One of my readers asked me to share my top 10 favorite wedding gifts. I took a walk around our two-bedroom rental home and snapped some pictures of the items we use most often. Here they are! I would love to hear your favorite wedding gifts (or your favorite household items in general).
1. My Dresser
Definitely my favorite gift, as it comes from Mr. Handsome. He refinished it a couple weeks before our wedding and gave it to me as a surprise.
2. Cuisinart Stainless Steel Ice Cream Maker
I don’t think this one needs an explanation. It’s super easy to use and makes delicious ice cream in 30-40 minutes. We make the same flavor every time (dark chocolate) but someday I hope to get creative. Mr. Handsome absolutely loves ice cream, so this is his favorite wedding gift.
3. Noritake Colorwave Rim Place Settings (Color: Ice)
When I went to Bed Bath and Beyond to register, the lady behind the counter convinced me to
request these plates. “They can go in the microwave, dishwasher, freezer, and oven,” she explained. “That means you can leave your husband home alone, and he won’t ruin your plates!” I found that comment slightly offensive, but after looking at all the other place settings they had to offer, I decided to go with her recommendation.
4. Ceramic Pots and Pans
These things are great, mostly because they’re easy to wash and don’t give you Teflon poisoning. LOL. I have three pans and three pots of various brands, but my favorites are Zwilling and
GreenLife.
5. Ramekins
I always thought that ramekins were useless, but boy was I wrong. I have eight (four from Noritake and four from Corningware) and I use them every single day.
6. KitchenAid Toaster Oven
Growing up, my family did not own a regular toaster. We did all our toasting, and some baking/cooking, in our toaster oven. (Ours was big enough to fit an entire pizza.) When I told Mr. Handsome this, he thought it was crazy. But during our first year of marriage, he began to see the light (haha) and has come to enjoy our toaster oven. He especially likes it for reheating homemade pizza. On the flipside, we also registered for a regular toaster, and I have come to realize how useful that can be for toasting bread.
7. Pyrex and Corningware Containers
Perfect for storing leftovers and a great way to avoid using tons of plastic Ziploc bags.
8. Mason Jars
Some of these are wedding gifts, and some are not, but they are all equally as wonderful. I use them to store white (non-bleached) flour, whole wheat flour, brown sugar, white sugar, pasta, cornmeal, popcorn seeds, and rice. Not only are they practical, but they also make for excellent decorations.
9. Cuisinart 5-in-1 Griddler
This is Mr. Handsome’s second favorite wedding gift. I think that’s because he associates it with bacon and eggs, one of his favorite meals. I usually prefer using my ceramic pans because they are easier to clean, but this griddler does come in handy sometimes.
10. Picnic Time Picnic Basket
I didn’t register for this, but I was thrilled to receive it. It has everything you could possibly need (and then some) for a picnic for two. We’ve only used it once, but it sure is cute.
After our wedding in late June, we spent a glorious six-day honeymoon on Grand Cayman. While Grand Cayman is the largest of the three Cayman Islands, it is only 76 square miles (196 square km), and much of the land is not built up. But for us, the size was perfect because when we left after six days, we felt like we had seen all the main attractions.The highlights of our trip were swimming with wild stingrays at Stingray City and holding baby turtles at the Cayman Turtle Farm. We rented a car because it was the cheapest way to travel around the island. It took Mr. Handsome less than fifteen minutes to master the art of driving on the left side of the road (or as North Americans call it, the “wrong” side of the road).
