Items You Should Have on Your Wedding Registry

Curating your wedding registry can be a potentially stressful time for any relationship. In this chapter of The Book of Life, we've partnered with Keurig® to show how your registry provides a unique and wonderful opportunity to create moments together — and how you can both get exactly what you want.

My husband, Patrick, and I were together for seven years before we got married. We had already bought a mattress together, as well as a couch, sheets, silverware, and pots — the basics. So you would think that when it came time to registering we would be all-set — False! We thought we were going to be able to jump right into married life, spending our mornings enjoying the perfect cup of coffee, until reality set in and we realized we actually needed to register for a coffee maker! There were so many additions we still needed for our home, we weren't really sure where to start.

We were about a year into our engagement and had another eight months to go before the big day when we randomly decided to stop in the department store before brunch one afternoon, just to see what the process was like. And believe me when I tell you, we didn't get much done.

Sure, running around a store with one of those scanner guns sounds like a blast, but that's until you get to the china section and one plate runs around $35 and you almost lose your mind deciding between hand-painted or gold-rimmed dessert plates. (Dessert plates! Who even uses formal dessert plates?!) Suddenly you become a crazed maniac rationalizing why you think you need monogrammed linen napkins. It was during one particular bickering match, when we found ourselves arguing over whether we needed the handmade pasta-making attachment for our mixer, that I realized we needed to stop. I needed to recharge — registering hangry was a bad idea — and we needed to come back another day . . . with a game plan in place. Read on to see how we strategized. When you go into registering with these rules in mind, it's a much more rewarding experience.

Go for products that help you enjoy the moment

Our priority was to make our house a home. Sure, I got a few raised eyebrows at my bridal shower when I was jumping up and down over a popcorn machine, but Patrick and I have a standing movie date every Friday, so this was the perfect way to continue our tradition. All those everyday additions became a bigger and more important part of our lives together, and helped us savor every moment. Since we both like our coffee a certain way (bold and regular for me, decaf for him), our Keurig® K475 coffee maker was really the best choice for our lifestyle because we each get our perfect cup in under a minute. Whatever mood strikes, there's a flavor to suit every craving or situation. From the Saturdays when Patrick wakes me up with a cup of delicious coffee on my nightstand with a piece of toast, to the mornings when I wake up early to make him coffee and eggs before a morning flight — in the end, what we registered for helped us build our future and create important memories together.

Keurig® K475 Coffee Maker

Have fun with it, but be realistic

It's tempting to just go all out and register for every shiny new gadget on the market, but you have to set realistic expectations. We currently live in a tiny apartment and knew we didn't have room for a vacuum that would take up lots of space, but the handheld vacuum we got ended up being a huge win! Even if you get all of the items on your wish list, you have to consider where they will all fit into your home!

Register for items you know you will use forever

Image Source: POPSUGAR Photography / Sheila Gim

Yes, we had a fully stocked kitchen and bathroom, but we knew certain items would make a worthy addition to our home because we would get a lot of use out of them. Patrick really wanted a cast-iron pot and chef's knife, both of which, when maintained, get better with age. These items tend to be on the more expensive side, but they're great investments, and people are often happy to get you something off your registry when they realize you will use it for years to come.

Request one or two statement pieces

It's always fun when you're entertaining to pull out a few conversation starters. Pieces like etched stemware or hand-painted platters will guarantee you lots of "oohs" and "ahhs" at your next dinner party. Plus, I loved the idea that 20 years from now I'll be able to say that the serving tray we use every holiday season was a wedding gift.

Do your research

Image Source: POPSUGAR Photography / Sheila Gim

When you're standing there amidst the sea of bath towels, it can be a little overwhelming to just pick one. Try going online first to see what brands and products receive the best reviews. Ask your friends and read articles so that when the options are put in front of you, you know exactly which one you want to choose. We opted for pieces we knew we would appreciate for a long time because they would always be in style, but we also wanted to make sure they would last and work for a good, long while.

Discover how to see eye to eye

You need to accept the fact that you will undoubtedly disagree; it happens and it will continue to happen even after you're married. Consider how you approach registering as a way to set the precedent for how you will handle disputes in your future. Instead of throwing a fit in the dish-towel aisle (guilty), you should really hear your partner out. If they're willing to fight for something, there has to be a reason, right? Patrick and I ended up having a lot of these conversations. In the end, when we talk it out over a cup of coffee, we both ended up with a decision that makes us happy.

Image Source: POPSUGAR Photography / Sheila Gim