Even though we still have half a house to unpack, Mr. T and I have at least put most of our wedding gifts to use. It’s so much fun having all these new things!

There are certain items that everyone has heard of. You don’t need me to convince you of the glory of Le Creuset pans, for example. But here are some lesser-known sources and/or items that are worth a look:

Yamazaki Flatware from The Silver Superstore

My grandparents made us a wonderful offer to purchase flatware as a wedding gift. After lots of research (much of it on Amazon.com, which has extremely useful product reviews), I narrowed the ideal down to two brands: Yamazaki and WMF. 

Unfortunately, both brands average around $50 per place setting, and we could never ask our grandparents to pay that. But here’s where The Silver Superstore came in — they have many discontinued and otherwise discounted lines. Our beautifully simple, mirror-shiny Epoch pattern was only $120 for a 65-piece service for 12! Dad made the purchase, and, though he’s not nearly the Internet shopper his daughter is, he reported that the customer service was excellent and it was an easy transaction all around.

Eclissi Glass Dinnerware from Target

We decided early on that we wouldn’t register for fine china.  And most stoneware strikes me as a bit too … stoneware-y. So eventually we settled on glass dishes. We have a fancier version on our future wish-list (Aino Aalto for Iittala, designed in 1932 and utterly timeless), and these Eclissi dishes from Target filled in for everyday.  

It’s hard to tell from the photos, but Target hit a home run with these dishes. They’re made in Italy from thick, tempered glass, and the shape is an unusual hybrid of a square with rounded edges. Basically, everything we serve on these dishes comes out looking like a magazine shoot. Which is particularly impressive, considering that most of what we serve involves cereal, pizza, and/or Chipotle burritos.

A Couple of “Green” Options, via our Alternative Gift Registry

 

 

Before the wedding, I talked up The Alternative Gift Registry as a perfect place to register. You can link to any item on any Website, describe something at a local store, or even request intangible gifts like family photos or wedding-planning assistance. I believe there’s at least one other link-from-anywhere registry in operation (anyone used it, or at least know the name/info?), but I particularly trust The Alternative Gift Registry because it’s run by a nonprofit. 

In the end, only a couple of guests used our Alternative Gift Registry, and they were among our most Internet-savvy friends. Even the people who bought gifts over the Internet seemed most comfortable with our traditional registries (Macy’s and Target). But I’d still use the Alternative Gift Registry again, in part because I believe in its parent organization and in part because we really love the stuff we got! Two of our favorites are a gorgeously sculptural rack for holding our newspaper recycling ($50 at the MOMA Store) and a red bamboo dishtowel ($6.50 at the Bibelot Shop). There were serious discussions chez Tulip the other night because the beloved bamboo dishtowel was in the laundry and I had replaced it with something pretty but useless!

Are you registering at any unusual sources, or for unusual items?  What unusual gift excites you the most?

Last week, Mr T and I attended our first wedding as a newly married couple. It was a beautiful, touching evening perfectly suited to the personality of the couple. But, boy, was it weird for us!

On your own wedding day, every moment is about the two of you. You are intensely connected with every detail, over which you have lovingly slaved for many months. The experience as a guest is quite different, and having the two events so close together highlighted the contrast for us. So thought I’d share a bit of the experience from the guest side, to put things in perspective for anyone still planning your own wedding….

(Our photos were few and rather awful.  But Mrs Lovebug’s hot tip has gotten me into Picnik in a big way, so here they are, artsied up in best “memories of old” style…..)

1. My friend is getting married to a wonderful guy, and two other old friends will be in town for the wedding.  We’ve all known each other for almost 25 years (yikes), so this is huge!  I’ve been excited for days, to the point that I’m checking the weather forecast as obsessively as the bride herself must be.

2. Stress overly much about own dress (was it always this short-waisted?) and choice of shoes.

3. Get stuck in rush-hour traffic and arrive 15 minutes late. Where’s the wedding? Where’s the wedding? Maybe through these buildings? Ooh, here’s the reception spot — look at the pretty lanterns! And flowers! And table linens! Argh, no time, must find wedding.

4. There they are, to our left, in a beautifully sunlit spot. Unfortunately, our late arrival means we missed the processional and half the ceremony. Can’t make the chairs without being rude, so settle on a garden bench near the musicians, and strain to catch every word.

5. Can only see the dress from the back, but it’s cool and So. Her.  I spot one friend in the bridesmaid party, along with two ladies I frequently hear of from the bride. Wonder who those guys are, standing with the groom?

6. Recessional and receiving line. Excited reunions and hugs all around. Oops, the bride must leave for photos.

7. Aw, they want a photo with high school types. I made the photos!

8. A beverage and some snacks? Why, thank you, waiters! But I have trouble standing. Think it’s OK to sit at a dinner table? Some others seem to have done it, so we’ll give it a try. Hmm, no table designations — how do we know which one to leave open for the bridal party and their family? Guess we’ll just pick one.

9. Oh no, the bride and groom got caught in a sudden downpour mid-photo. Hope that doesn’t put a damper on their moo—-why, yes, I *would* like another snack, thank you!

10. Tapas? Fabulous! Does the fact that those other people are loading their plates mean it’s OK for us to go up too?  We decide to wait 3 minutes to see what happens. (3 because 2 is too short, but 5 is FAR too long when tapas is beckoning.)

11. There’s time to admire the table linens and floral centerpieces while we stuff our face. Wow, I *really* like this color palette.

12. Bathroom break. Oh, look, the bride and groom are getting a few minutes alone outside. Good for them. Hey, cake! Oh, and here’s the guestbook by the cake. Stress over saying something interesting.

13. Cake-cutting. Always a far-away event over a sea of heads.

14. But the cake is tasty — well done, my friend! And those toasts are touching. I am SO HAPPY for them. And tearing up a little, sniff.

15. Wonder where they’re going on their honeymoon. I forgot to ask the final plan. The bride is coming to sit with us, I can ask her now! But shouldn’t she be somewhere? I feel bad taking up her time….

16. Thanks, dear friend, I’d love to take a centerpiece home!  Pause for one last air smooch and photo.

17. The bride and groom are off to a new life together in the wake of this incredible evening. And we? Are off to walk to the dog.

Inspired by Miss Pomegranate’s nifty kissing menu idea, thought I’d share what we required of guests who wanted to see us kiss.  We refused to give them a show … unless they did …

THE CHICKEN DANCE!

 
(Mr T and a groomsman flap their wings at the after-party)

Since our dead music meant no actual (much-anticipated!) Chicken Dance, I’m glad we still got to include this tradition in some way.  And it definitely kept smooching demands to a minimum — only the afore-mentioned groomsman was man enough to play chicken for the assembled crowd.

Anyone else going with a decidedly unusual method of kissing request?