alternative gift registries

i figured that registering for my wedding would be a blast. we would get to pick out things that we loved, and people would buy them for us! what could be bad about that?

then i found myself standing in the middle of bloomingdales, registry pricing gun in hand, at a total loss. i had already breezed through the kitchen section, zapping mixers and saute pans and knives with abandon. and now there didn't seem to be one other thing in the store that i would actually want in my home.

what i wanted was vintage things! handmade things! things with personality! things, in short, that would never find their way into bloomingdales. and there was no way to register for those things.

but now, there is a way. a whole bunch of ways, in fact.

alternaive gift registry networks are now all over the web. they allow you to register for virtually any item sold on line. so now you're not limited to big department stores or housewares shops that have their own registries. you can register just as easily on sites that sell more unique, handcrafted goods—like etsy!

below is a list of some of these registry networks. the features vary, as do the philosophies behind them—some are from a more eco-conscious, anti-corporate stance, some just want people to be able to get presents that they actually want. :) some function more as wishlists (like the popular amazon function), and some function more like traditional registries, so keep that in mind if you think some of your guests might be less than computer savvy. i've put an * next to those that are more like wishlists than traditional registries.

felicite
the alternative gift registry
myregistry
thethingsiwant
wishpot*
wists*
kaboodle*

- cakehouse