demo the waffle maker, and a sales associate began mixing whipped cream just as Seth walked by, which of course exploded all over him by accident.  Definitely the highlight of the morning. And yes, we did register for the waffle maker.

It was also funny to see where Seth and I differed in what we wanted. I was cool with one coffee maker. Seth, on the other hand, went rogue with the gun. While I was perusing the toasters, in a matter of three minutes, he had zapped the single cup platinum, a milk frother, a French press and a ten cup pot. I know the man likes coffee, but did we need 4 machines to make it?

But, I quickly learned that guys care about few things and it's best to just let them zap away and not put up a fight. For Seth, all he really had his heart set on was a guacamole maker, coffee gadgets and a grill pan.

On the other hand, he was completely appalled that I registered for a $300 Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer. I explained that if I ever got the urge to bake something, this was apparently the way to go. He was also confused about why we need new towels if we already have them. Men.  

The pots and pans area was like being in a foreign country where I didn't speak the language. When the very sweet and knowledgeable saleslady asked how often we sear fish, I almost went home. However, one hour later, we left with about 16 types of pans on our registry that I am not quite sure what to do with. As long as I figure out which one I can heat a can of soup in, it's all good.

So far, this is what I have learned from registering:

• I need to learn how to cook to put all of this to good use.
• I will be drinking a LOT of coffee.
• Our kitchen is too small to fit half of the things we registered for.
• The silverware we registered for is being discontinued, so I now I have to find a new set. And we already received three. Sad. It was so pretty.
• I never expected to be excited about dishes, but I really am.
• I find it hard to believe we lived this long without a Panini maker!
• It's not too late to register for a Wii. 

I still have a couple months before my shower, so if you have any good ideas for things I should register for, let me know! Just no more coffee machines, please!