Happy Monday friends! A few months ago on Christmas Eve, Sarah and I celebrated 18 months of marriage! Although the entire engagement season was one fun adventure after another, and our wedding day was one of the best days of our lives, looking back now we realize that our wedding registry has actually had the most tangible positive impact on our day-to-day lives since then!

 

When Sarah and I got married, we were both pretty fresh out of college, so our apartment was destined to be bare — full of hand-me-down kitchen equipment and leftovers from our college houses. Since we’re all about living frugally, it probably would have stayed that way for a very long time if it weren’t for our wedding registry. Thanks to our registry, we felt like we had a decked-out apartment on day one of our life together!

 

We hope that this Top-10 list will help you think through your own wedding registry, or that you’ll share it with any engaged couples to help them as they think through what to put on a wedding registry!

 

Wedding Registry Top 10

10. A Vacuum. A good vacuum is expensive, but makes keeping your place so much easier to clean. Nowadays, a good vacuum comes with more attachments than we have lenses for our cameras! We’d recommend a wireless one that charges for cordless ease.

 

9. Outdoor Ambiance. A wood-burning outdoor fire pit and bistro lights are splurge purchases we wouldn’t have made for ourselves, but have thoroughly enjoyed as we’ve hosted friends and family during the fall and spring! And in case you’re wondering, yes, we strung the lights to my Jeep’s roof rack in the photo below!

 

 

8. Organization. We know that not everyone will move into a tiny home as soon as they get married like we did, but if you do, you’ll be as grateful for organization solutions as we are! We registered for everything from under-sink shelving to keep our kitchen and bathroom tidy to those huge plastic bags that you suck the air out of with a vacuum so all of our winter clothing could fit in one plastic bin.

 

7. Pots, Pans and Baking Sheets. The aesthetic-minded photographers in us just appreciate finally owning a set of pots and pans that match! Plus, we had both gotten used to the bottom-shelf cookware that we had shared with college roommates for years. Also, a nice cookie sheet will get you a long way. Especially when you want… cookies 😉

 

6. A Nice Bed Set. As much as I would have been totally cool sleeping on the same UVA bedspread that I got when I moved into my freshman dorm, I think Sarah made a good call upgrading us to a real “adult” comforter and pillow set.

 

 

5. A Crock Pot. A good slow-cooker makes homemade meals a possibility even when we’re running around all day and shooting in the evenings. Especially in the winter, nothing beats coming home from a cold shoot to a warm house that smells like Sarah’s white chicken chili or pot-roast and getting to eat right away!

 

4. A Blender. We’ve all heard that “breakfast is the most important meal of the day”, but who has time to cook and eat a balanced meal every single day? Instead, we share a large smoothie every morning to start our day with lean protein, vitamins, frozen fruit and fiber. Go breakfast!

 

3. A Picnic Basket. This small purchase has helped Sarah and I plan some sweet dates together to several of Charlottesville’s local wineries! The one we received included a 4-set of plastic plates, cups and silverware, and was lined and insulated to keep the basket clean cold when transporting drinks and food! Just add food and wine!

 

 

2. A Large Toaster Oven. Since it’s just the two of us, we use our large toaster oven instead of our regular oven 90% of the time we cook! This not only cuts down on preheating time, but also saves a ton of energy and money each time we cook!

 

1. Our Breville Barista Express. Our espresso machine with built-in coffee grinder and milk frother is by far what we are most grateful for! I make Sarah a latte Every. Single. Morning. (Of course, with the exception of the warmer months when we opt for cold brew. ). Instead of paying $5 for a latte each day, we make one for just the cost of milk and coffee beans – about 35 cents. We never would have splurged the $600 that this beauty costs, but hey – that’s what wedding registries are for!

 

Have a great week everyone!