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"   If your Valentine&amp;#039;s Day gift was a diamond engagement ring, you have a lot of planning ahead of you. And most likely one of the action points on your to-do list is registering for wedding gifts. Think of your registry as one big valuable gift, not to be squandered. Before you hit the stores with a scanner in hand, you and your fianc\u00E9e should ask yourself some of the hard questions I pose below about your present and future lifestyles and answer realistically. Before you get going, also be sure to do some research on what the experts like the product analysts at the Good Housekeeping Research Institute (GHRI) recommend.  How do you entertain? Do you have a large extended family that gets together at the holidays for formal meals?  You don&amp;#039;t have to pick out silver-trimmed dinnerware (that&amp;#039;s not microwavable) if you never have and are unlikely to ever throw formal dinner parties. Opt for more casual sets that can make your table look special but not intimidating. If you&amp;#039;re serious foodies, nothing makes food pop like all-white plates. These days you don&amp;#039;t have to register for a complete set of one pattern..mixing and matching is in! Even the big brands like Wedgwood, Lenox, and Villleroy &amp;amp;amp; Boch offer nontraditional patterns. Even if you do opt for conventional formal dishes, it&amp;#039;s perfectly all right to pair them with stainless steel flatware. Silver pieces require a lot of maintenance..plus they&amp;#039;re super expensive and may be out of the price range of most of your friends and family. Consider registering for Riedel O stemless wineglasses instead of stemware. They&amp;#039;re less likely to break and communicate comfort to your guests. What kind of cook are you and just as importantly, what&amp;#039;s your tolerance for cleaning and caring?  Nothing is as beautiful or high performing as a gleaming set of All-Clad stainless steel cookware and I&amp;#039;ve always recommended it to brides. But, if you&amp;#039;re a serious cook, and aren&amp;#039;t shy about using high heat and fat for browning, you&amp;#039;ll find these pans can be a bear to clean. Other high-quality, professional-looking brands to consider are Calphalon Unison, Anolon, and Circulon. With their dark surfaces and nonstick finishes, they require a lot less upkeep. The best knives are fully forged but they&amp;#039;re only useful if you keep them sharp. If there&amp;#039;s no way you&amp;#039;re ever going to hone your cutlery, look for a serrated never-needs-sharpening set. I know this goes against traditional advice but really a dull knife is the worst knife regardless of the brand. Committed to care? Consider Wusthof and Henckels and register for the basics: cook&amp;#039;s, utility, and bread knives and a carver. Not only does the 10-piece set include lots of specialty pieces you&amp;#039;ll probably never use, it ups the price of the gift so that it&amp;#039;s likely to be beyond what most of your gifters will be able to spend. What do you eat and drink for breakfast? Are you a baker? And get real, will you ever be? The simple act of owning appliances won&amp;#039;t mean you&amp;#039;ll eat better in the morning or become a baker. Most likely you&amp;#039;ll want a coffeemaker and a toaster but are you really going to bake waffles or juice carrots? If you have no interest in baking, don&amp;#039;t put a pricey stand mixer on your list..opt for a hand mixer for the occasional batch of cookies or cake from a mix. On the other hand, if you do bake, add a KitchenAid Artisan Series Stand Mixer to your registry right now. If you absolutely don&amp;#039;t need housewares, be sure to see Amy Roberts blog on alternative wedding registries. Want to learn how we put consumer products to the test and keep you safe? Sign up for a tour of the famous Good Housekeeping Research Institute. If you visit, be sure to say hello when you come by the Kitchen Appliances &amp;amp;amp; Technology Lab. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/institute/a23997/tips-for-a-wedding-registry/>