Create Your Wedding Registry Part Two

Congratulations on your wedding and engagement! Such an exciting time in your lives! Last week, we started our discussion on what items you should consider adding to your wedding registry. It is very easy to get carried away when you walk into your favorite stores and are given a scanner or are using your cell phone along with the store’s app to zap away at anything and everything. A registry is your wish list after all. However, it is important to be strategic when doing your registry.

There are a number of important points to keep in mind when registering as are mentioned on Inspiring Kitchen’s wedding menu as well as throughout my previous post on registering.    

It’s hard to think big picture but you will be so glad in the long run. I have been asked how Inspiring Kitchen’s service is different from going into a retailer and registering there. It’s a great question. When you fill out the “paperwork” — digital or hardcopy, you will be given a list of items the retailer is suggesting you include on your registry. Makes sense, right? However, this well-intended guide is what is given to anyone who is registering. There is nothing personal about it. You may be fresh out of school and registering or you may have been living with your significant other for years when you decide to create a registry. Your idea of cooking may be making salads while the other couple may be ready to compete on Top Chef! Same registry guidelines given to you by the store. Their intent is good but one size does not fit all when it comes to doing your wedding registry. That is where Inspiring Kitchen comes in. Our mission is to help you build a registry that is truly a representation of you and your current and potential needs.

(Photography by Audrey DLC)

Let’s get back to finishing off that registry. Believe it or not, I don’t think you need a million cooking tools to help you be a great cook. There are some basics though that really do make a difference in help you to have a better experience in the kitchen.

1) Kitchen Tools: There are a zillion fun kitchen gadgets these days. Have you seen the banana slicer gadget?! But really, if you have good knives (described in previous post) and the tools below, you will be ready for any cooking or entertaining related activity.

• Wooden spoon(s)
• Silicone spatula(s)
• Vegetable peeler
• Stainless tongs
• Colander
• Kitchen shears
• Ice cream scoop
• Microplane/grater

2) Electrics: Choose those that fit your style. Super busy life? Try a slow cooker so you can have meals ready for you when you get home from work. So easy! Spend more time with your partner by making your own espresso or coffee. Plus, you will save enough money to plan a vacation. Into healthy eating? You probably already know about drinks made in blenders or juicers. You have all the control over the contents this way.

• Blender
• Coffee/espresso
• Slow cooker
• Toaster
• Stand mixer
• Food processor
• Juicer

3) Linens:  Trust me, you will want hot pads when you bring that hot pan or pizza out of the oven. And now that you have gotten rid of the disposable plates, time to do dishes. Those towels will help finish the job.

 

• Kitchen towels
• Hot pads/mitts
• Extra: tablecloth, napkins

4) Grilling tools:  In any season, grilling is the best way to bring together good food and friends. Depending on where you live, you may have access to a wider variety of grilling equipment as warm weather climates have products displayed year round. Some great gift ideas include registering for a grilling set that will have just about all the key tools you will need to grill. 

 

• Long grilling tongs
• Long grilling spatula or flipper
• Basting brush
• Grill pans — fry, rectangular, wok, cast iron, pizza

 

5) Cookbooks:  Whether you are learning to cook (The Joy of Cooking), want to make dishes from Chefs from the Food Network (Bobby Flay, Barefoot Contessa), looking for ethnic or vegetarian recipes or are totally into baking, having cookbooks are a simple method of support.

In the end, choosing the items for your wedding registry is based on how you want to cook, maybe not at this moment (no time, kitchen too small), but in the future. Think five years down the way when registering for items that have the potential to last forever (good cookware and knives). Take the time to learn the differences between products and brands as there are things to take into consideration. For example, cooking in non-stick is a different outcome than cooking in stainless steel. If all of this seems like a bigger project than you anticipated, let Inspiring Kitchen guide you in designing a wedding registry that is personalized for your cooking and entertaining style. See Inspiring Kitchen or contact us at wedding@inspiringkitchen.com for more information.

And congratulations again on your engagement!