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 started.

How nice is this Italian dinnerware from Chris Madden? I bet you could throw some killer impromptu, Italian feasts on this set…

And they have some cool vintage-y looking sets that are so pretty, aren’t they? And I love the hand-drawn flowers on the Corelle set – you can bet people would be asking you about them.

And these settings, mix-and-matched, would make your table absolutely pop!

For those of you who like clean lines and the simplicity of decorating with white, this set is perfect for letting your other decor take center stage.

Now I know I mentioned the little thrill I got from our wine glasses (it’s the little things, folks) and I should mention I feel the same way every time I open our cupboard and see all of our drinking glasses lined up. Love the retro feel of these glasses by JCP Home and Libbey.

Of course you need wine glasses! Love the flat-bottomed version so you don’t have to worry about guests’ spills. And, while you’re at it, I’d throw in this beer pitcher and steins, because how can you throw a great party without beer pitchers!

Now, I’m definitely more about the decorating side of things (Chris registered for all of our pots and pans), which is probably why I like these French ovens from Le Creuset. He assures me that they also are a kitchen must-have and absolutely necessary for an excellent cassoulet (do you see why I love this man?).

You’ll also need some regular pots and pans. Traditional gray is always nice or…

…you could also go for a non-traditional orange or red version (guess which I was pulling for?).

The one kitchen-y thing I did make a priority was my KitchenAid mixer and, holy cow, it was worth every penny (plus, they come in huge variety of colors). I just ran into this soda maker and while we didn’t register for it, I certainly don’t want you to make the same mistake!
And that is just a start. Head over to JCPenney for a ton more options and to start your registry!