Sponsored Post: Shop More With a Bloomingdale’s Registry

Shop for pots and pans and get a new dress for your bachelorette party?! You can, with Bloomingdale’s fantastic registry perks. When you register, your Bloomingdale’s consultant will show you all the incentives available to you, from splurge card gift certificates after you complete $500 of your registry to a coupon book full of offers throughout all departments!

Now, you can have a classic registry experience, whether in-store or online, and also get practical deals on things like great new outfits or the perfect set of luggage for your honeymoon! First, fill your registry list with brands you love and trust for dishes, sheets, and the coffeemaker that is going to complete your life.

And then, indulge a little! And don’t forget to share those savings! Take your bridesmaids shopping…

Sponsored Post: Consider a Unique Wine Registry with Bottlenotes

Today’s weddings are a collage of individual styles, backgrounds, and unions.  The traditional rules and expectations for weddings are no longer so strict.  The same is true for wedding registries.  A registry once meant a bride dragging a groom to a department store or small town gift shop to choose china and flatware patterns, and to pick all the kitchenware, glassware and serving pieces to start a home.

But today, many couples are getting married later or have already lived together, so they have accumulated many of the household items.  So couples are now getting more creative with their registries, focusing not only on collecting things for posterity but also for things that will educate them, entertain them and build a hobby together. 

One of the most exciting new types of registries is the wine registry. The Bottlenotes Wine Registry, powered by the country’s top wine shop,…

Date Night: Registry Fun!

Not to make any blatant stereotypes (but I guess I am going to anyway…), but guys don’t love the registry process as much as us gals. For us it marries our love of shopping with our love of planning, and we don’t even have to pay for it! We know that the men in our lives probably don’t care what type of pattern is on the flatware, but we want them to come along for the ride anyway.  Here are a few ways to turn registering into a fun date night:

Take turns with the scanner. Really, ladies, don’t hog it! Who wants to watch someone else get all of that beeping fun?  Make a deal ahead of time that you get scanner power over bedding and bath and he gets to go wild in the games and sporting goods section. By the way, straying from the basics is fun…

Green Bride Guide Brings Us Earth-Friendly Gift Ideas

There is no limit to unique eco-conscious gifts for your favorite green bride! Many businesses cater to those that covet sustainable products and they do their absolute best to ensure that you are receiving quality products from fair trade organizations.

Instead of buying products made of plastic or other harmful materials you can opt for bamboo kitchenware or recycled metal cheese slicers, graters, utensils!

Buying recycled products is a very responsible gesture and also showcases artistry by individuals who take old materials and turn them into something beautiful and functional!

Recycled luxury items such as wine racks are also a great home decor addition. When you entertain guests they will be impressed by the unique repurposed items you own!

Photo Credits (from top):

Recycled glass nesting bowls

Recycled plastic baking set

Picture frame and wine bottle coat rack

Sponsored Posts: Make Your Wedding Matter with Causes.com

Let’s face it: Weddings can be expensive and stressful. How can you offset all that negative stress with something more positive and reflective of the two of you as a couple?

Causes.com, an inspiring San Francisco tech company, launched Wedding Wishes to make it easy to celebrate what matters most to you. Wedding Wishes are the free, easy way to include a charity donation option on your gift registry. Already have a mixer? Ask your guests to save a puppy instead. Love babies? Skip the monogrammed punch bowl and dedicate a gift to helping kids in need. A Causes.com Wedding Wish is the ultimate way to keep sight of your deepest values when your future mother-in-law starts freaking out before the big day. And best of all? It’s free. Here’s how it works:

1) Spend a few minutes with the love of your life talking over…

Sponsored Post: Register in a New York State of Mind with Bloomingdale’s

Confession: I have never been to New York City. Second confession: I am obsessed with New York City.  Totally true. I know more about NYC than any other place I’ve never been.  I can recommend restaurants and tourist attractions and tell you the filming locations from “Sex in the City” and “An Affair to Remember.” I have also never been to Bloomingdale’s, and yet I adore Bloomingdale’s, because the brand is so distinctly synonymous with New York sophistication.

Bloomingdale’s is the perfect registry for the couples looking to fill their list with quality items and timeless elegance. And the best part is you don’t have to live near NYC (or another Bloomingdale’s location) to register because they have a really stellar and user-friendly online registry program. Register now, and you will receive a booklet full of exclusive deals, the opportunity…

Register Green with Green Bride Guide

Registering for wedding gifts is a great way to ask guests for items that you and your spouse would like to start your new life together. Creating a green registry is a great way to get the things you need while staying true to your eco-chic style and values. Here are the top three reasons to register green.

Support the local green economy:

Why register for items that are created in a nameless factory when you can help support local eco-friendly businesses and artists? Keeping it local boosts your hometown economy, and ensures the supplier is somebody who takes notice of the environmental impact of his or her business. Buying local also helps to reduce your carbon footprint because your order does not have to be shipped too far!

Green gifts are unique:

We all know that finding quality, well-made items can be difficult in the usual department stores.…

Sponsored Post: 11 Honeymoon Must-Haves from jcpenney

I’m not gonna lie. While getting married is one of the most fun events you will most likely ever experience, there is something about the day you head out to your honeymoon, knowing all you have ahead of you is rest and relaxation. The registering is done, the vows have been said, and a good time has been had by all. Now give me the beach!

So, while you’re running around creating the perfect registry, don’t forget to add these honeymoon must-haves from jcpenney to your list. They’re the perfect gifts for friends to give you (or, let’s be totally honest, to treat yourself with).

Links: 1. Elephant necklace 2. Fedora 3. Floral crinkle scarf (great for a wrap at the beach) 4. Aviators 5. Straw tote 6. Swimsuit 7.

Sponsored Post: Get Your Kitchen in Entertaining Shape with JCPenney

So remember how I told you awhile back how I was reticent to register but so thrilled that we did? Well, this past weekend my husband and I finally had a chance to pull out all of the wares for our first dinner party where all of our dishes matched (for the first time in my life), I had two (count them, two!) types of wine glasses to offer people and there was nary a plastic serving bowl in sight. I was such a grown up and it was ridiculously fun.

Which is all to say, that I highly recommend registering for nice, useful items that you’ll enjoy using over and over again. And JCPenney has some fantastic finds. I’ve pulled out some favorites, but head over to their site to check out all their options and to get your registry

Alternative Wedding Registry Ideas

When it was time for my husband and myself to register for our wedding, I was stressed in the way only a bride can be. The idea of asking people to buy us things (expensive things at that) was very uncomfortable for me, and once we started the actual registry process I managed to get all worked up over whether or not we were registering for the right things. Did I want someone to spend their hard-earned cash on a waffle maker? Was I the sort of person who now makes waffles? What if my children asked for waffles one day and I had no way to make them because I hadn’t registered for the waffle maker? Argh!

It was a really fun process.

This is when a very wise friend took me aside and said, “Kara, chill out. People are not required to buy you anything on your registry;…