10 Wedding Gifts We Still Use + A Giveaway

When we were engaged five years ago, we had very little idea of what we wanted to put on our registry. As two unorganized twenty-somethings, we pretty much showed up at stores excited to scan anything that we saw and liked.

As you might imagine, it was a fun and disorganized mess. We were completely thrown off by the fact that Bed, Bath, and Beyond provided us with a personal consultant who wanted to walk through the store with us, and to this day, we still remember our consultant’s name and how organized (and kind of intense) she was. Her name was Brita, if you were curious.

Since we celebrated five years of marriage in August, I wanted to share about a few of the things we received from our wedding that we still use (and a few we wish we had asked for). I hope it helps you as you register for your own marriage! Also, if you make a purchase through any one the links below, I may receive a small commission.

Also, I’m doing a giveaway from this post! I’ll give away one the items listed below, so check the end of this post to see how that’ll work.

But first, check out this engagement picture of Cully and I being young and winsome.

Pancake Maker

It’s kind of funny that this item makes the list, because we actually didn’t use this for the first few years we were married—we kind of forgot about it.  We took it out of the box a year or two ago and had a genius idea—we could use it to cook meat more quickly!

Maybe that’s really obvious to everyone else—the idea of putting anything into the pancake maker and it cooking more quickly since the heat is contained. We, however, discovered it a year ago and our lives were changed (slight exaggeration? Maybe.). Either way, we use this pancake maker for eggs and meat, but almost never for pancakes…you can decide if that’s ridiculous or not.

Board Games

I don’t think we registered for any board games, but we definitely should have. My husband and I have a growing collection of games, and we really should have asked for these as wedding gifts. A few of our current favorites are Camel Up, Harry Potter: Hogwarts Battle, and Sushi Go. Click below to learn more about them!

The principle here is to think outside the box and register for hobbies you enjoy, not just home essentials.

Good Bedding

Cully often jokes that he could buy me a blanket for every gift-giving occasion and I’d be happy. He’s not wrong. He bought me a heated blanket for my birthday a few years ago, and it was wonderfully cozy. I know I’m not the only one who likes to curl up with a blanket and tea when it’s cold out, so a heated blanket made it even better. Side note: We haven’t been able to find the cord for the blanket in over a year, so now it’s just a blanket, but still super soft. Whoops.

With some of our Bed, Bath, and Beyond gift cards, we bought sheets that we both love and are so glad we got. They have a long name and they’re great: Pure Beech Jersey Sheets. They’re a mix between silky and jersey/t-shirt material, and they’re amazing. Seriously, try them out and I dare you to tell me you dislike them. Click the picture below to see more about it!

Something To Help You Remember The Beginning Of Your Marriage

This is obviously broad and can be done in many different ways. We had a “memory box” that we filled with memories written on pieces of paper throughout the year. At the end of the year, we opened the box and read the memories. It’s important (and fun) to prioritize making memories together. It’s also important to have a box, journal, or different way to help you remember the fun you’ve been having!

KitchenAid Mixer

We bought one of these on Black Friday using a bunch of gift cards we’d been given from our wedding. There’s a reason people love these stand mixers: They can make baking and cooking SO much easier and quicker. I sometimes question if I want to actually use our mixer to make cookies or just mix it myself, but I never regret using the stand mixer we have. We love it, and I especially love that we got it WAY cheaper because of gift cards and Black Friday deals.

P.S. Did you know a stand mixer makes it way easier to shred chicken? If you cook chicken in a crockpot and then mix it in a stand mixer, it shreds itself! My mom taught me that. She usually shreds a bunch of chicken and then freezes it for later. Genius, right? Thanks, mom.

Coffee Maker (Since We Don’t Drink Coffee)

Before we went to register, someone very wise encouraged us to buy a coffee maker. We laughed at that, because neither of us enjoys coffee. Tea, however is drank everyday in our home.

However, the friend explained: If we want to host people, they’ll probably want coffee. Since we don’t like coffee, we wouldn’t want to buy a coffee maker. So, she suggested we register for it and have someone else buy an item we’d personally never use!

It was genius.

So, it might be good to consider anything you’ll want for guests so that you don’t have to buy it.

Rice Cooker

Our rice cooker knows no bounds. We use it at least five times a week (that’s not really an exaggeration), and it just makes life easier. It’s great because rice is cheap and is a great side to so many things! We got ours from Aldi for $15, and it was well worth the money.

Something You Wouldn’t Normally Spend Money On

This one is also really broad and easy to personalize. What’s something fun that you’d love to have but you wouldn’t buy for yourself? Maybe something like a quesadilla maker, or a fun decoration, or a movie series you’d like to watch together. This is your registry, so you guys might as well add a few things that are seemingly impractical.

Blender

If you don’t already have one, get yourself a good blender. We make salsa, we make smoothies, we make milkshakes, we make….actually, that’s pretty much it, but they’re easy and delicious, so it’s well worth it.

Crockpot

Crockpots are amazing. Less cooking, more eating. Less cooking for you, at least. Crockpots are also great for fall and winter, because the recipe options are seemingly endless: warm soups and dips, chicken dishes, desserts, cheesy pasta….I’m getting hungry, so I’m going to stop there.

So, what items would you recommend to those who are about to make a registry? I’m sure I’m forgetting some important things, and I’d love to hear your thoughts below!

 Also, I’m doing a giveaway from this post! I’m giving away one the items listed above! It definitely won’t be a stand mixer, sorry.

To enter, post a comment below and tell me which of the following three items you’d want: A blender, board game, or rice cooker! After two weeks, I’ll randomly select a winner from the comments and send them that item. Yay!

Carmen