One of the more frustrating things about registry checklists is that they can be super presumptive about what married life looks like (goodbye adventure, hello home-cooked dinners). Which is why I’m a big fan of flexible registries like Zola Registry. With a sizeable internal inventory, the flexibility to add registry items from any online retailer (plus experiences and honeymoon fund options), Zola lets you create a registry that’s reflective of your actual life together with your partner, not some marketer’s prescription for marriage. If you’re going to go to the trouble of creating a registry, and if your guests are going to go to the trouble (and cost) of buying you things off of said registry, you might as well like the stuff you’re registering for. (Case in point: When Michael and I got married, we didn’t have the option to put together a non-traditional registry. But we did put the word out that we wanted camping gear, and now every time we go for a camping weekend, we think fondly of the wedding guests who helped make it happen.)
Instead of just creating registry checklists (though they do have a few of those), Zola has what they call “starter collections,” which are groupings of registry items by idea or activity, as they might exist in your real life, from outdoorsy adventure, to entertaining, to baking, and on and on. My favorite is the “Build Your Bar” starter collection. Because while Michael and I might not be great cooks (working on that), it’s an important part of our weekend to sit down with a good beer (him) and a cocktail (me) and unwind. For us, it’s less about the drink itself (I almost always fall asleep before I can finish), and more about our rituals together. And ultimately, that’s really what a registry is about: facilitating the rituals that will make up the future your life together. So inspired by Zola’s “Build Your Bar” starter collection, today I’ve rounded up my own home bar essentials that I would register for today if I were getting married. (P.S. If you’re on the gift-giving side of the equation, you can never go wrong with a bottle of something. It’s affordable and appreciated.)
Tribecca Home Myra Rustic Mobile Kitchen Bar Serving Wine Cart
1. THE BAR CART: We’ve always been hard up on cabinet space, so most of our drinkware and booze selection does double duty as decor in our house. Bonus: this bar cart has a removable tray that you can use when you’re entertaining. And since Zola makes group gifting super easy, your friends can all go in on it together (because let’s be real; it benefits them as much as it benefits you.)
1. Bar Special Saucer Champagne Glass Set 2. La Cite Highball Glass Set 3. Jonathan Adler Pop Rocks Glass 4. Fitz & Floyd Daphne Goblet Set 5. Gold Luster Stemless Glass Set 6. Optimist/Pessimist Glass Set 7. Ultima Thule Double Old Fashioned Glass Set
2. DRINKWARE: Because I listened to all the registry checklists, I assumed you had to have every kind of drinkware under the sun, even if you never touch red wine, or have no plans to drink beer out of anything other than a mason jar (which is why we now drink smoothies out of tulip glasses, lest they go unused). So don’t feel pressured to register for wine glasses if you’re never going to drink out of them. There are a plenty of pint glasses and Old Fashioned glasses that can do double duty and would make great everyday drinking glasses. (This highball set would be the fanciest everyday glasses. So clearly I need them.)
1. Shiraleah Xaviar Cocktail Shaker 2. Godinger Airplane Cocktail Shaker 3. W&P Design Mason Shaker Cocktail Set 4. Schott Zwiesel Basic Bar Boston Shaker 5. Yours, Mine & Ours Cocktail Shaker Set
3. A COOL SHAKER: Since Zola lets you add gifts from anywhere, I searched high and low to find cool cocktail shakers that didn’t remind me of the ones I used in college. While a more professional technique probably involves this Boston shaker, I am all kinds of into having a gold cocktail shaker, because bling. (Though this airplane-shaped one might be the most absurdly amazing thing I’ve ever seen. I’m trying to figure out which Mad Men character would own it. Roger? Harry when he had those sideburns?)
1. La Cite Pitcher 2. Gold Upcycled Pitcher 3. Etched Globe Whiskey Decanter & Glass Set 4. Jonathan Adler Pop Decanter 5. Soho 6-piece Bar Set 6. Gold Luster Decanter
4. SOMETHING TO PUT IT IN: You can find lots of information online about how to properly stock your bar (if you’re entertaining, then some combination of beer, wine, whisky, bourbon, brandy, gin, rum, scotch, tequila, vodka, vermouth, liqueurs, plus mixers and bitters). But ultimately, it comes down to what you and your partner like to drink. I’m not embarrassed to admit that my fanciest decanter is where I house the Kahlua. 
1. Oversized Truncated Whisky Stone Set 2. The Curious Bartender 3. Pentahedron Coaster Set with Trivet 4. Aztec Tribal Coasters 5. Stag Bar Tool Set 6. Private Mixology Class for Two 7. GoHome Tray with Curve Horned Handles
5. THE RIGHT TOOLS AND ACCESSORIES: Building your home bar is a process. Don’t try to do it all at once. You’ll end up like me, with twenty different bottles of booze you never drink because… what are you supposed to do with vanilla cake flavored vodka? If you and your partner are looking to up your mixology game, Zola lets you add experience gifts to your registry (like this mixology course). Or you can always self-teach with one of the many books available on the art of cocktail making. Best homework ever, is what I’m saying.
ABOUT ZOLA
If you’re not yet familiar with Zola Registry, you can read more about them here. But the concept is simple: they like to keep things flexible. So you can browse items from their two hundred different brands like a regular registry (except in addition to housewares, Zola offers experiences and cash registries and honeymoon funds all rolled it one), or install a button in your toolbar (kind of like the Pin It button) and you can add items from anywhere online. (You can also scan items you find in stores when you download the iPhone app.)
If you’re adding items from an external source, Zola aims to keep that pretty simple. With each external item you add, you can choose to have your guest purchase the item off the external site or you can decide to get the value of that gift in cash and purchase it later yourself. (With the latter option, there’s a small 2.7% processing fee, which simply covers the processing costs that Zola incurs themselves; no extra fees added. More about that here.) And if you (or your guests) ever need support, Zola’s customer concierge team is available during business hours any day of the week, and they will gladly walk your guests through their options, and even help them place an order.
So if you’re thinking you want to create a wedding registry, but the traditional offerings just aren’t doing it for you, then check out Zola today. I went ahead and made my own Zola registry for this post (that’s it in the photo above), so if you want more awesome bar essentials, or if you just want to see how a Zola registry works in real life, click right here.
AS AN ADDED BONUS, ZOLA IS OFFERING APW READERS $25 TO SPEND WHEN YOU SET UP YOUR REGISTRY AT ZOLA (credit will be applied four weeks after your registry is set up.) SO GO EXPLORE EVERYTHING ZOLA HAS TO OFFER AND THEN CREATE YOUR REGISTRY TODAY.
This post was sponsored by Zola. With Zola, you can create a modern, universal registry that’s reflective of your values and interests. Add items from anywhere online (or any retailer with their iPhone app), or choose from one of the many experience gifts that Zola offers. Thanks Zola for helping make the APW mission possible!
Editor’s Note: At this time, Zola registry is only available in the United States. Though they gladly accept international credit cards for the convenience of your out-of-town guests.
