Registry Schmegistry

Since this will be the second wedding for both of us, and since we're kinda old (kidding- we're 33 and 35 respectively), we each already have most of the things that younger brides and grooms would register for. We have china, linens, everyday dishes, pots and pans, and a bunch of kitchen gadgets. We're even getting rid of some things after we combine households because we'll have duplicate items.

What, oh what, are us older, more established brides to do then, for our registries?
FH and I considered not doing a registry at all, because really... we don't need more STUFF. But then our families got on our case because they said they really would like to have the option of purchasing a gift. We considered doing a honeymoon registry, but it seems the jury's still out on whether that's appropriate or not (every time we hear someone comment on how cool it is, there's another person who hates the idea). We also thought that in lieu of gifts, guests could simply donate money to a charity of our choice, but our experience has shown us that when people have the option they generally don't make donations.

One idea is to register for things that we would never purchase ourselves, or for things that we just haven't gotten around to buying (like camping gear). After reviewing a few sites, we finally selected Weddingchannel.com as our registry site. The primary reason we picked it is because they will donate money from each registry purchase to the charity of your choice. Thus, we can indulge our family's desire to have a registry, and our own desire to make sure some money goes to our favorite charity (the Susan G Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, in honor of FH's mom).

Also, we can register at places like REI for things like this:













And Williams Sonoma (since we're total foodies) for things like this Panini maker: