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Mpls.St.Paul Magazine’s Guide to Wedding Registry

Registering for gifts today is as easy as a few keystrokes, but nothing beats the personal service you get when registering in a store. Working with an in store registry consultant can help take the guess work out of the process, and you can usually still manage your registry online. Here’s our list of local registry services.

December 15, 2006

By Melissa Colgan and Abby Van Ness

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Ampersand
After registering with this Galleria apothecary and gift boutique, the couple receives a complimentary gift from Kiehl’s and The Art of Shaving, a registry mailing to wedding invitees, two Vera Wang champagne flutes, and a monogrammed leather photo album. The eclectic mix here includes tableware, gifts, and apothecary, including products from Simon Pearce, Vietri, and Juliska. 

Bed Bath & Beyond
New couples looking to furnish a home together will find everything from bed linens and bath accessories, to cookware and glassware at this home goods store. After registering, you’ll receive twenty-five complimentary announcement cards and your guests can take advantage of free gift packaging. In addition to providing a system where bridal registrants and their guests can view and make purchases online, Bed, Bath & Beyond's website offers a “Bridal Toolkit” and “Ideas & Advice” for planning your wedding. If you’d rather see items in person, expert consultants are available at every location. Plus, they offer fun hand held scanners for selecting gifts.

Bloomingdale’s
Although online registry is easy, the registry service at the MOA Bloomingdales is unbeatable. Registry consultant Dawn Degrote has an eye for setting a table, making a bed, and filling in all of a couple’s missing pieces. Located on the third floor, registrants can choose from a full selection of items for home, including crystal pieces from Baccarat and bedding from Court of Versailles.  

The Chef’s Gallery
Registering and purchasing must be done in store, but it is well worth it for the collection of cookware, bakeware, utensils, gadgets, and gourmet food.

Crate & Barrel
This is one of the most popular choices for weddings and commitment registers, but with more than 140 stores nationwide, and a comprehensive, continuously updated website, it is just as easy for our guests to shop. Register for seasonal basics, entertaining wares, linens, and home accessories.

Five Swans
Customer service is important to the staff of Five Swans, especially when brides need help choosing the right wedding gifts. Registry must be done in store, but the staff will pay close attention, making notes for guests and keeping a record of your listing in their computerized system. Choose from Kosta Boda crystal, Postmeirion china, metalware by Armetal, and other perfect gifts for couples. Shop after your wedding and receive a ten percent discount on registered items you didn’t receive.

Gather
While no computerized listing is kept for registered gifts at Gather, owner Michael Hagie and his staff do offer a hands-on, personalized bridal registry. When you come in, you’ll be taken around the store, from piece to piece, while a staff member writes down item information on a pre-printed form. Afterward, complimentary cards are sent to guests so they know where you’re registered. When guests stop in, they’ll receive a copy of the list and help from the staff in finding your selected pieces. Free gift-wrapping is offered with the purchase of all wedding gifts.

J.B. Hudson
This beautiful store located inside the Minneapolis Macy’s has a selection of luxury registry items like serving pieces by Lalique, Baccarat, and Daum.

JCPenney
JCPenney teamed up with WeddingSolutions.com to provide an impressive online registry system. Receive a free wedding planner and a nineteen-page personal wedding web site when you register for fifteen or more items (online, by toll-free phone or in one of eight metro store locations). With a wide assortment of moderately priced furniture, dinnerware, and bed & bath items, the JCP registry is great for couples needing basic home goods. Free wrapping and shipping are provided if guests spend at least $49. 800-JCP-GIFT

Kitchen Window
The staff at Kitchen Window is devoted to creating a pleasurable registry experience. Stay organized with a registry workbook (available in store or order by phone). After reviewing the workbook, make an appointment with a registry consultant who will help you choose gifts and load them into a computerized system. Lists can either be mailed or faxed to your guests, but are also available online. Guests should note that the online selection of kitchenware, gourmet food, and cookbooks is just a small portion of the more than 12,000 items available in stores.

Kohl’s
Create, update, and shop your registry online or in one of eighteen metro locations. Choose from a wide selection of moderately priced home goods and small appliances. If you register with certain brands, such as Circulon, Cuisinart, or Teflon, you’ll receive a free gift. 866-887-8884

Linens-N-Things
Celebrity wedding planner Heidi Weiss, who has worked with Jessica Simpson, Gwen Stefani, and Heidi Klum, shares her wedding registry advice on lnt.com. With inspiration from Weiss’s ideas, you’ll find the basics for bed, bath, and kitchen. Product brands include KitchenAid, Cuisinart, Riedel, Nate Berkus, and Eddie Bauer.  You can also register by phone or in store at one of six metro locations.

Macy’s
The downtown Minneapolis store has largest floor selection of registry items, but you can manage a registry at any of the metro locations, as well as online.

Neiman Marcus
Our Nicollet Mall version of this upscale department store is an amazing source for both luxury and everyday registry items. Although the fine china and bedding area on the first floor is small, the actual registry possibilities are much deeper and cover a variety of price points.

Pier 1
Pier 1 recommends registering at least three months before your wedding. Register online or visit a store during non-rush hours to work with a Pier 1 associate who is trained in assisting you with your registry. In addition, you can manage your account with a toll-free phone number. Your guests can print out a registry list or request a copy at any of the seventeen metro locations. Pier 1 specializes in tabletop decoration, entertaining wares, seasonal items, and home accents. 800-245-4595

Pottery Barn
More than 180 stores nationwide as well as a continuously updated website make this a quick and easy registry resource fore some of your day-to-day home needs. Choose from an expanded assortment of gift items, including dinnerware, bedding and bath, home accessories and furniture and receive 10% off any items remaining on your registry up to a year after your wedding.

Restoration Hardware
Your guests can shop at one of 100-plus U.S. store locations, or from the comfort of their own homes by accessing your registry online. With everything from bedding and bath to games and gadgets, new couples will have fun navigating through the different products. Benefits of registering here include twenty-five complimentary announcements, a ten percent discount on items you don’t receive, and a “Thank You Notes Manager” for after the wedding. 800-762-1005

Target
After you and your partner have taken stock of what you both have, Target is a great place to fill in many of the other basics. Registering online is very easy, and the stock online often exceeds what is in most stores, but it never hurts to stop into your local Target to see items up close.

Tiffany & Co.
While we usually think of Tiffany & Co. for fine jewelry in a little blue box, they also carry an assortment of beautifully designed gifts, including stunning china, silver, and crystal- items that will stay in your collection forever. Register online or schedule an in-store appointment with a Wedding & Gift Consultant if you need help with important registry decisions. 

Williams-Sonoma
For couples who take cooking and entertaining seriously, Williams-Sonoma carries high-quality, timeless tableware and appliances. With five metro locations, registrants should take advantage of the in-store expert advice and the free seventy-one-page registry guide, which offers tips for selecting cookware and dinnerware. Edit your list and keep track of what each guest purchases when you manage your account online.

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