Purchasing from the registry...

Surrounded by dozens of other registry gift-seeking shoppers this afternoon at Macy's Herald Square, I couldn't help but laugh. We were all around the same age, wrapped in bubble coats to shield us from the crazy NY weather, and ranged from clueless--girl juggling a stack of George Foreman products up to her nose--to cynical--me, looking around for someone to put me out of my misery as I watched the 3 foot-long registry list print out of the computer.

Disregarding all the things on the list that seemed to be there for wedding gifts, as opposed to the shower, the event I was shopping for, did I want to buy...

-the matching chrome salt & pepper shakers?
Nah... too much pressure to write something corny in the card like, may you walk through life side by side, just like these condiment holders

-the classic cake plate?
A great choice, could be perfectly paired with a beautiful cake server and/or a cookbook, but it also happened to be the least expensive thing on the list and no way was I going to look like a cheapie in front of 15 other women and a tray of tea sandwiches

-the gravy boat that matches the rest of the china set perfectly?
Hey, bride. I'm so excited to be here celebrating the fact that you're getting married. So excited, in fact, that I bought you this...gravy boat?

No. None of these options would do. I spotted an employee walking around with another shopper, wisely guiding her to the selection of Le Creuset. He was smooth.

"How about this 5.5 quart dutch oven?" She hesitated. "Or you could go with this beautiful stoneware baking dish. You can use it for anything and it's even part of our semi-annual home sale." She was sold and I was in love. I walked over.

"Excuse me, can you tell me how to get up to--

"8th floor? Straight to the back and take a left for the express elevator."

He had me tagged for china or crystal, and he was right.

"But I'm not sure you want to go up there..."

Normally, he'd be right. To be surrounded by dozens and dozens of place settings, at prices that could feed villages in third-world countries? I could think of about eight zillion other ways to put my wallet to use. But today was different. I was on a mission. A mission to find a gift for people I care for, who had created a list of things they anticipated would help get their new life together off to a nice start. Things that resided on the 8th floor.

"Why wouldn't I want to go up there?"

"Because Beyonce is promoting her new fragrance, Heat, and it is a madhouse!"

Le Creuset girl looked at me, scared. "Maybe you should come back tomorrow."

I smiled at her. "I'm a native New Yorker, I think I can handle it."

And with the bravado of a Brooklynite, I headed upstairs.

When the elevator doors opened on 8, Beyonce's "Radio" took over and I could see that the entire floor was overrun by ropes to designate lines for all of the people waiting to meet Mrs. Jay Z. I walked past the first rope and as fate would have it, bumped right into a saleswoman.

"Excuse me, miss, I'm looking for a crystal vase that's on this registry," holding out the receipt-like list for her to see.

"Sure, dear, come with me."

And that was where the magic truly began. She walked me over to the selection of vases, picked out the one that I needed, checked it against the list, carried it over to the cash register, set me up with a woman who checked it off the official registry list, remarked that it was part of the semi-annual home sale, looked me over, and asked,

"Are you wearing anything red?"

I looked at her, puzzled, thought for a minute, and replied in a low voice,

"My bra is red."

Beyonce looked up from where she was signing autographs and winked at me.

Just kidding.

The saleswoman smiled. "Well, that counts. Macy's is sponsoring Go Red For Women, a movement of the American Heart Association. By wearing red today, you get an additional 20% off your purchase."

I lugged the 8-pound vase all the way back to Brooklyn. A good bridesmaid never passes up a sale.

Is it a fashion faux pas to look at shoes before you choose a dress?

http://www.stevemadden.com/item.aspx?id=49716&path=|womens shoes|womens dress|all dress|

The color scheme is lavender...

And the dress shopping date has been set. The retail location has yet to be announced, but a good bridesmaid does due diligence.

So I went to davidsbridal.com

Lilac/orchid/aubergine/lapis/magenta/wild orchid/wisteria/victorian lilac--which one of these colors will I be? Tune in to find out in early February...