Wedding Planning Tips for Brides -- from iVillage Wedding Expert Anne Chertoff
- Weddings
- From I Will to I Do
Why I'm So Happy I Registered at Crate & Barrel
So as you know I was married almost 5 years ago. In fact, the 5th anniversary of my bridal shower is this weekend. When I got engaged, I registered at three stores - Crate & Barrel, Fortunoff and a local Brooklyn gift store, The Yellow Door.
But since we didn't need a lot of the items we registered for until we bought our own apartment, I decided to return almost every item I received for my engagement, shower and wedding. I kept the All-Clad pots and pans, a baking set, everyday glassware and a few other items that I really loved - a punch bowl, cake stand and my lavender KitchenAid Mixer from my colleagues at Martha Stewart Weddings. I may not bake a lot, but it's purple! I had to keep it.
Most of the stuff went back and I held onto store credits and gift certificates until we were ready to stock our first home, which took place this past weekend.
Dave and I went with my parents to Crate & Barrel with a shopping list of everything I thought we would need for the apartment - gadgets, appliances, flatware, dishes, serving platters, wine glasses - and we filled a dozen baskets with a wide range of items.
Besides the fact that we had a great time, I thought there was a great tip in this weekend's activities.
You may get items from your registry that you decide after receiving them that you don't want them after all, or you don't really need them. Don't think that you have to spend all of your credits immediately. Hold on to them until you're ready to buy something that you need or want. Don't settle for something that is going to take up space and never get used. (Dave - I really don't know how much use we'll get out of that rice cooker.)
Check with the store to make sure the gift card or store credit you get won't expire, and if there is an expiration date, mark it in your calendar so you won't let it run out.
If you get a gift and don't have a gift receipt for it, return it asap because if you wait too long it may go on sale and then you'll end up with a credit that's a lot less than what the gift giver paid for the item. This is especially true for seasonal items that are only in stock during certain times of the year - Holiday, Thanksgiving, Summer BBQ.
So why am I so happy that I registered at Crate & Barrel? Because they really had everything I needed and the saleswoman we worked with, Julie, couldn't have been nicer. Since we registered in 2001, all of our credits and gift certificates were in paper form - not electronic gift card form so I was a little nervous there might be a problem. But there wasn't. We were there for over 2 hours - returning dishes and cookware, shopping and buying tons of stuff. We ended up spending only $30 more than the amount we had in credits, which made Dave really happy.
And while I'm not saying that you have to or you should register at Crate & Barrel, I am saying that you SHOULD get detailed information on the store's return policy and find out if gift cards and store credits will ever expire.
I have $150 credit to Tiffany & Co - from our wedding - that I'm going to try and spend next weekend. I'll let you know if that goes as smoothly.
Hi Anne,
As a recently engaged person, I've been finding your blog quite helpful and insightful as I'm starting to navigate bridal waters. However, I must admit that I found this entry to be a bit offensive. Why register for anything when what you were after was money and gift cards? I think about the weddings that I have attended and the gifts that I gave and I would be bothered by the fact that my gift was returned for something else. I feel as though the gifts shouldn't be reigstered for in the first place then. The last thing that I want is for my guests to be considered cash cows or gift horses solely so I can get what I want, when I want it. I would sincerely hope that any wedding that I have attended that the gifts would be thoughtful considered and enjoyed as I intended them to be. I believe that returning things and then buying what you want at a later date defeats the point and is offensive to gift givers even though it may be more convienet for you.
i agree that it does seem a little rude to register for gifts you have no intention of keeping.
i disagree. if it's rude to return gifts then isn't it equally rude to even have a registry? i mean come on! isn't a registry really just telling people what to buy us? and how thoughtful can a frying pan be? there's nothing personal about most of the gifts i got.
on my registry i had amounts to spend that most of my guests were comfortable with, so i didn't get stuck with something ugly from a store in the middle of nowhere. i mean, sure, i kept some things because it really meant something to my guest to do so, but i only bring them out when they visit.
The thought of returning a special gift would irk me as well, i.e.: the china grandma bought me, the crystal from my favorite aunt - sentimental things. But, a registry also includes gifts that are needed for a home, i.e.: a blender, toaster, knives, ice cube trays, etc... These things change in style and trend and if there's a considerable lag time between your engagement/wedding and new home, or if a new updated version comes out, you may want to exchange it for latest product. And I don't think there's anything wrong with doing that.
In my situation, it didn't make sense to store housewares for 5 years in my parent's basement, where they would have gotten damaged. And then we would have had to throw them away.
The point of my post was to remind brides to check the store return policies, so IF you do want to exchange or return something you received twice, or decided you just don't want anymore, you can get a store credit.
FYI, whatever your intention you came off as extremely tacky and greedy. Do you remember the Rich Bride/Poor Bride where the bride rented an ATM machine for the reception just in case the quests didn't bring enough cash for the gift envelopes? It's headed in that vein...