S and FDIL did register at a few places since our family, at least, likes to know what they want. But honestly, they picked the dumbest things – several different patterns of expnsive china, a bunch of huge serving dishes, a super expensive duvet cover? I just shook my head, God bless 'em, they are in the world’s tiniest apartment with a pocket size kitchen. In the end it won’t matter, and they have lived together quite a while so all the essentials are already owned.
If they have all of the basics it makes perfect sense to me to register for the niceties of life, such as nice china! The only thing I registered for was sterling flatware, and that was at a place in NJ that did a big discount mail order business. They used to advertise in the Times, but I can’t remember the name.
Regarding multiple patterns, I had multiple patterns of dinner plates before I got married, with salad plates and serving pieces that would be used with all of them. And I’ve acquired more since then. 
What I would do is buy a bunch of “place settings” with pieces you will rarely, if ever, use. Better to get 12 dinner plates and maybe salad/dessert plates, to start off with, and build from there.
I think if I were getting married now and had what I had then, I would still register for the silver, but add some nice cookware to augment my motley collection which ranges from very good to a pot taken off a curbside pile in Brooklyn Heights. 
If I were going to register for china, it would probably be at Replacements, Ltd, because they are about the only place that has more than a few boring patterns.
@Consolation - psst… there is china on RealReal…
@Consolation or my charity thrift shop ?
I have 3 sets of china. And 2 sets of crystal. No one wants it. I had 2 sets of silver, but DIL#1 did take one set. The other is still here, for DIL#2, if she wants it. No one wants the china (Royal Doulton, Rosenthal and Royal Worcester) or the Crystal (Baccarat and Waterford)… sigh…
We sold a gorgeous service for 12 of a very nice plain white Rosenthal China…no metal trim…for…$100 including serving pieces.
@jym626 I’ll trade you my Orrefors for your Waterford. I don’t like the danish modern look…I prefer cut…and if I had known that no one was listening when we said NO crystal…I would,have chosen a Waterford cut crystal.
DSD getting married New Year’s Eve in Tennessee - nowhere near us. Which is probably good
One thing under early consideration is a Waffle House food truck - yes, they’ve just started catering. I think it’s a pretty cool idea. Was wondering if anyone has heard any more about this…probably too early, though, now that I think about it.
I love my Orrefors!
I love my Orrefors too. My pattern is Prelude which I registered for when we were married 29 years ago. I also registered for china. That pattern is Wedgewood Runnymeade which I can now only get off Replacements if something breaks. I still love our china and crystal to this day so I think H and I chose wisely.
I have the same pattern. ?
@thumper1 - might take you up on the orrefors/waterford trade… if I ever used crystal!!!
Anyone interested in Royal Doulton Winchester pattern, or Royal Worcester Embassy pattern? The Rosenthal has initials on it (my grandmother’s) - AWL (The L is the big centered letter, A on the left, W on the right)
@Consolation, was that store Fortunoff’s?
@Gatormama , sounds like fun! I am in favor of having whatever the couple wants. It’s their day, and they should do it their way. (Assuming, of course, that they do it within whatever budget is set for them if they aren’t paying for it themselves.)
My D had always leaned toward “hip” receptions … brick-walled, spartan, industrial look. She took her fiance to see a venue she liked, and he said no way. He grew up in a war zone, and I guess that the “Derelicte” (for you Zoolander fans) look doesn’t conjure up the same happy feelings for him as it does for D. They visited a few more venues that neither liked, then voila … they walked into a place, looked at each other, and said, “This is it!” The reception was like something from a fairy tale, and it was a trip to see how thrilled my D was with a reception that she had never envisioned. It was everything she never knew she wanted, but she and her fiance had to find it for themselves & want it themselves.
Starting to get real for D’s summer wedding in Italy. In the last couple weeks we have booked an apartment for our family, paid a deposit for catering, and bought airline tickets. $-$$-$$$. Real. Expensive. Ugh. Kinda glad we’re paying some of this now so it will be a little less painful later.
@atomom a colleague in DC spent big bucks on the daughter’s wedding locally. Last year the son was married in Italy. He couldn’t believe how much less expensive the destination wedding was. YMMV.
Excited to report that D and FSIL will be coming back in a couple of weeks for planning for the January 2020 big day. On this next visit FSIL’s parents are flying in too.
Goals for the 4-day visit:
Visit hotel where reception will be held (contract has been signed)
Two florist appointments.
Invitations: choose between Minted, Shine, PaperSource, and a local vendor
Dress: appointments at 2-3 stores, including Nordstrom
Bridesmaid: MOH to be included with appointment at Nordstrom
Rehearsal Dinner location: to be selected by the groom’s parents
Oh and we have one fun night planned with tickets to a hockey game!
We’ll be excited to get some big decisions out of the way. I’m calling this a multicultural wedding. Bride and groom live out west, groom’s parents are from the Deep South. DH and I grew up in New York, but have lived on both coasts and now years in DC. Lots of traditions to meld!
I have Orrefors Prelude also. I actually use it a couple of times or more a year. I have water, wine and champagne flutes. I almost never use the champagne flutes, but use the other.
I have Waterford China also - Amherst.It’s white with gray and a little blue, and a silver rim. We hardly ever use it. We have nice stoneware (it might have cost more than the China, but it’s not as fragile) that we usually use, even for “formal” dinners. I still don’t own “nice” stainless or silver flatware. It’s a little heavy, but not great.
We taught the girls early how to safely wash the good china, crystal, and silver (and polish that.) We use it all on special occasions. Why not? My grandmother spoke of how sterling develops a patina with use.
I taught them to wash all this (and everyday stuff) after dinner because I wanted them to know how. It paid off. The rotation was one helped set up and the other cleaned up. Nowadays, they work together. And yes, still grumble.
@showmom858 Dark blue Runnymede is a favorite of mine. It was one of my first few acquisitions. I have 12 dinner plates and a very large turkey-sized platter (I don’t even know if the platter was generally available; I bought it at the Harrods china sales, which had all kinds of things at dirt cheap prices, but you had to literally fight for them, LOL.) I think my mother has both dark blue and turquoise Runnymede. I come from a family of china fanatics.
@ECmotherx2 No, not Fortunoff’s, although I did look at stuff there. I think the name may have begun with M. Marlboro? Malden? Madison?
@BunsenBurner You know it isn’t nice to enable an addict, don’t you?
Michael C. Fina, @Consolation? I remember they had a brick & mortar store in NYC, too.
I registered for crystal 37 years ago, but didn’t get much and bought a set of wine glasses in Murano while on our honeymoon. They did not age well and I have since replaced them with relatively inexpensive glassware that seems to work just fine! I love my china (Minton, Consort pattern - cream, navy & gold), but I only seem to use it for celebratory occasions. I do remember my grandmother telling me to get extra dinner plates (I have full service for 12 and 16 dinner plates, I think). As for silver, I went with heavy silver-plate, the Christofle Pearls pattern and I love it. That gets used more than anything, though it does tarnish. I must say, my H’s aunt gave us a full set of our everyday dishes, including every service piece available, in the Villeroy & Bosch floral pattern and I have been trying to get rid of it for the past 10 years. It just won’t die! My kids don’t want it, so pretty soon it’s getting donated so I can get plain white dishes. I figure at this point in my life I can get what I want now, not what I wanted when i was 26.