Since writing about my wedding registry dilemma a few days ago, I have consulted a variety of different sources for gift suggestions. Most people have suggested either cash or gift cards for the registry stores. Yes, these would help me avoid purchasing housewares that I am not yet old enough to feel comfortable purchasing. But, in my eyes, money and/or gift cards are boring gifts. There is nothing to differentiate my cash (or cash equivalent) from the cash of the wedding guest two tables over. Call me an idealist, but I want to give something unique. Something that the bride and groom will remember years down the road.

But despite my own preferences against purchasing anything off the registry, the unfortunate reality is that these lists explicitly state items that the bride and groom would like to receive. Try as I might to come up with something beyond these boundaries, I run the risk of giving a gift that is not desired.

Faced with this reality, I succumbed to the pressure of shopping the registry. To add my own personal flair, however, I did not just buy one gift. Instead, I decided to purchase as many gifts as possible.

Of course, I had some criteria:

(1) Items should be as cheap as possible (From Crate & Barrel:
3-Part Server w/ Handle
Espresso 4×6 Wood Frame
Ice Scoop

(The Ice Scoop was a Criteria 4 exception. Someone had already bought the ice bucket, but not the matching scoop. At $19.99, this item kind of broke Criteria 1, but since I was saving the day, I let it slide.)

From Bed Bath & Beyond:
Presence Covered Butter Dish
Oxo Good Grips 12″ Tongs
Jumbo Flexible Turner
Metal Meat Tenderizer
Oxo Good Grips 3 1/2-Quart Plastic Colander
Adler Nina Blk Om

The last item (Adler Nina Blk Om) was my favorite. I have zero clue what this is. There is no picture on the product page. The product page says “Please accept our apology for this abbreviated description,” and then fails to provide even that. Hilarious. At $3.99 each, this was a pretty cheap item, so I went ahead and broke Criteria 3 and bought the two that were requested.

Two stores. Ten items. A lifetime of memories.