“Mine is a very plain patterns. No grooves or anything. Glasses are blown and pretty much straight up…no tapering at all. I HATE them. We were asked if we wanted crystal and politely said no. If I had known we were going to get it anyway, I would,have chosen a cut Waterford pattern that I actually liked. The orrefors are just too contemporary for my taste.”
@thumper1, mine are Orrefors, also, but have grooves. I wanted Waterford but since I had picked everything else decided to let H have a say and he picked the O’s. They are beautiful but very fragile - unlike the Waterford. Amazingly, only one has broken in 26 years and another has a very wee chip in the rim. I have 24 of each and never need to use all of them so the chipped on is at the very back of china cabinet.
I have my crystal, and my moms (Waterford and Baccarat). I have my china, and my moms, and some of my grandmothers I dont use it. And neither of my s’s wants it. Almost-soon-to-be-DIL says her mom has 3 sets too. It sits. Oh, and I have 2 sets of silver.
I’m not very sentimental for “things” and I’m with Pizzagirl in that our lifestyle does not have room or need for any fru-fru items like china/crystal, etc. (in our life, these are fru-fru!!) - that said, if I got any crystal, I don’t have it now. I do have a few serving pieces of the Pfaltzgraff Folk Art everyday pattern we used, but I sold the remaining everyday stuff years ago.
One thing I noted the other day that I have is one of the sets of sheets on my registry for our first bed. It was a floral pattern I loved and still love today. The sheets are in my “spares” pile in the linen closet - for some reason, these sheets are something I enjoy having/seeing - kind of like a comfort blanket!!!
I’ve been married for 20 years and am still using some of the towels that we got for our wedding. Which probably says a lot about my decorating priorities, or lack thereof.
It’s not too late! I didn’t find a pattern I loved until I’d been married 10 years. I didn’t actually register, just put out the word in my family and for several years I got China for every birthday, anniversary, Christmas and Mothers Day.
This is such a fun thread. I received lots of china, crystal, and silver, but rarely use them. It just doesn’t fit our more casual lifestyle. However, I still use my Farberware pots and pans almost every day. Occasionally I think about replacing them with something more state-of-the-art, but somehow I can’t bring myself to abandon my 33 year old set. We also received a beautiful handmade quilt (a true work of art) made by the wife of my dad’s best friend from childhood. We use it every night in the winter for extra warmth. I also still use the set of nesting mixing bowls from Tupperware (in lovely shades of gold, rust, orange, etc.) that I received as a shower gift. Oh - and we still use the gift my husband received from his brother - 2 large Sears garbage cans.
Oh, I also use the hand-mixer I received as a wedding gift!! And my mother still uses HER hand-mixer she got when she was married nearly fifty years ago, even though she divorced my dad when I was 10. I would’ve thought she’d have chucked that one in the garbage by now
I volunteer at a charity thrift store that regularly receives these not used wedding gifts as donations…China, Crystal, candlestick holders, silver plate anything, serving pieces, etc.
Guess what? They don’t sell at the thrift store either.
@mom2collegekids, we still have the unidentified gift, and it has created a family tradition of giving things that cannot be identified. I gave my H a strawberry stemmer 2 years ago. He still has no idea!
So this “thing” is solid metal (brass?), extremely heavy, and sits flat on a surface. If you were to turn it over, you could hold the handle like a pistol, but the “barrel” end is solid, not hollow like a gun barrel. BUT, when you turn it back over to set it down, the base part of it is open - like a 2"X3" rectangle box that you could put something in. But what? It looks very old. H suspects it’s part of an old ship. The aunt and uncle are not foreign. H was never comfortable asking them what it is. But I think they fully expected us to ask about it! We were married over 25 years ago, but it looks much, much older!
I love using my china, although I most often use a newer pattern I have and leave my wedding pattern in the china cabinet. While I still love my original Lenox pattern, I’m just not crazy about the yellowish background color. I will set a formal table for holidays but also love mixing the china with informal pieces like wicker placemats for a more casual setting.
My original Farberware percolator is still chugging along!
My brother in law gave us a hose. Funny wedding gift but very useful, and it was nice to get a few items that H was excited about (yes, he was excited about the hose).
Our china, crystal, serving pieces, etc., get only occasional use–but it’s nice to have some things that are simply very pretty (and maybe someday we’ll entertain more formally than we do now).
My favorite gift is a Lenox nativity set. It’s big (the Holy Family plus shepherds, angels, wise men, animals, etc. each 3-5" tall). It’s the first Christmas decoration to go out and the last one to be packed away, so it gets a solid 7-8 weeks on display each year. At least 12 different relatives and friends bought different pieces, plus it’s one of the few Christmas decorations we have that’s religious, so I really treasure it.
H’s favorite gift would be the Waterford statue of a labrador retriever. It was one of the few items he cared about adding to the registry and he was delighted when a family friend (also a lab lover) gave it to us.
We did not register for china, etc. but did get a 4-pc setting from my ILs, which we still have. We also still have a huge wicker basket that our destitute college friends gave us – for 30 years it has held newspapers! We also have a fancy waterford (?) vase that our college dean gave us, with a note that said every couple should start life together with something beautiful. We got lots of towels, and lots of blenders – all gone now!
I love our first set of fine china. My mother chipped 3 dinner plates the last time I used iwhen our kids were little. (My mother broke everything she had. Not intentionally but the Gods we’re not in her favor.) I did find 3 plates online and purchased them immediately. When if is just us I will use it. Hand wash all the way. But now I have 8 sets of china (service for 24…except for the first set) 3 sets of silver, two sets of silver-plate, and service for 24 in stainless. I really am using that a lot now. And I will use them until we have grandchildren. Then we will go back to our most used china…the one I sneered at so many years ago as a wedding…white melamine.
18 years later we’re still using our everyday dishes (fiestaware), corningware, kitchenaid mixer, pots & pans. I love our fine china and crystal, but we haven’t used them very much - they’re stored in an inconvenient cupboard.
My friend’s MIL gave her two place setting of china for her first Christmas gift and said “If you don’t like the pattern, pick a different one, but you will be getting china from me as gifts for years to come.” The MIL had, I think, 8 children so just gave them all china at gift giving occasions. Made shopping easier.
I agree it is not too late. I’ve never been married so just buy things when I want them. I bought the same silver pattern as my mother’s (bought it off ebay) and hope she leaves hers to me so I’ll have a big set someday, but I thought why wait until she’s gone to have silver (and I’d be close to 70!). Just buy it now. I disagree with thumper1, I buy china, silver and serving stuff from the thrift store all the time.
36 plus years-- Used all the time–J.A. Henckels knives (had to “pay a penny to not cut the friendship”),
Kitchenaid mixer (loved it and still loving it), wine glasses, set of unique glasses that we use every Christmas, set of stainless (still nice–they don’t make it like they used to!). I’m surprised at the number of people still using their stainless. I thought I was one of a few.
Not used but still love-- an antique ruby red dessert plate set that I don’t use but very much remember the giver every time I see it in my cabinet. My house is sprinkled with wedding gift items that are pretty and unique. I remember who gave them and why. It’s one reason I tend to favor buying a special gift (even if not useful).
It used to be “what can you give that a couple would NOT buy for themselves?” (expensive, unique)
