Photo: Getty Images
Getting married this year? Congratulations! Now know this: You’ve been going about your gift registry all wrong. Trust us, the last thing your future needs is a home cluttered with items that you thiiiiiink you’ll get around to using at some point. Like a juicer. You’ll use it once and then — never again. We’ve enlisted the help of the wedding experts at the registry site Zola to zone in on the items you really don’t need (unless you already use a monogrammed Belgian waffle maker regularly) and suggest a few purchases that you could use instead.
Photo: Courtesy of Vitamix
What Your Yoga Teacher Thinks You Need: A Juicer
What You Actually Need: A Vitamix
Guess what? You can make juice in a high-powered blender like this one. Boom. Plus, it’s dishwasher safe.
Photo: Courtesy of KitchenAid
What Your Great Aunt Edith Thinks You Need: KitchenAid Stand Mixer
What You Actually Need: KitchenAid Hand Mixer
To be clear, we fully encourage going for it and registering for the super pricey (but unquestionably covetable) stand mixer if you have the countertop space to display it in all its glory. But if your kitchen can’t spare an inch of space, go for the hand mixer instead. “If you know a stand mixer is just going to gather dust, register for a hand mixer — it’s as sufficient for most baking tasks,” Jennifer Spector, Zola’s Newlywed-At-Large.
Photo: Courtesy of Williams-Sonoma
What Your College Roommate Thinks You Need: A Panini Press
What You Actually Need: Lodge Logic Cast-Iron Grill Pan + Lodge Cast-Iron Mini Skillet
Pros: A panini press creates warm, crispy, gooey sandwiches on demand. Cons: It’s huge. Instead, satisfy all of your grilled cheese cravings by DIY-ing your own with two cast-iron pans (grill + mini) you can use for countless other recipes, too.
See More: 6 Kitchen Tools Your Wedding Registry Doesn’t Need
Photo: Courtesy of Amazon
What Your Out-of-Town Cousins Think You Need: A Waffle Maker
What You Actually Need: A Toaster Over
Your dorm days are over — so are your unlimited waffle breakfasts. Instead, buy frozen waffles and chill. “Toaster ovens these days are smart [ovens],” says Spector, who notes that the Breville toaster one she chose for her own wedding registry has a convection feature, a backlit screen, and automatic smart heating function that enables food to cook more evenly.
Photo: Courtesy of All-Clad
What Your Bitter Friend Thinks You Need: A Meat Tenderizer
What You Actually Need: A Decent Stainless Steel Pan Set
Just use a heavy pan, instead, ok? All-Clad and Cuisinart make durable sets that you’ll use all the time.
See More: 9 Wines That Get Better with Age and Make the Perfect Wedding Gift
Photo: Courtesy of Barneys
What Your Frat Brothers Think You Need: Specialty Ice Molds
What You Actually Need: An Elegant Ice Bucket
Unless your motto is “Always Be Mixing,” leave the spherical ice to the pros and register for a sturdy, stylish ice bucket. This shatter-resistant resin design by Tina Frey is so sophisticated you’ll forget you that you used to use a garbage can for the same purpose.
See More: Wedding Desserts That’ll Make You Leave the Dance Floor