Get your voyeur on with a look behind the scenes of a newly-affianced New York City couple and their registry process.
Sonya and Jeffrey got engaged last month (we’re not at liberty to share the entire proposal story, but just know it involved their corgi and a misplaced ring, but did end happily ever after). The happy couple has been living together in a spacious Clinton Hill one-bedroom for nearly a year, and while their apartment is stocked with a mishmash of pieces they bought independently, they’re excited to upgrade.
Because not every registry looks the same, we gave them a little boost with their online registry builder by doing some snooping into their habits and daily routines. Follow along to see how we stocked their registry with everything they need, and not a single thing they don’t.
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Set your table: Since the couple hosts dinner parties about once a month, we suggested registering for three sets of 4 dinner plates, flatware, and bowls. Our salad plates double as dessert plates – and since Jeffrey is (very) locally famous for his chocolate bourbon pretzel pie – they opted to register for six sets of these pieces. Sonya’s consulting job has her working from home a few times a month, and she’s been known to double-fist coffee and tea, so two sets of 4 mugs should be plenty, and will come in handy for the occasional brunch guest. They’re not big on pasta, especially not for large groups, so we only set them up with just one set of our wide-rimmed bowls, because sometimes the blue box of mac and cheese comes calling. As for cups and saucers: another single set. They’re both partial to mugs, though when Sonya’s mom stays with them, she loves her morning espresso shot served properly.
Serve it up: Two large serving bowls are perfect for dueling salads at a dinner party; but these beauties will get daily use as a popcorn receptacle. As for the low serving bowl, they’re opting for two so they’ll always have one handy for oranges on the counter. When it comes to platters, they both love the way their rectangular lacquered dining table looks topped with perfect circles, so they’re skipping our oval and rectangle platters and just registering for 5 of the circle version. This also means they get to toss their “collection” of melamine trays. (No tears over that one.) Two serving sets (to go with the two salad bowls), a single cake server, and a single ladle round out their cooking utensil drawer; four chef’s towels (all with red striping) mean there are extras for helpful guests to tie on in the kitchen.
Grab a drink: We try not to hold this against them, but neither Sonya nor Jeffrey drink red wine. It’s cool, we guess. So we’re suggesting registering for two sets of 4 of the white wine glasses to continue to fuel their Riesling habit, plus another two sets of the stemless wine glasses for guests who bring bottles of red (or rose, or even mix up a Sangria). Two sets of 4 Pilsner glasses mean there will be plenty when they host neighbors to watch football or awards shows; three sets of 4 short tumblers make them ready to serve up a batch of cocktails (accompanied by three sets of 4 cocktail napkins, to help protect their burled wood coffee table. They skipped the wine decanter but doubled up on the spirit decanter and the water carafe – Sonya swears she’ll keep one in the fridge stocked with cucumber slices.
Get in bed: These two won’t kiss and tell, but we were able to find out that they’re both hot sleepers, meaning the percale bedding, with its crisp, cool handfeel, is the winner. They registered for two sets for their own bed, and imagine they’ll come back to SNOWE in years to come for another couple sets when they upgrade to a two-bedroom (same goes for coming back for another duvet after their first two). They also registered for a double dose of the throw blanket – one to drape on their bed, the other will be delegated to the sofa.
Time to Bathe: They were thisclose to registering for four bath towels, but when Jeffrey realized how enormous and luxe the bath sheets were, they went for two and two – throw in 6 washcloths to support Sonya’s face-washing routine and keep some folded on the counter for guests. As for robes: two, because they’re currently sharing the same fraying gray robe for no discernable reason. Actually, scratch that from the registry; they’re gifting themselves these two now as an engagement present.
Once we said the magic words: “You guys are all set!” That unleashed sighs from both of them. “Wait, you mean, that’s it?” Turns out, they’d both been dreading the registration process, having heard horror stories from friends about days spent wandering department stores in a daze. We’re not going to pat ourselves on the back too much here, but we are glad to hear that our streamlined, as-fun-as-possible process had helped another couple get downright excited about registry and the kind of life they’re building, post-wedding. If you have your own big day coming up, we hope you’ll give us the chance to work with you on your registry. You can start the process right here, and if you’re looking for a little help (or just company, schedule a time to chat with our experts (registry@snowehome.com), who will gladly chat you through sateen versus percale, stemless versus red and white wine glasses, and any registry anxieties we can take off your plate.