Kelly and I had the pleasure of attending the B-List Conference this year. While Kelly’s already blogged about our entire weekend (it was fabulous!) I wanted to blog additionally about our trip to Williams-Sonoma.
Williams-Sonoma invited all of the B-List bloggers to attend an overview of their registry as well as a cooking demonstration (quiche!). They also were enormously generous and sent each blogger a Le Creuset pan and an example set from their wine gift registry! (Pics below!)
What struck me most, however, about the event was that all of the speakers (the chef, the registry officials, the staff serving us food) spoke in completely gender-neutral language. They referred to “couples” almost exclusively (with some “registrants” and other inclusive terms thrown in). I was thrilled, and decided to interview Suki Mulberg, an Associate Manager for Williams-Sonoma’s Public Relations department, about their approach to registries.
“We provide our registrants with expert guidance whatever their big event is and can help you create a registry perfectly geared to your personal style of cooking, dining and entertaining,” says Suki. “It doesn’t matter if you are a beginner chef or a seasoned cook.” It doesn’t matter if you’re gay, either – “Wedding registry is for everyone and we welcome all kinds of couples to register with us” wrote Suki.
I asked Suki what Williams-Sonoma has done to be welcoming to and inclusive of all couples, particularly members of the LGBT community. She said, “When a couple registers with us it is a great compliment that they are sending their friends and close family into our stores to select items for their future together. We recognize this by welcoming all of our registrants with the same sense of hospitality that we have become so well-known for as a brand.”
Since outness is an important issue to many, I asked her about private registry events. Suki explained that they hold a “Store is Yours” event where couples can learn about products in a private event with staff. Also, “The couple can contact their local Williams-Sonoma store to make a private appointment and one of our associates will personally guide them through as they create their registry.”
I’m so thankful that a big store like Williams-Sonoma has really thought through their approach to couples registering and what language they use. I hope that this is helpful info to those of you getting ready to register – even if it’s not at Williams-Sonoma – to figure out what to look for and be aware of. If you have any additional questions or comments add them in the comment section below; I know Suki would be interested in answering them!
I used to work at Williams-Sonoma, and they really are pretty awesome. They are super LGBT positive, and they will do almost anything to make a customer comfortable. Really glad to see them interested in having a presence on SYE.