Wedding Gifts You Register For And Never Use

Registering for wedding gifts is one of the most enjoyable aspects of wedding planning. I know I got scanner happy and decided we needed every piece of inventory at Bed Bath & Beyond while Parker sat in the corner rethinking his decision to marry me. Kidding, but I definitely registered for a few things that were completely unnecessary. Parker and I got married right out of college, which means I had never truly been on my own before, and neither had he. I wasn't cooking dinner every night and cleaning a house. For all I knew, that avocado slicer and extensive mop set were necessities to a happy marriage. Parker and I revisited the subject of wedding registries the other day and both agree we registered for a few things that made no sense, for us anyway.

A few of those completely unnecessary but seemingly vital to a successful marriage items...

The tea kettle

Parker and I both knew neither of us drink tea, but tea kettles look so cute on the stove top and I just had to have the same Le Creuset model my mom has. Do you know how many times this tea kettle has been used? Once, and it was when a friend was staying with us and wanted to make tea. It looks pretty on the stove top, but it was by no means necessary for us.

The china

Good grief, the china. I'm going to blame my lovely mother on this one (love you mom!) because she convinced me I had to have china, so I in turn convinced Parker we had to have china. We were gifted a full set of beautiful, expensive china for our wedding. Do you know where that china is? It's at my parents house and has been ever since we received it. I just don't have room to store it. I am sure it will get plenty of use when I start hosting family meals and holidays, but I am still a baby and plan on going to my parents' and grandparents' houses for many more years before that happens.

The wok

I had high hopes for the wok. I love Asian food and was excited to make different stir fries and attempt other personal favorites, but no such thing happened. I have made quite a few different stir fries, but I always just use a normal skillet. Honestly, it's because the wok is so far back in the cabinets and not easily accessible, which is a terrible reason I know. Nevertheless, the wok wasn't completely necessary in our case

Grilled Cheese Maker

I knew we needed the grilled cheese maker from day 1. I had one growing up that my family used all the time, so I would of course use it all the time too, right? The grilled cheese maker became obsolete around the time we were gifted the Cuisinart Griddler. This one stop shop can do it all, including make great grilled cheeses and paninis. We also have the regular old skillet if it's just a simple grilled cheese. I love the concept of the grilled cheese maker, but when you realize just how many gadgets you have and how little cabinet space there is, you have to prioritize.

The cookie jar

The cookie jar just seemed necessary. It's a bit old-fashioned, but everyone loves grabbing a cookie from the cookie jar. I think I've used it twice. I do my fair share of baking, but I have found the cake stand works so much better. It can store breads, muffins, cookies, and cakes in a presentable fashion and is just more practical than the cookie jar. When we were registering, that cookie jar seemed vital to a blissful marriage and a well fed husband, but things change.

Honestly, there are a few more, but these are the items I can recall offhand. Hindsight is 20/20, but when we were registering for gifts, these seemed as important as the marriage license.

Our Honeymoon

The day after our wedding, Parker and I jetted off to Naples, Fl. for a much needed getaway to celebrate finally being husband and wife! All the planning and the craziness was over, and it was just us. We couldn't have wanted anything more. Some of our Phelps family friends, the Blateri's, have a condo in Naples and graciously let us use it for the week. It was beautiful! As luck would have it, it rained every day but one, but we had a couple of beach days and got to have a few adventures around the area.

One of the first things we did was book a deep sea fishing trip. This was definitely a "we are married now so I want to be a good wife and make you happy" gesture on my part. I was less than enthused but Parker was so excited about it, so off we went! Now, this trip was less than glamorous, but it was an experience! About 20 minutes in I got seasick and laid down the rest of the time to try to avoid getting sick in front of everyone. Parker was feeling sick too, but he fought through it and was able to catch a few fish! He even caught 2 fish on one hook at one point.

By the end of the trip, Parker had gotten sick and had to sit down. Funny thing was, we were the only ones on the boat that got sick. Everyone else was just fine. The newlyweds just couldn't hang. I cannot tell you how good it was to be back on land!

We ate at a lot of great restaurants, but I think dining at the Ritz Carlton takes the cake! It was delicious and by far the most expensive meal we have ever had. It's okay though because we were on vacation, right? The Ritz Carlton was right on the beach, so we had a beautiful, scenic walk to dinner as the sun began to set over the water.

We also took a day to visit the Naples Zoo, which was a blast! Hands down our favorite part was feeding the giraffe. I don't really know why, but it was the coolest thing ever. I was obsessed!

I had a tendency to call each animal by it's Disney equivalent, so we had fun seeing Pumba, Baghera, King Louie, Baloo, and Mufasa. We saw a couple of shows, including one with a sloth named Molly. All I can say is by the end of it, I was begging Parker for a pet sloth. They are adorable, sleep 22-24 hours a day, and go to the bathroom once every 7 days like clockwork. Talk about the most low-maintenance pet ever. We thought Jenny was easy, but this sloth made her look like a raging hyena. We were excited for a boat cruise to see the monkeys, but as luck would have it, it started thundering as soon as we left the dock, so we had to turn back. Love love loved the zoo though!

Other than the fishing trip and the zoo, our days were spent laying low on the beach or hanging out in the condo. It was a perfect week, and we came home excited and ready to tackle married life. Every day since has been an absolute gift from God!

It's All In The Details

I think the details in a wedding are what make the wedding your own. Every bride wears a dress, every groom has an interesting cake, and every bridesmaid wears a dress she normally would not have picked out herself. Little details like colors, songs, and toasts are what I get most excited about when I go to a wedding. Today I thought I'd share some of the special little details that were a part of our wedding.

Shoes- I wore white cowboy boots instead of the traditional heels. My dad picked them out for me to wear on my wedding day, and that made it really special for me. I know I will treasure these boots forever! (side note- although I loved them and wouldn't have changed them for the world, it sure was hot wearing those babies in the middle of the Texas summer!)

Bouquet- My bouquet was comprised of cream-colored roses, the Delta Gamma flower. I also had a single yellow rose placed in the bouquet. This was special to me because Parker handed me a single yellow rose when he proposed. You can read that story here. I also had my mother's handkerchief wrapped around the bouquet. I absolutely LOVED my bouquet!

Goblets- The goblets Parker and I used for the toasts are my Nana's. My mom, aunt, and sister all used them in their wedding as well. (side note- those things were really hard to drink from elegantly because they are so large, so it became project "don't spill all over your dress"... thankfully, I didn't!)

The Cakes: I was going for simple elegance with my cake, and I love the way it turned out! Parker originally wanted senior boots on the top of his cake to signify his four years in the Corps of Cadets at Texas A&M, but we couldn't find that anywhere. He ended up having chocolate covered strawberries and little chocolate medallions engraved with the Texas A&M University seal. We loved it! (side note- I learned that on your wedding day, you really don't get to eat your cakes. To say I was disappointed was an understatement, but hopefully everyone else enjoyed them!)

Dresses- My favorite color combination is navy and white (I guess I was meant to be a Navy wife), so I chose simple Navy dresses for my bridesmaids. They had pockets, which I am all about, and I loved the simple, elegant look. I was also going for something they could hopefully wear again, but let's be honest, do these things ever get worn again? I loved wearing my dress and never wanted to take it off! It's a shame you only get to wear it once.

Aggie Rings- Parker and I are both very proud to be Aggies, so we loved getting to wear our Aggie rings on our wedding day. Fun fact: Parker actually wore the Aggie ring of one of his groomsmen, Travis. He had lost his Aggie ring on a river trip with his buddies a couple of months before, and the replacement still had not come in. When Parker and I joined hands at the altar, I felt the ring and gave him a questioning look. He grinned and quietly told me it belonged to Travis. I smiled to myself because Parker is such a die-hard Aggie that he was going to wear that ring one way or another. Thanks Travis for letting him borrow yours!

Guest Book Table- We displayed a few engagement pictures and a small bridal shot at the entry table with the guestbook. A couple of days before the wedding, we were at Nana's house, and Mom came in with an old picture of me as a kid and asked if we could put it on the table. At that point I was so done making decisions, so I said of course. (Fun fact, we are 95% sure that is actually me in the childhood photograph. Nobody could tell for sure if it was me or Danielle, soooo we all took a vote and decided this one looked more like me. Twin problems.)

Unity Candle- Our unity candle was really special to us because it is the same unity candle that Parker's parents, aunts/uncles, and grandparents used. I loved that we got to use it and hope our children can one day use it as well.

Napkins- we ordered personalized napkins for the occasion with our names and wedding date. They were navy and white and I found them quite adorable. We probably still have 50 sitting in our kitchen, and I have no idea what to do with them. They are too pretty to use and I can't throw them away, so I am hoarding them away in a kitchen drawer.

Runway: My family friend Donna is one of the most artistic people you will ever meet. She is Nana's best friend and has been a fixture in my life since I was born. She was our florist and also provided so many ideas and a ton of artistic direction for our wedding. She and her daughter made me a monogrammed runway to walk down the aisle on. It was beautiful and I absolutely loved it!!

So there you have it: a few things that made our wedding ours! :)

Our Reception

The ceremony was over, and we were officially husband and wife. Time to celebrate!! Although our ceremony was so special and personally my favorite part of the day, the reception did not disappoint. By that time the pressure was completely off, so it was time to let loose and spend time with our favorite people. Parker and I entered the room as Mr. and Mrs. Parker Phelps, and then our pastor said a prayer for us.

We all sat down to eat. Actually, you really don't get to eat on your wedding day. Everyone else had a nice meal though.

The Dances

Parker and I danced our first dance to Then by Brad Paisley. This was a no-brainer for us. We had heard and sung this song throughout our relationship, and the lyrics were perfect. And I thought I loved you then. Simple. True. Us.

And then towards the end we got the giggles. Typical.

My Dad and I danced our Father/Daughter dance to My Little Girl by Tim McGraw. I asked my Dad to pick the song and he picked this one in about 5 minutes. I agreed, it was perfect. Poor Dad has to get creative because he has four daughters, and of course you can't reuse songs. My Dad and I joined hands on the dance floor, both looked at each other, realized we were about to cry, and looked away instantly trying to regain our composure. 

 

 My Dad told me he was going to do this ahead of time, but I still wasn't ready. Towards the end of the song, he grabbed Parker, shook his hand, and let us finish the dance together. Cue all the tears. I didn't cry during our first dance because it was pure happiness to me. I knew Parker and I got each other for the rest of our lives. There was something so emotional to me about my Dad handing me over to Parker as if to say "Take care of her. She's yours now." My Dad and I will always have a really special relationship, so this one was emotional for me. I cried in Parker's arms as we finished the dance.

Parker and his mom danced their Mother/Son dance to God Gave Me You by Dave Barnes. I have to say that I absolutely loved this song for them and thought it was so sweet to watch them together.

Leigh also took my hand and let Parker and I finish out their dance, symbolizing the same thing my Dad has done. This is it. It's you and me now. We have really awesome parents.

The Speeches

Okay, time to party! Everyone danced and talked and mingled, and Parker and I just soaked it all in. When will we have all the people we love in the same room again? I was loving it. It was time for the toasts, and I was ready to sit back and laugh. I had been Danielle's MOH two months before, and I can tell you that I totally stressed over that speech. I wanted it to be perfect and sweet and meaningful and something she would remember. Now the pressure was off and it was her turn to tell me how amazing I am. Kidding kidding, but I was so excited to hear what she had to say. I mean, we had been best friends since the womb. Erik, Parker's best man, was up first. These two were best friends in high school and I was excited for what he was going to say. The speeches are kind of a blur nearly 2 years later, but I know they were both really sweet!

Twins think they're so funny. Again, what she said is a blur, but I know it was sweet, I know it was funny, and I know she quoted an episode of Friends at the end. Ahhh, perfection. Parker and I toasted and didn't spill (score!). Drinking out of those babies was quite the task.

Cutting the Cake

Now it was time to cut the cake. Parker and I knew our maturity levels were too low to just sweetly feed it to each other, so this was going to be fun. First, we cut the cake together. 

Then, well I'll let the pictures tell the rest...

We did a married couples dance, and whoever was left at the end had been married the longest and gave us a little piece of advice. I had done the math before the wedding and already knew the winner. By three months, my grandparents (Nana and Grandaddy) won over Parker's grandparents (Nellie and Daddy Pete). Nana and Grandaddy are beyond special to me, so I was so excited to hear what they had to say. Grandaddy got choked up talking about marriage with Nana, which was the sweetest thing. I love them so much, and they have such a beautiful relationship.

We all danced some more, and then it was time for the Aggie War Hymn. Parker and I are Aggies through and through, so we were so excited to get together with all of the other Aggies and do the War Hymn. They started the music, we all whooped, and we all quickly formed a circle for our favorite little tradition. Love love love being an Aggie. Love it.

I know this post is getting ridiculously long, but I had to include these two pictures. These are all the wonderful Delta Gammas that came, and the bottom picture is one of my favorite pictures ever taken. These girls mean so much to me. 

Bouquet/Garter Toss

I love the bouquet toss. It's a fun little tradition to see who the next person is to get married. My sweet 10 yr. old cousin caught my bouquet, so I really hope the tradition doesn't stand true. I'd like to see her wait a little longer ;). The tradition did ring true for Parker! One of his groomsmen, Travis, caught the garter, and he married Michelle 6 months later. 

After a little more dancing, it was time to go! We had a great time and will treasure our reception forever, but I must say we were happy campers to be heading off to our honeymoon. Thanks for the memories everyone!

And they lived happily ever after...

If you made it through all that, you're a champ! :)