MY DREAM WEDDING REGISTRY
*Aww, how cute!*
I think to myself as I see this (clearly engaged) couple registering for things at Williams Sonoma.
As I watch them, I can’t help but feel a pang of nostalgia. Their eyes light up at the sight of a new blender, that blue and white set of fine china, or even just a funky-shaped red spatula. They giggle and snuggle in closely as they choose which Le Creuset Dutch oven will be best. 🥹
The air around them is buzzing with excitement and anticipation, a contrast to the comfortable, familiar rhythm of life that my husband and I have lovingly built together over 11 years of marriage.
Don’t get me wrong, we love our life together. But there’s something about the sparkle in their eyes and the joy in their laughter that makes me yearn for a bit of that novelty again.
But then I stop and think — no? It’s not that at all. It’s that 11 years later, I now know what I would ACTUALLY want on my registry, what I would ACTUALLY use, and I want so badly to run up to them and say *GET THE 7 QUART DUTCH OVEN, NOT THE 4 QUART!!!!!*
But, I’m not a crazy person and don’t enjoy being seen as one, so I’ll stand here mentally telepathically telling them *get the 7 quart … get the 7 quart* and hope they hear me.
Which got me thinking — registering as a newly engaged person is so fun, but also so stressful.
You’re trying to guess what you might need in the future, what your shared life will look like, and what tastes you’ll develop together. And honestly, how could you possibly know? You’re just beginning this journey together. I mean, who really knows if they prefer the flavor of coffee brewed in a French press versus a pour-over at that stage?
Okay, a lot of people if you’re a coffee connoisseur— but you get the idea.
So since a 11 year anniversary registry is not a thing (it should be — it would be a fantastic idea), I thought I’d share a list of things that I would register for if I knew then what I knew now.
After all, tastes change, things wear out, you learn and do a deep dive into lead exposure, toxins, and all the crazy things in our plates, nonstick cookware (just me?), and sometimes you just didn’t know you needed that 7 quart Dutch oven until you tried to make stew for a dinner party of eight… or a house full of six people with two adults and four children (also, clearly me.)
Let’s go through the basics I would register for now, 11 years later (as a live wedding painter, and also, let’s face it a MOM of 4 kiddos).
Dream Wedding Registry: The Fine China + Kitchen Things I Love from Over the Moon
Give me ALL the color. I have left my *all white* or *beige* or *grey and boring* eras behind me and I’m stepping into my LIVE YOUR OWN LIFE ERA. My Dream Wedding Registry is not about what other people like, it’s about what I (and my husband obviously) like.
Dream Wedding Registry: Everyday Home Use
*yes these are affiliate links and things I actually have bought myself and use daily*
I care a LOT about safety of my family. I have also done a lot of research as to what has lead, what doesn’t, and trying to be sure that the things we use everyday are the least risky for my family. It actually sucks that the plates I registered for 12 years ago have shown that they have unsafe levels of lead in them.
Here’s what I choose NOW as a mom of 4, and wish I had years ago:
Dream Wedding Registry: Home + Living Registry
So, there you have it. Maybe one day, we’ll live in a world where 10 or 11-year anniversary (not just) dream wedding registries are an actual thing. Until then, I’ll just have to keep mentally willing engaged couples in Williams Sonoma to make the right choices.
And who knows, maybe one day I’ll actually muster up the courage to walk up to a couple and tell them to get the 7 quart Dutch oven.
Or the stainless steel cookware set.
But until that day comes, I’ll just be over here, in my kitchen, happily cooking up a storm with my well-loved and well-used 7 quart Dutch oven (okay, I think it’s 6.5, but it’s WAY better than a 3 or 5 qt one).
Because, let’s face it, sometimes it takes a decade of cooking, loving, and living to really know what you need. And that’s okay. It’s all part of the journey.
WHEN YOU’RE READY,
HERE’S HOW WE CAN WORK TOGETHER…
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