Making a list Create a unique local gift registry to help wedding well-wishers By Joanna Bastian Wedding gifts are probably the most difficult items to shop for. Friends and family are looking for something useful and lasting for this new stage of your life, and it has to work for your partner too. It’s double the gift-hunting challenge! You can make life a little easier on your guests and yourself by creating a gift registry. Friends and relatives will be searching for the perfect wedding gift as soon as they hear the good news. So start registering for gifts soon after getting engaged and before sending out the announcements. There are many online national chains that offer gift registries, wrapping and shipping options. But you have decided to say your vows in the Methow Valley, a conscious decision to celebrate your relationship off the beaten track.
Forget the impersonal big box stores. Create a local gift registry that celebrates your ties to the Methow. Local merchants and artists will work with you to create a gift list that is easy for friends and family to access and shop from.
Create options
You’ll want to provide a wide selection of gifts for guests to choose. Some people will prefer to gift something practical, while others will enjoy shopping for home and garden décor, specialty food items and art. Do not limit yourself to traditional items like china and flatware. Select items that will make your life more enjoyable, be it barbecue supplies, camping equipment, or even photography lessons. You could even request gift cards for staples that will ease your finances the first year, such as gift cards to grocery and hardware stores.
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Photo by E.A. Weymuller
Pottery by Emily Post, shown here at the Mazama Store, is just one of the many local options newlyweds can specify in personalized gift registries. Most stores in the Methow Valley do not have gift registries per se, but a small sampling of store owners revealed that it is possible to work with the owner to create a list that they will keep on hand and update as items are bought. Local businesses and artists
can easily be contacted by out-oftown well-wishers if you provide a list of merchants and contact information. To create a local gift registry, visit your favorite shops and make a list of items that you would enjoy as gifts. The shopkeeper will make a copy and keep one at the store. You can then either email or post the list for friends and family. Guests can place their orders in person, over the phone or by email. Hank’s Harvest Foods and Glover Street Market in Twisp both offer gift cards and would be an excellent choice for making that first year a little easier financially. Both offer groceries and specialty food items, along with household basics. For coffee lovers, Lariat Coffee Roasters has an online store at www. lariatcoffee.com. Blue Star Coffee Roasters also has an online store and offers coffee subscriptions,
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