CrystalKeys' sail blog

What is an LDR bride to do early on in the wedding-planning process? Plan a registry! Looking for china patterns and comparing product reviews is easily done from across an ocean.

I started our process by checking out reviews and comments on the stores that offer registries (to name a few: Macy’s, Crate&Barrel, Walmart, Pottery Barn, Williams-Sonoma, Bed Bath & Beyond…and more recently The Container Store). I also looked into amazon.com and myregistry.com, which both offer universal registries (which means that you can add a link to any item that you can buy online, regardless of the seller).

We decided (OK, I decided, but I did check with Mr. Bracelet) to create our first registry at BB&B. They have a wide selection, a good return policy, and many physical stores that people can visit. I started out by making a comprehensive registry checklist tailored to our needs. Then I proceeded to look for needed items on BB&B. I created a wish list to keep track of the things I was interested in.

Mr. Bracelet and I visited the BB&B store in Bozeman one afternoon last summer. We walked into the store and announced that we would like to open a registry. We sat down in the small registry corner (or booth?) and quickly filled out the paperwork. As this location doesn’t have a fine china section, we were given a catalog to flip through. They paired us up with a young employee who guided us through the different areas of the store. While he was helpful and not pushy, I felt cheated out of the “scanner gun experience” because he held on to it and scanned everything for us.