The Wedding Registry: My Take

As I was cooking dinner this evening (the oh-so-healthy grilled cheese for the kiddies and egg/onion/cheese bagel sammie for me as it's really hot and it's really easy), the thought struck me that this would make an excellent item for a wedding registry. Luckily we received ours for christmas a couple years ago. Admittedly, it stayed in the box for a while as we used the the kind that sits right on top of the burners. As that one started to go downhill (the ridged grill side seems like a great idea but it's a pain to clean as it's not able to go in the dishwasher), we decided to give our Presto "Cool Touch" griddle a try. I couldn't have been more pleased. It's easy to clean, the finish hasn't degraded at all, and NOTHING sticks to it. If you cook eggs, pancakes, grilled cheese or anything requiring a nonstick surface on a semi-regular basis- register for one of these puppies. And while there may only be two of you now, I suggest getting one more family sized as it's nice to be able to put a lot of stuff on there (like a huge pile of peppers and onions, plus a humungo pile of roast beef for really awesome Philly Cheesesteak sandwiches, if I do say so myself).

The must-have griddle:



Another item for your registry- really good knives. Our knives were from JC Penney's and admittedly have never been anything other than self-sharpened and still cut really well. But I probably would have gone for something a little pricier and chef quality (like a Rachael Ray type knife, even though Rachael Ray wasn't yet famous then).

Something I wouldn't register for? Dishes. Don't get me wrong, I loved the dishes I registered for (not terribly expensive, but nicer than the hand-me-down Corell dishes we started out with), however, 9 years later- they no longer fit my kitchen colors or tastes as much and have been designated to every day dishes.










My "good" dishes? Antique dishes that my grandmother had when I was growing up (and in fact used until a year or so ago) that I started collecting on my own and when she saw I was spending money on them, gave me another place setting of four and some other goodies that I'd be too cheap to buy. They don't run to everyone's tastes- but I LOVE them and they make me happy just looking at them:













You're probably thinking- "how can I not register for dishes?? What will I use when I have dinner parties??" Well, unless you give a lot of dinner parties now, you probably won't do a lot when you get married either (I've given one actual dinner party in 9 years- all holiday meals excluded- sad, but true). If you want something special for Christmas dinner- get really pretty Christmas plates. I can't remember what mine are, but their reminiscent of the "Liberty Blue" pattern, but with a snowy scene of an adult and child with a sled. And as they aren't filled with red and green hollyberries (the design is all in blue), I use them all winter. If I still haven't convinced you that you don't need "good" dishes, then I offer up this advice. Stick to something simple and basic in color that will match ANYTHING you put around or underneath it.

I won't offer up any other registry advice, you'll get enough from friends, family and other wedding sites. But I do hope you'll at least consider the thoughts of this old bride (well, not old-old, just not newlywed, LOL).