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Meet Liz Crompton, Associate Vice-President, Gift Registry at Sears Canada, who passes along some good advice.
My fiancé and I are combining our two apartments into one when we get married. Our friends, however, still insist we need to register for gifts. How do we tell them we really don’t need much?
This is an opportunity to refresh and update your bed and bathrooms, to check out new accessories in each room for a fresh look, to upgrade tools and to register for larger items for group gifts. You also can register for gift cards to let you choose some larger items later.
We will be registering for a number of small appliances. We will need a coffee maker, toaster, toaster oven, kettle and grill. Any advice?
When you register, don’t just register for the category. Be brand specific. The beauty of your registry is to find the styles that best fit your needs for all your appliances. You can choose one favourite brand to have them matching or mix up the styles within one colour scheme.
Is colour choice the most important decision in decorating a room?
Scale is equally important. Example: a sofa can look ideal in a big showroom but can overpower a small room in a home – making the room look even smaller. A lamp may be attractive but not tall enough to shed appropriate light for reading.
My fiancé and I both have coffee makers. Both are fairly old. Do we flip a coin to see which we keep?
Now is your chance to upgrade with a newer model that may have more features than your old coffee maker. Plus, this is an opportunity to coordinate all of your small appliances. Perhaps you can contribute your old ones to a charity.
We’re having a large wedding – 275 guests. To register for all those gifts plus shower gifts is far beyond what our needs are. Our list just isn’t that extensive. What can we do?
I suspect you’re limiting yourself to the obvious categories such as kitchen, dining room and bedroom linens. Spread your wings. Do you have a home office? What hobbies do you have? Walk through the entire store and, as you visit every department, you will be surprised how your list will grow. Don’t forget all the accessories you need in every room. Then think of the exterior – all your needs for garage and garden. Upgrade, replace and get your home off to a flying start. For a new home there are so many possibilities and choices to suit every budget.
When we get one or more of the same item, we will, of course, have to return one. Should we admit to the person that we have exchanged their gift?
This is a good reason to create a registry; to prevent gift duplication! However, the etiquette of handling duplication is that you warmly thank the person for their thoughtful gift and the exchange factor is your little secret.
My aunt wants to give me a silver clock she received when she got married 27 years ago. Can I tell her I would prefer she choose something from my gift registry?
Good question! What you receive as a gift is always the choice of the giver, not the recipient. However, over time you will appreciate that your aunt was sharing a cherished and personal gift with you.
