Registering Leaves the Juicfairies a Little Shellshocked

The wedding planning process continually surprises me.  I was told by a friend that “weddings bring out the worst in people”.  I didn’t believe her but I am starting to understand now.  I don’t want to air dirty laundry on here but I have had more than a few people attending comment on their dislike of the date I picked, a person who I hadn’t intended on inviting let me know that they expected an invite, I have had special requests from guests needing items specific to their needs ready at the wedding, and lastly I have had odd family requests regarding clothing and ceremony specifics.  All of the above mentioned I found to be a little odd.

One of the more interesting concerns of my attendees is that I have not registered yet.  I  have been met with gaping mouths at the idea that I have waited until 3 months before the wedding to do so.  I really didn’t think this was so weird since I had a whole 3 months to go before the bridal shower.  Why the pressure to do so right now?  Anyway, Mr. Juicefairy and I finally did register since our guests had been asking.

I didn’t realize that there is a little bit of pressure involved in registering.  Firstly, you don’t want to have too much expensive stuff on there.  I don’t want to seem greedy and I wanted a lot of $20-$30 items for friends and family to choose from so they wouldn’t feel pressure to spend too much.  There are also items you typically expect to see on a registry (like china, or fondue pots) but we just don’t need or want, so I am afraid there won’t be enough stuff for guests to choose from.  I have been to showers where people complain because they couldn’t pick anything out when there was a limited registry.  Then there is the problem of our limited space for stuff.  I really would like a lot of things for the home but we just don’t have the space right now in a tiny house for a lot of extra stuff.  We are planning on moving eventually but I don’t know what kind of decor choices we are going to make when we get there.

Then there is the registering itself!  Target literally threw the scanner at us and said, “Go have fun.” which was very relaxed.  Crate & Barrel gave us a ten minute tour before giving us the scanner and saying “Go have fun” which also was fine.  But Bed Bath & Beyond!  Geez what a production!

First you sit and wait for an associate in a semi-private area as if you are meeting a lawyer.  Then she has you fill out paperwork which she then proceeds to type into the computer herself.  Talk about inefficient.  This is followed by twenty-questions to gauge how big your wedding is and your style, which seems nice but it is only a segue into her rambling about incentive programs in order to sway you into purchasing certain brands they would like you to buy.  Then shes shows you catalogs of items that aren’t in the store, like luggage and puts you on the spot when she asks “see anything you like?”.  Finally after the shpiel I think we are ready to go scan and she gets up and says “Okay, let’s get started”.  Mr Juicefairy and I glance at each other while she proceeds to follow us around the store scanning for us.  She makes suggestions of products and questions us on what we have in home.  It was so awkward.

While we walked not one but two managers stopped us to see how we were doing, congratulate us and offer us drinks.  It was like the royal family were parading through Bed Bath & Beyond and they were all a titter.  For some couples this may just be exemplary customer service.  To Mr. Juicefairy and I we just felt uncomfortable and embarrassed (I make Mr. Juicefairy call me “your grace”).  We left after only registering a handful of items because we were uncomfortable with all of the attention and couldn’t really discuss what we liked in private.  I guess I will just go online and finish what we started from the privacy of my desk.

What were your experiences with registering?  Did you have fun with it or did you feel it was a lot of pressure?