The R Word

The Wedding Registry.

Few things present more of a dilemma to an anti-WIC Bride than the Wedding Registry.

Hey everyone! Here's a list of stuff we don't really need. . . .but we want! Really want! And you should buy it for us!

Do we really need All-Clad pots? YES! Well. . .no. . .not REALLY.

For less than the price of a 1qt All-Clad saucepan, you can fund the education of a student for ONE YEAR at the Free High School in San Juan del Sur!

D has one of those 1qt All-Clad saucepans, one that he bought for a pittance from a homeless person in NYC. Yes there are some dents. . . but we really enjoy speculating about where they came from. . . However, D lived in a pretty "transitional" neighborhood and we probably don't want to know. . .

Not that the pan's sordid past affects the function! When I cave in to cravings and make boxed macaroni and cheese (Oh how I love Annie's. . . I've grown up a little from Kraft) I feel like Julia Child!

The weight, the balance, the sheer indestructibility of that pan, not to mention its potential as a weapon for self defense, make it an essential part of our cooking arsenal.

These are pans that will last us a lifetime. And our friends and family know that we will certainly be using these marvels of stainless steel to prepare lavish feasts when they visit us.

D was adamant that we find a way to register that would give our guests flexibility when selecting where to buy from--he wants them to get the best price. While all online registries are an option, I had to explain to him that for convenience (and a healthy distrust of the internet by many relatives) we needed a brick and mortar option as well. Giftregistry360.com is run by The Knot, and seems to be the answer.

You may have surmised by my URL that The Knot is not my favorite institution. The emphasis on pointless bridal consumerism and the insistence that every single detail must be customized by or purchased from a vendor specializing in weddings and that if you do not have your cake coordinated to match your chair covers, your cathedral length veil, your manicure, your shoes, your garter belt, and your first born's christening gown your SPECIAL DAY will be RUINED and your Great-Aunt-Twice-Removed will disown you-- is completely ridiculous.

But there are so many pretty things to look at . . . . so just because I abhor what The Knot represents doesn't mean I don't lose myself in all its wedding porn. . . (for those of you who have not heard the term before, "wedding porn" actually involves no porn. . . it compares how women ogle lacy, frothy, elaborate wedding details to how men ogle actual porn.)

But this Giftregistry360.com thing is pretty neat because it will keep track of all your registries, and allow you to offer guests multiple places to buy from, so that they can get the best deal on the All-Clad saucepan your marriage will not be complete without. And while I don't like its affiliation with The Knot, it is darn convenient.

We already have everything we need--after all, we have each other. But if our guests want to make it easier for D to whip up fabulous meals for his lovely wife, who I am to stop them?