my Atlanta shower

After a fun-filled Saturday of dress shopping, we topped off the weekend with brunch/my shower on Sunday morning. I picked murphy's in the Virginia Highlands area of Atlanta at the suggestion of a co-worker. I'm pretty sure that we all agreed that the food was delicious.

I really enjoyed how casual and intimate this shower was and, as you can see, my friends were extremely generous (thanks again ladies!). It was great to be able to chat and catch up with everyone, especially since most of them live 8+ hours away. It was also a great precursor to the two other showers I'll be having - one in Pennsylvania (my hometown) and one in North Carolina (the future mister's hometown).

What was your shower like? Did you/will you have more than one, like me?

who knew that registering for china could be this easy?

This weekend was a major success. We registered for our fine china and stemware. And it took us less than an hour! And there were no disagreements!

First, we started the morning off with a big breakfast (we tend to bicker more when we're hungry - has anyone else experienced this??). Then we left early so that we would get there right after the store opened. We decided to drive into the city to go to the Macy's there, since our local one doesn't have a very large selection. Wise decision. They had a bridal registry section located behind the fine china. They checked us in, printed off our list, gave us the scanner and showed us the long tables which we could use to "set our table". They had placemats, napkins, napkin rings, and we could take anything off the shelves that we wanted to. Dare I say that it was actually FUN?!

We walked around and chose three designs that we liked. Once we got them on the table, two were almost immediately eliminated. So once that was decided we got our flatware, which I had already selected online and it actually matched. Stemware took us a little longer. The future mister liked one set and I kind of liked another. A consultant came over, took a look at our choices, waved her imaginary wand and selected something off the shelf that magically combined the two looks we both liked. Easy peasy - we were done.

Want to see what we picked?

China: Monique Lhuillier for Royal Doulton "Dentelle"
Flatware: Reed & Barton "Country French"
Stemware: Vera Wang Stemware "Duchesse Platinum"

The china pattern has a lovely silver/gray scalloped edge detail. Delicate and classic, yet very versatile since silver goes with every color. We love it!

Did you register for china? What was your experience like?

showers

I have some friends who are in the midst of planning showers or attending them. I've never actually been to one, so before I started reading wedding blogs, I was totally clueless. I had no idea that it was common to have a themed bridal shower! So after spending months on the blogosphere, here are some of my favorite "themes":

Tea Party

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I love tea houses because they seem so vintage. Not to mention the cute hats and delicious finger foods (anyone else like cucumber sandwiches??). But I don't actually like tea. Not hot, not iced, not sweet. Except for maybe Snapple Peach Iced Tea.

Around the Clock

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This seems like such fun! And a great way to include all the guests.

Stock the Bar

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One of my friends is having a stock the bar shower. Her husband-to-be works at a liquor store as the wine buyer and she used to work as a bartender. So appropriate!

Wine and Cheese

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Yum! I studied abroad in Italy for a semester, which is where I really learned how to enjoy wine. And in my opinion, nothing goes better with a glass of pinot noir than a slice of aged Parmesan. I'm making myself hungry.

Lingerie/Naughty and Nice

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This one's probably more appropriate for just friends or the bachelorette party.

And my absolute favorite - Recipes!

(I LOVE these - especially the recipe box!! - all from Rifle Paper Co.)

(This is pretty cool too - a customizable cookbook. Add your own recipes, personal photos, etc. - TasteBook)

I really enjoy cooking and trying new recipes. And I think it is such a great idea for a bride-to-be to receive favorite recipes from friends and family. It makes cooking so much more personal!

So tell me - what are your favorite shower ideas? Or what did you do for your shower?

spring break & wedding registries

TGIF! It's been spring break all week and since I work at a university, no students=no work. Although it has been an enjoyable reprieve, having no work makes for a very loooong week. So needless to say, I am ready for the weekend!

Anywho, since I didn't want to be completely unproductive with my time this week, I started our wedding registry. Initially, I was planning on waiting until the future mister was out of school for the summer so we could go to the store and look at everything. But then I got some great words of advice from my FSIL. She said to do most of the registry online first. Then, make a list of the items we want to see in person and take that list to the store. We'll be more prepared that way and spend less time. And since guys typically have short(er) attention spans, it will be less painful for the future mister as well. Definitely good to know, since I want to try and make this as easy (and as fun!) for us as I possibly can. So, earlier this week, I set up registries at the following stores:

www.macys.com

www.potterybarn.com

So far it's been pretty overwhelming. All those checklists make my head spin. But I'm slowly working my way through everything. I'm considering also setting up a registry at either Lowe's or Home Depot. Do you think this would be a good idea/worth it?

Where are you registering? Please feel free to share any thoughts/tips you have.