Continued registry drama...

Come on now hive, you didn't think my registry problems ended with unwanted items appearing on my list, did you??? Nah, that would have been toooooo easy!

Mommy Buttons and I made a trip to Bed Bath & Beyond so that she could help me finish my registry. I wanted her opinions on pots and pans, as well as a few other items. And, she thought that my registry was pretty dismal...so I obliged and added to it slightly (I'm still a "registry rebel," don't get me wrong...). We spent over an hour walking the aisles, picking out kitchen gadgets, some more sheet sets, and cookware. When we finished, I turned my scanner in to the customer service rep...and once again we were on our merry way (sound familiar???).

The following day, I log on to the registry website to show Mr. Buttons what we added. When I pulled up the list, none of the items I had registered for were there...it was the same as before. Frustrated, I just closed the laptop and told Mr. Buttons that it must take 24 hours for the items to appear, so we would check again the next day.

Well, the next morning I log back in to the registry, and again...no new items. I got on the phone with the store and asked them how long it takes for items to appear. The woman on the phone informed me that they should have been up by the time I got home the night I had been in the store.

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Crap! Where did my items go!?!?!

The customer service rep quickly became uncomfortable (probably because I started rambling on about how every registry I've made has problems...), and she put the store manager on the phone. I explained the case of the missing registry items, and he assured me that they would figure it out, but that I would most likely have to come in to the store again and re-scan everything. At that point, I could feel my heart sink down to my toes. This was just my luck; I had painstakingly walked through the store and selected these items, and now I would have to do it again?!?! And, I'd have to do it immediately, because my bridal shower is quickly approaching, and guests had already started purchasing items...

After a few phone calls to my mom and Mr. Buttons, as well as some frantic Tweets, I jumped in the car and headed in to the store.

Don't worry hive...this does have a happy ending!

When I arrived at the store, the manager came out to speak with me, and luckily had some answers! Come to find out, the girl who has given me the scanning gun at the counter had me scanning SOMEONE ELSE'S REGISTRY. So, that person had all of my items added to theirs. Luckily, that particular person with the same name as me was married back in 2008. But, come on customer service lady! I can't believe that she missed that the wedding date was in the PAST! Anyway, they were able to extract the exact items that I had selected, and then they transferred them back to my registry. HUGE sigh of relief. I do have to commend the manager of Bed Bath & Beyond for how nice he was during this debacle...MUCH better than the "oh I'm sorry but we really can't do anything" that I got from Target. No one had to lose an arm or a leg...I didn't turn into a scary monster of a person...and the problem was fixed! I like it when that happens...

So, for now...my registries are in a state of harmony...key phrase = for now...

Has your registry pulled a Houdini on you?

Just call me a registry rebel...

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Ohhhh registries. A few months ago, Mr. Buttons and I started our quest to build them. And I immediately felt like I was going to break out into hives once we began the process. I thought this was supposed to be fun????

To start, we hit up one of the main go-to stores for wedding registries, as I figured it would be a good location for some of the basics. We walked up to the registry counter and sat with the coordinator, who then outlined the process for us. It was at this point that I realized that I, Miss Buttons, am going to be a registry rebel...for a number of reasons.

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Rebellion #1: GASP! I am not picking out china!?!?!?!

Registry lady (lets just call her Sally from here on out) sets out a huge catalog in front of me, and then proceeds to ask me if I'd picked out a china pattern yet.

"Oh...we won't be needing any china, thank you!"

"But, it is your wedding; this is the only time you are going to be able to ask for something like this!"

"Well, it is more for practical reasons. We just won't use china enough to warrant purchasing it. And, I don't want to have to pay to complete sets if I don't receive all of the pieces. I would rather have 2 sets of 'everyday' plates, and have the ability to replace them down the road if I don't like them anymore."

....huge eyebrow raise from Sally..."well we do have some everyday china patterns that you could pick out! And what about crystal and silverware?"

"No no...thank you, but I am really not interested in anything like that."

Ladies, from one bride to another, I would just be honest with yourself - are you going to use china? If it is important to you and you will use it, then by all means, register for the china and crystal! But, if you are anything like Mr. Buttons and I, any china that we would receive would sit in a cabinet until Christmas, Thanksgiving, or Easter. And, since we are both very close with our families, the two of us will most likely spend those holidays with one or both of them...so we wouldn't even be using it! Mommy Buttons owns china and rarely uses it, and she agreed with me that it would not be the most useful item to register for!

In the end, Sally kind of shrugged, maintained a quizzical look on her face, and then decided to just moved on with her info session, which then led to....

Rebellion #2: I don't care about quantity (ok, I do a LITTLE bit)

Sally asks me how many guests we expect at our wedding. I reply: "probably about 120-ish."

"Ok, so you should register for 3 items per guest that you expect: that is 360 items."

Gulp. Ok, so I know that it is the rule of thumb in wedding-land to register for that many items...but honestly? I really don't know how that is going to be possible. Mr. Buttons and I do not know where we will be living after the wedding, which makes it VERY difficult for me to select items for our home! Without knowledge of storage space, decor, etc, I just can't choose everything at this point in time! That KitchenAid stand mixer that everyone wants? Well, who knows? I might not have the counter or cabinet space for it (single tear).

So, what did I do, you ask? I built our registries with only the items I knew we needed (with a spattering of a few fun things that were "wants" rather than "needs"). There is still a nice list, but do I have 3 items per guest? Nope....it might be more along the lines of 2 items. And I'm ok with that...

Rebellion #3: I am including "non-traditional" items

Ok, so I do realize that in this day and age it is extremely common to see brides with non-traditional registry items. However, traditionally, brides only registered for housewares. Tools, electronics, and *gasp* honeymoon registries were unheard of. I'd like to think that the guests on my side of the list are "with the times," but I was really surprised to find that I was probably a little wrong about it! Mommy Buttons was out with a friend and they were discussing the wedding. Where we registered came up as a question, and my mother mentioned that I was thinking about setting up a honeymoon registry. Well, yeah...there might have been a comment or two made about how she would never want to contribute to that, that it was wrong...etc. To make a long story short, Mr. Buttons and I abandoned the honeymoon registry idea, but we still maintained some items that are not "typical." For instance, I registered for the CHI hairdryer that I have wanted for a few years now. Sneer at me all you want, but guess what? I use a hairdryer every...single...day. That would likely be one of the most used items on the registry.

"But, Miss Buttons, how rude! That is not a gift for both of you as a couple!"

Well, are those pots and pans really a gift for BOTH Mr. Buttons and I? I can tell you right now: I am quite positive that I will be pretty much the sole user of those as well...and he probably could care less which plates and flatware I chose; he'd be happy eating off of a paper plate with plastic utensils. To be fair...Mr. Buttons DID register for a set of speakers for our TV, so I'm calling it even.

In the end, Mr. Buttons and I DID build registries that we are happy with, but it wasn't without a little bit of stress! Seriously though...to any of you about to create a registry - my one piece of advice is to not worry about putting what is "proper" on your list. Take some time with your significant other to brainstorm a list of what is important to you. Yes, you should listen to the rule that says you should register for items in a range of different price points...don't be crazy and only register for big ticket items. However, if you don't need something, don't feel pressured to register for it. Chances are, if a guest has a very strong inclination to buy you something in particular, they will do it regardless of if you are registered or not!

Did you have a fun time building your registries? Did you find yourself becoming a "registry rebel" in some ways?