Meet Registry Couple Thomas & Gerardo
Get to know our registry couples and what Haand products mean to them.
Thomas is a North Carolina native who relocated to the DC region in 2015 and has been working for a bank. Gerardo, originally from Venezuela, immigrated to the U.S. in the late 1990’s and works for a health care provider in the DC region. Thomas is passionate about cooking and hosting gatherings with Gerardo, friends, and family. We enjoy exploring DC together - including running around the National Mall, visiting a Smithsonian Museum, or going out for dinner and drinks with friends.
Relationship Background
We have been together for five years - as of September 2022. Gerardo and Thomas met at a Memorial Day brunch in 2017 that Thomas hosted at his home. One of Thomas’s friend asked if he could bring a couple other friends with them - one of them being Gerardo. A couple months later Thomas and Gerardo reconnected over Labor Day weekend by going on a hike nearby. From that point on we continued to date and spend time with one another. Four years to the date that we met at Thomas’s brunch, Gerardo proposed to Thomas with his family present.
Why Haand?
Thomas’s mom, Marie Wood, was an interior designer based in the Greensboro area. She learned about Haand and had gifted a couple pieces to Thomas and Gerardo over the years. We loved how unique each of the pieces from Haand were. With her passing in August 2021 - we tried to think about ways to integrate her touch with our wedding. Registering to Haand was a no brained for us as she introduced us to this brand and having more pieces from Haand will help keep her spirit alive and continue to remind us of her.
Gifts You Like to Give for a Wedding
While many in our friends like to gift money or honeymoon funds - we prefer to buy gifts from the couple’s registry that they’ll continue to enjoy throughout their marriage. We definitely do not go rogue and purchase items not on their list - so if the couple’s registry is complete or they do not have one, we would then gift money.
Favorite Gift We Received for Our Wedding
We were registered at a couple different places for our wedding, but our gifts from Haand were our absolute favorites. I think some of our favorite pieces we receive from our Haand registry were the Small Driftwood Vase in Concrete (see attached) and the 3 Piece Ripple Dinner Setting in Matte White (attached as well). It was so fun opening up our different gifts from Haand as we received them and Gerardo was pleasantly surprised with the quality of all the different pieces we received from our family and friends.
Using Haand Gifted Items
We use our Haand gifted items in a number of different ways. Of course there is the conventional use with our dinner setting and bowls - it has become our primary plate ware for our day to day use. However, we use some of the other pieces as decor around the house for example the 3 Piece Serving Platter Set, Olive Tray, Vase, Sharing Bowl, and such.
What do Haand gifts mean to you as a couple
Mentioned previously, but these gifts remind us a lot of Thomas’s mom. She was such a creative and unique individual and these fun pieces serve as a great reminder of her. We are really appreciative to our family and friends that chose to gift us items from our Haand registry as these have become some of our favorite additions to our house.