<p>I went to a casual dinner party last night, for my long term bookgroup, although the member who hosted had fairly recently joined so I don’t know her well. ( although I like her very much & she is very kind)
I accidentally broke a stemmed wineglass when reaching across the table to look at something else. ( I hadn’t had any wine BTW)
I was absolutely mortified and while I don’t think they were expensive ( plain stem ), I want to do something to make up for it. It was before dinner & since discussion during dinner was uncomfortable enough that I started crying :o, ( as many book group discussions go, it was only tangentially about the book)I wasn’t composed enough when the party broke up to insist on replacing the glass.</p>
<p>Should I just buy them a replacement glass? A book that they might like?
This is why I just use paper cups! I have no depth perception.
( well I actually use glasses that are more like juice glasses, no stems)</p>
<p>If you know the make and model, I’d replace the stem…I wouldn’t fret over it though greenkity. Those that offer their stemware for use know that these things happen. Replacing it would be very kind of you.</p>
<p>I would send her an apology email or notecard and ask if this was a glass that I could replace. If she said no or she did not want me to then I would buy a small gift such as your idea of a book and a nice bottle of wine. It happens. Years ago a friend broke a crystal stem. It did not upset me. Many types of goblets and dishes are can be ordered from replacements.com–which is what I did.</p>
<p>You could always send a pretty plant from a florist with a thank-you for hosting the dinner- along with another brief, light, apology about the glass. I wouldn’t expect or even want my guests to feel they needed to replace something they accidentally broke while entertaining. It’s part of the deal. But a thank-you for hosting is always appreciated, broken glasses or not.* And honestly, the more expensive the goblet, the less I’d want my guest to have to replace it. And if it was inexpensive, there’s no need either.</p>
<p>*My thought being, it was * my choice * to use my (expensive antique stemware) for this occasion, which shouldn’t obligate my guest to replace it in kind if broken.</p>
<p>I would just send an apology note, offer to replace and if she refuses, leave it at that. Relax. I host many book club meetings, dinners where guests have accidentally broken things and I was more worried that they hurt themselves than the objects. It’s only stuff and can be replaced. Good friends are irreplaceable.</p>
<p>I was at a luncheon and broke a cup when helping with the dishes. It was part of a set of the hostess’s fine china. I felt horrible too. I did go to replacements.com and had them send her a replacement. It made me feel less guilty that I had broken something. The hostess was amazed that I did that for her. Dishes get broken but can also be replaced if you can recognize the brand.</p>
<p>I love the responses here. I feel the same way. A glass is not a big deal. And if it is a big deal, I SURE wouldn’t want you to feel obligated to replace it, as moonchild stated above. I like the plant or book idea too - just as a kind gesture.</p>
<p>Chances are she hasn’t given that glass a second thought.</p>
<p>Stemmed wineglasses are inherently unstable and inherently fragile. From an engineering point of view, they are designed to be broken. We have beautiful but simple and moderately priced wineglasses, and they break regularly. </p>
<p>There are lots of great responses here. I would feel that I should do something. But I imagine that the hostess has already forgotten it.</p>
<p>I’d send an email thanking her for the nice evening and saying that you’d really like to replace the glass without making a big deal out of it . She’ll almost certainly say, “No thanks.” I’d then let it drop. Honestly, I would find it out of proportion and a little irritating if someone were to send me a gift after breaking a glass at my house. Too much sturm und drang for my taste. And I would much prefer a nice email gushing about the nice part of the evening rather than an overwrought apology focusing on the negative.</p>
<p>There are two perspectives here, of the host and of the guest. As a host one would and should never ask the person to replace the broken glass, for the reasons cromette mentions. As a guest, I would call to apologize and get the name of the stemware, then replace, even if she says it’s not necessary. Would not ask or be overly dramatic about it. As mentioned, replacements.com is great for discontinued stemware - they also have gift certificates.</p>
<p>I don’t think our stemware has names on it. And we don’t have more than two or three of any set. Wine glasses break. So yes, a note offering to replace it is nice, but don’t feel guilty when she says no need. It’s easier to recognize china, but the glass I gave you probably only cost me a few dollars.</p>
<p>Just replace it if you can. I did the same thing with a Japanese tea which is not easily replaceable if it’s even possible. I’m going to send a $25 gift certificate for the Japanese market. </p>
<p>These things happen. I could not care less if anyone breaks any of my glassware other than the immediate danger of the glass. I guess my kids have taken care of any residual worries about that, if I ever had any. I cannot begin to list what they have broken.</p>
<p>EK, you were NOT a bad guest. Glass breaks. The choice to use it was the hostess’s. Someone (including the owner) could easily have dropped any number of things. I agree that if you feel badly, a nice thank you to the hostess, with an apology would suffice.</p>
<p>And just FYI, I think this is why stemless wine glasses are becoming so popular!</p>
<p>It sounds like it was just one of those nights! Unless the wineglasses were recently purchased from a major retailer, such as Crate and Barrel or Pottery Barn, it’s probably going to be difficult to replace just one. Most casual stemware is sold in sets. I agree that everyday glassware is purchased with the assumption that some breakage is going to occur and the set won’t last forever. About five years ago I became fed up with my hodgepodge of everyday wineglasses and I bought four sets of six glasses of each size, so 24 each of white, red, and champagne from Neiman Marcus. They were inexpensive, but they have an interesting stem and I love them. We’ve broken several over the years and I would love to replace, but I can’t find them anywhere. They were probably only available for a short period of time.</p>
<p>Otherwise, I would stop by with a small gift - a plant, candle, bottle of wine, or a small serving dish of some sort (something that could be used for entertaining). You really don’t have to do anything, so I’ve no doubt she would greatly appreciate your extra effort.</p>
<p>I am disappointed!I was hoping to open this thread and read some juicy stories about house guests who overstay their welcome, bring their dogs, have sex on the new futon, or get rip roaring drunk.</p>
<p>I agree with everyone else. Do a little something if it makes you feel better. However this by no means makes you a bad guest</p>
<p>It was very nice for them to host, & Her partner did say " at least it wasn’t one of the plates"! That would have been harder to replace, but :o
Then I really needed a glass of wine, but I asked for a short glass, no more stemmed glasses!</p>
<p>Depends on the wineglass. Price range from $1 (Ikea) to $50 (handblown) for the wineglasses at my house. Most are easy to replace–and I wouldn’t care if they got broken. A friend did break one of the handblown champagne flutes years ago, found the artist, replaced the glass, and I was quite impressed with her effort–but it would have been fine if she hadn’t.</p>
<p>That said, if it were me (and I have done this), I’d call the next day, apologize again, and ask if she’d tell me the kind of wineglass so I could replace it.</p>
Replacing it would be very kind of you.</p>