Crate & Barrel is one of the more popular stores for couples to register. As readers of this blog know, we also registered at Crate & Barrel and were thrilled with our experience.
Couples should be aware that Crate & Barrel is having several wedding parties on September 13, October 4 and October 18. These events are parties with food, drinks and they usually give out a small gift if you attend.
More details can be found on the Crate & Barrel website.
Showing posts with label Registries. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Registries. Show all posts
Wednesday, 9 September 2009
Sunday, 21 June 2009
Honeymoon Registries
For couples doing a destination wedding or just a standard honeymoon, a resort registry can make a lot of sense. It works like this – you register, friends and family give money to the overall honeymoon or to specific activities.
This concept has been around for a while and we looked into it for our own destination wedding. We briefly considered this approach but, at the time of our wedding, thought it wasn’t as sophisticated as we were going for.
There are two kinds of registries – a general registry and a specific registry. General registries, such as the numerous websites all over the Internet, don’t provide services for specific businesses/locations. They charge fees (some are pretty hefty at 9%) for the opportunity and then commit you to working with their “partner companies” (presumably they get a kickback from the partner companies as well). It just feels kind of cheap. And be extra weary, as some of these companies spam your guest list with repeated pleas to pony up cash (very obnoxious!).
The other kind of registry is specific to a business. Companies like Starwood, Marriott and Hyatt all have specific registries that help couples offset aspects of their honeymoon or destination wedding experience. And over the last 5 years or so, these registries have evolved into fairly classy affairs. One that we like is the Hyatt Registry because it is well run, professional and classy. It gives friends and relatives an opportunity to offset activities you might not otherwise do, but it doesn’t have a high-pressure sales pitch feel.
Regardless of whether you do a registry or not, or what kind of registry you do, you should thoroughly research it. These registries work well to offset your existing plans. You could ultimately wind up paying more if you committed to something just because of the registry. So be smart and ask some key questions to ask: Do you need to pay for the honeymoon upfront? What kind of fees do they charge? Does it lock you into working with specific vendors? How flexible are they? Does the gift expire after a certain period of time (if you don’t use it all on your honeymoon)?
This concept has been around for a while and we looked into it for our own destination wedding. We briefly considered this approach but, at the time of our wedding, thought it wasn’t as sophisticated as we were going for.
There are two kinds of registries – a general registry and a specific registry. General registries, such as the numerous websites all over the Internet, don’t provide services for specific businesses/locations. They charge fees (some are pretty hefty at 9%) for the opportunity and then commit you to working with their “partner companies” (presumably they get a kickback from the partner companies as well). It just feels kind of cheap. And be extra weary, as some of these companies spam your guest list with repeated pleas to pony up cash (very obnoxious!).
The other kind of registry is specific to a business. Companies like Starwood, Marriott and Hyatt all have specific registries that help couples offset aspects of their honeymoon or destination wedding experience. And over the last 5 years or so, these registries have evolved into fairly classy affairs. One that we like is the Hyatt Registry because it is well run, professional and classy. It gives friends and relatives an opportunity to offset activities you might not otherwise do, but it doesn’t have a high-pressure sales pitch feel.
Regardless of whether you do a registry or not, or what kind of registry you do, you should thoroughly research it. These registries work well to offset your existing plans. You could ultimately wind up paying more if you committed to something just because of the registry. So be smart and ask some key questions to ask: Do you need to pay for the honeymoon upfront? What kind of fees do they charge? Does it lock you into working with specific vendors? How flexible are they? Does the gift expire after a certain period of time (if you don’t use it all on your honeymoon)?
Tuesday, 26 August 2008
Crate & Barrel Hosts Wedding Party
Crate & Barrel is hosting two wedding parties in September for brides- and grooms-to-be to learn about registering with Crate & Barrel. They are plying brides and grooms with food, drink and entertainment.
The wedding party is being held on September 7 and 21, from 9:00-11:00am. The event is not held at every Crate & Barrel, but maybe there is a location near you. Found out more on the Crate & Barrel website.
The wedding party is being held on September 7 and 21, from 9:00-11:00am. The event is not held at every Crate & Barrel, but maybe there is a location near you. Found out more on the Crate & Barrel website.
Monday, 19 March 2007
Review: Macy’s Bridal Registry
As a follow up to the bridal registry overview, we wanted to provide a specific review on the Macy’s Bridal Registry experience.
Macy’s really markets their bridal registry to couples. Macy’s offers the Macy’s Wedding Rewards program where you receive 5% back on every gift purchased off your registry. You also receive 10% back on all your personal purchases (both off the registry and elsewhere), if you open a Macy’s card. And you receive a 10% wedding completion discount. A month or two after the wedding you are supposed to receive a gift card in the mail with your Macy’s Reward.
It sounds like a fantastic deal and we bought it. Unfortunately, there were problems. The biggest was that we didn’t receive the reward gift card after the wedding and we had to call several times to complain. During the course of the wedding, we moved houses and it was very difficult for Macy’s to update the address. Updating the registry from home through the WeddingChannel became a bit of a nightmare. And finally, it seemed like the in-store help had no idea what they were doing (at their NY store as well as several different Macy’s in Pennsylvania near us).
If we had it to do over again, we still probably would have registered with Macy’s for the rewards program, but we wished we would have known what a headache it would be.
Macy’s really markets their bridal registry to couples. Macy’s offers the Macy’s Wedding Rewards program where you receive 5% back on every gift purchased off your registry. You also receive 10% back on all your personal purchases (both off the registry and elsewhere), if you open a Macy’s card. And you receive a 10% wedding completion discount. A month or two after the wedding you are supposed to receive a gift card in the mail with your Macy’s Reward.
It sounds like a fantastic deal and we bought it. Unfortunately, there were problems. The biggest was that we didn’t receive the reward gift card after the wedding and we had to call several times to complain. During the course of the wedding, we moved houses and it was very difficult for Macy’s to update the address. Updating the registry from home through the WeddingChannel became a bit of a nightmare. And finally, it seemed like the in-store help had no idea what they were doing (at their NY store as well as several different Macy’s in Pennsylvania near us).
If we had it to do over again, we still probably would have registered with Macy’s for the rewards program, but we wished we would have known what a headache it would be.
Monday, 12 March 2007
Bridal Registries
One of the best things about getting married is the bridal registry process. You can go shopping and you don’t have to pay for anything. It can be so much fun to dream!
But choosing the place to register is often one of the first decisions you’ll face. Most people pick one nice department store, one home store and possibly one specialty store. You should pick stores that have both an in-store and online purchasing capabilities.
Select stores that have a presence in areas where most of your family, friends and guests live. For example, there are not many Macy’s stores in places where some of family live. We registered at Macy’s and did not receive many gifts through them. (More on the Macy’s bridal registry in an upcoming blog.)
We registered with Crate and Barrel, Macy’s and Amazon.com. Nearly every gift we received came from Crate and Barrel. We registered for flatware, glasses, small appliances, cookware, etc. People loved this store. At Macy’s we registered for our silver, our crystal and china. Finally, Amazon.com was nice for larger and more unusual items (scuba diving gear, furniture, etc.).
Our experience was that the majority of our purchases were made over the Internet, so make sure whatever vendors you use make easy Internet ordering (and returns) possible. Crate and Barrel was fantastic on all counts—even accepting a stoneware bake dish that was completely pulverized during shipping. Amazon.com was great for ordering, but returns proved impossible (time limits, items, etc.). Macy’s was great for in-store ordering, Internet was OK and returns were problematic (particularly if the item isn’t stocked and needs to be shipped).
But choosing the place to register is often one of the first decisions you’ll face. Most people pick one nice department store, one home store and possibly one specialty store. You should pick stores that have both an in-store and online purchasing capabilities.
Select stores that have a presence in areas where most of your family, friends and guests live. For example, there are not many Macy’s stores in places where some of family live. We registered at Macy’s and did not receive many gifts through them. (More on the Macy’s bridal registry in an upcoming blog.)
We registered with Crate and Barrel, Macy’s and Amazon.com. Nearly every gift we received came from Crate and Barrel. We registered for flatware, glasses, small appliances, cookware, etc. People loved this store. At Macy’s we registered for our silver, our crystal and china. Finally, Amazon.com was nice for larger and more unusual items (scuba diving gear, furniture, etc.).
Our experience was that the majority of our purchases were made over the Internet, so make sure whatever vendors you use make easy Internet ordering (and returns) possible. Crate and Barrel was fantastic on all counts—even accepting a stoneware bake dish that was completely pulverized during shipping. Amazon.com was great for ordering, but returns proved impossible (time limits, items, etc.). Macy’s was great for in-store ordering, Internet was OK and returns were problematic (particularly if the item isn’t stocked and needs to be shipped).
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