Do you ever start out with a big idea that you’re super excited about, and then halfway through realize you might be both brilliant and crazy at the same time? (Of course you do, you’re planning a wedding.) Well, when we decided to pitch all of our favorite ideas to Crate and Barrel for our private registry event this month, we weren’t expecting that they’d say yes to all of them. So when they told us we could not only give you guys free aura photography, delicious food, bougie cotton candy, and that we could install a giant version of our cloud DIY so that you could feel like you were floating through the clouds while registering for serveware, Meg and I were basically like this.
But then we were like, oh shoot, we actually have to figure out how to do all that. Namely, how do you take this project, scale it to the size of a small automobile, and then delicately suspend it over very, very, very nice stemware? The answer involved about a hundred pounds of cotton batting and almost three thousand zip ties. NBD. We also brought in the expertise of Baltimore-based event designer Jess of Sentimental Fools to make sure it all looked 💯. Then, we got up at 4 a.m., rounded up Meg’s ex-theatre-set-building husband to help Jess with the practicalities, and lifted fifty-pound clouds on fishing wire up several stories. Shout out to the San Francisco Crate and Barrel team for taking pity upon us when they realized we’d forgotten gloves, and for generally being the best human beings on the planet.
And y’all, if I may be so bold, if I thought registering was going to be anything like this when I was getting married, I would have registered a dozen times. So, in case you couldn’t be there this time, here are some highlights from our event:
Folks, let this installation be proof of concept that you can do any crazy decor idea you put your mind to, if you have the right team, and if you wake up early enough. (Pro-tip, though: fishing wire will cut your hands if you try to lift forty or fifty pounds with it, so do bring gloves, always.)
We didn’t want this event to make you feel like you had to register for anything specific, so instead, we created a fun scavenger hunt for couples to find items around the store that inspired them, or reminded them of a favorite family member, or that they might want to create a new tradition around.
And then of course we all got our aura photos taken, which I’ve been waiting pretty much my whole life for. Each staff member had a wildly different aura read—Meg and Chelsea both sported fiery red auras (with just a hint of yellow), our newest staff member Talisha had a beautiful bright yellow aura, and yours truly walked away with a rainbow colored aura, surprising no one. Meg and David were also able to sneak into the aura booth for a couples’ photo (theirs came up lavender, which is apparently quite rare, and the aura readers said they were “healing and nurturing” as a combo). This happened just moments before their wedding song started playing over store loudspeakers. AND YOU SAY MAGIC ISN’T REAL.
Huge thanks to Crate and Barrel for letting us bring all of our crazy ideas to life for this event. And to each and every one of you who gave up watching the World Cup finals to come hang out with us on a Sunday morning. It’s never not the best when we get to party with you in person.
Update: Voting for our giveaway is now closed. Congratulations to Amy Brooks for winning the $200 gift card to Crate and Barrel!
And Now Your Chance to vote and Win $200 to Crate and Barrel
So remember how I said this month was crazy? Well, in the midst of planning our Crate and Barrel registry event, we also picked the winners of our Crate and Barrel registry giveaway. And y’all, sometimes all that’s needed to bring you back down to earth in the midst of a busy season is to make a new friend and get the chance to do something nice for them. To recap: we are giving away a huge $2,500 registry prize to one lucky APW couple. But there’s a catch—we get to pick out the items, and you have the final vote. And if you vote, you automatically get entered in for a chance to win a $200 gift card to Crate and Barrel just for playing. Huzzah!
Because the universe works in funny ways, it turns out this giveaway could not have come at a better time for our winners. So fingers crossed we did right by them. I mean, I personally want everything below, so I certainly hope so. If you want to read more about Jessi and Steve and the registries we picked for them, head over here. And if you just want to exercise your good taste and enter to win a $200 gift card to Crate and Barrel, then scroll down to pick your favorite and vote!
The Bar Edit vs. The entertaining edit
The Bar Edit: When I interviewed Jessi and Steve, they mentioned that they really want a bar cart. So our “Bar Edit” is all about the nightcap. Or daycap. What have you. We’ve included a beautiful antique brass bar cart and a whole bunch of accessories to accommodate all of their bartending wants and needs (including this super fun cocktail smoker). Other highlights include one of my favorite dinnerware sets, these fun berry boxes that you might recognize from a past APW post, and fancy drinkware that’s dishwasher safe FTW.
The Entertaining Edit: Jessi and Steve love to cook for each other, and they throw a huge friendsgiving every year for the group of friends Steve has known since childhood. So the “Entertaining Edit” is filled with pieces that can take you from weeknight dinner to full-on feast. We included lots of multi-purpose serveware (how great are these oven-to-table serving bowls?). And I am obsessed with this gold rim dinnerware set. We also threw in one of our favorite inexpensive crowd pleasers, the ice mold wine bottle chiller. You fill it with anything you want (flowers, herbs, glitter if you work for APW) then add water and freeze and voila—you have a beautiful decor piece that keeps your wine cold. It’s the gift that keeps on giving.
So now it’s your turn. Use the widget below to vote on your favorite registry and you’ll automatically be entered for a chance to win a $200 gift card to Crate and Barrel.*
So with that, the whole team is in head-down mode to get ready for The Compact summer camp, which launches in two weeks. And now, it’s your happy hour, so get to it.
Cheers,
Maddie
This post was sponsored by Crate and Barrel. Crate and Barrel is joining us this summer in making registering a little more fun. With Crate and Barrel, you not only get stylish on-trend housewares alongside your keep-forever pieces, but you also get like-price guarantee, free shipping, and exclusive pieces from Crate and Barrel’s artists and designers. Click here to learn more or sign up for a live Crate and Barrel registry event near you. We just co-hosted one in the San Francisco store, and it was super fun. You get to register privately with just a handful of other couples while the store team answers any questions you throw at them, plus there are swag bags and door prizes, all just for showing up! Find one near you.
*Ends Sunday, August 5, 2018, at 11:59PM PDT
