WISH LIST 32
Consider great registry advice from one recently married couple.
Prior to Lindsey (née Hornbuckle) and Sean Lanni’s nuptials in Del Mar, California (read their story on page 116), the couple took a unique approach to their wedding registry. Since they were fortunate to have been living in a fully furnished home in Las Vegas, Nevada, the pair had a difficult time determining how to go about their wish list. “Our first choice was for guests to donate to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Southern Nevada in our honor,” says Lindsey. “I have donated a lot of my time to the non-profit organization and so has my mom, so that was my charity of choice!”
However, since the couple knew many of their guests would also want to give gifts, they chose to register at Gearys, Neiman Marcus, and Williams-Sonoma. Sean admits he had no opinion on the process as a whole, so he happily handed the reins to Lindsey, who “picked out pieces I never wanted to buy for myself,” she declares. Thus, the bride-to-be focused on selecting holiday plates, fine crystal, and entertainment pieces in order to upgrade their existing dinnerware. Taking an online-only approach to creating their wish lists, she chose products based on photos and reviews. “Looking back, I may have registered in-store since it’s easier to see if items match,” notes Lindsey.
Gearys, a high-end retailer in Beverly Hills, was selected for their “great holiday décor and fine-dining glasses,” reveals Lindsey. Jokes Sean, “It seemed like she registered for 1,000 wine glasses and that’s what everyone bought us!” She also added seasonal items for future holiday dinners with family – including pieces from the Grenadiers collection by Bernardaud, which is influenced by Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker and features nostalgic motifs of toy soldiers, wooden horses, and Christmas trees. Everyday entertaining products, many showcasing wood accents – including a Nambé salad bowl with servers – were selected as well as candle votives and hurricanes to accessorize their dining table.
When looking for “higher-end everyday sets that would be great for dinner parties,” Lindsey gravitated to Neiman Marcus. Among her selections were flatware, crystal stemware, and gilt cake servers and napkin rings. Though Lindsey admits that the retailer’s registry website was difficult to navigate – “I couldn’t tell what I had picked!” she recalls. She also warns brides of the challenging return policy. “Sometimes, they didn’t send a receipt or gift tag, so it was hard to prove some products were bought there,” she shares. “Also, thank-you notes were made difficult when there wasn’t a card stating who each package was from.” Although this wish list was the most troublesome of the trio, Lindsey confirms she was happy with the pieces and wouldn’t change a thing about her choice of retailers.
“We were extremely blessed to live in a furnished house already, so the gifts we registered for were things we needed upgraded.”
For more practical items, such as bakeware, outdoor grilling accessories, and kitchen tools like a mandolin and professional chopper, Lindsey found Williams-Sonoma to be the ideal store. “Williams-Sonoma was great for things we needed, like a Nespresso machine and a new knife set,” she professes. Additional pieces included cups to go with their beloved espresso machine, as well as festive pumpkin-themed serveware and mugs ideal for the fall months. To complement their wooden entertaining pieces from Gearys, olive wood cheese knives and a large marble-and-wood cheese board were selected, along with beverage dispensers and bins perfect for hosting loved ones. Small appliances, such as a KITCHENAID stand mixer, four-slice toaster, and no-mess waffle maker – the groom’s favorite! – were also added to the wish list to inspire hours of cooking in their kitchen.
The couple was pleasantly surprised to receive every item for which they registered – including each piece of silverware. When looking back on the process, Lindsey recommends other couples pick more items than may be necessary to avoid having to add to the registry. “By that point in the wedding-planning process, updating the wish list is the last thing on your mind,” she affirms. Lindsey also shares that organization is key when keeping track of items. “Store your gifts and open them all at once,” she suggests in hindsight. “I started opening gifts, throwing away boxes, and putting things away and was forgetting if I wrote a thank-you note or if I had used the gift already,” she explains, also adding that couples should compile a detailed spreadsheet.
The groom, though happy to take a backseat during the process, does at times wish he had taken a look at the registry – “although it was fun being surprised!” he adds. When asked what he would advise future grooms going through the same process, Sean proposes they let their brides take the lead, if that’s what they prefer. After all, “happy wife, happy life,” he smiles. Though they were grateful to receive everything on their wish list, the couple confirms their favorite part was including a charity option. “We were extremely blessed to live in a furnished house already, so the gifts we registered for were things we needed upgraded,” starts Lindsey. “If you are lucky enough to already have a home, consider doing some good!”