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I have been going back and forth on whether to add formal china to our registry.
Right now we live in an apartment, and even though we have a built-in china hutch, it is filled with other things, as space is precious. We could store it at my parents’ house, except for maybe a few settings for ourselves, until we get our own house. But I’ve heard you should only register for things you are going to use NOW, since your tastes may be very different 5 years from now. How am I supposed to purchase something and know I will love it for the rest of my life? Is it like a child? Do I love it automatically and unconditionally because it’s my ’wedding china’ and it reminds me of the day I married my best friend?
I know I want china someday - and when does one get china other than as a wedding gift? At the same time, it’s so expensive and I feel guilty asking for it in such a terrible economy.
But it’s sooo pretty and delicate. Eating off it, even if it is just grilled cheese, could make a bad day better. Plus, neither my mom nor grandmother has china, so there isn’t any that would passed down to me at a later date. We could purchase it ourselves as an anniversary gift after our first year of marriage, but I think we are too practical for that. Hopefully (fingers crossed) we will have a house by then, and I’m sure I would rather have new appliances than than $1,000 worth of dishes. So really, it’s now or never.
If we do decide to register, I’ve been eyeing:
Ralph Lauren - Vows
Martha Stewart for Wedgwood - French Knot in Silver
and
Vera Wang - Grosgrain
If we register for china, do we have to get crystal to go with it?
Are you/did you register for formal china? Was it worth it, or did you find that your tastes changed after a little while?
*all images from macys.com
We registered for china that we could use every day and that was microwave/dishwasher/oven safe. We know we’ll eventually have to replace our every day dishes and wanted something that was suitable for daily use if we decided to use it on a daily basis.
I’ve been struggling with the same decision…but finally it came down to practicality. My fiancee and I are going to be moving soon after the wedding, possibly cross country, and the idea of shlepping very expensive and very breakable china along with us just didn’t seem like a good idea. Also, we know that in 10 year when would would actually need/use china we will be able to afford it…right now we need other things.
we did register for and decided if we didn’t get the pieces we needed, we would return it for other registry items.
i love the vera wang! great china choices!
We’re also taking the “now or never” approach…and even if our guests don’t touch it on the registry, we’ll be able to purchase pieces using our completion discount!
We registered for it, and honestly it’s the thing on our registry that I want the most. I think of it as an heirloom that will be passed down to our children. I am very partial to the Grosgrain set, since that’s the one we registered for!
I would love to have china but the fiance said no way it’s stupid, he would rather have a Dyson, which come to think of it I don’t know why because it’s not like he ever vacuums.
I’ve been struggling with the exact same thing. I decided to register for 4 settings of super cheap china in plain white with a platinum band and 4 settings of Kate Spade Gardner Street Platinum, which is $130 per place setting! They coordinate, and I hope that someday I’ll be able to fill out the set.
I know a lot of people decide not to register for china, but I’m with you … now is the time, and I know I’ll use it for entertaining and whenever I need to be cheered up!
FI & I registered for some “all in one box” china. I didn’t want to even add it but FI said that his traditional grandparents may want to gift us china so we just added some kind of plain cheap (but nice!!) stuff. Here’s the link to ours: http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?order_num=-1&BRN=1&sku=14062068
I really loved a polka dot pattern but it was about $99/setting and there was NO WAY on God’s green Earth I’d add those to our registry. Besides what if we only get 1 set? I’m not going to spend all that money to finish it! (We were told to get 8 settings…) The ones we added are pretty and timeless and cheap! HAHA
We did not register for it, but I do have my Nona’s that was passed down from my dad. That being said, I’d be in a similar situation to you if I did not have it passed. Look at it this way - it is a difficult economy, yes, but nobody will ever think anything of your having it on the registry. It is a classic item that has been on registries for generations past and will likely continue to the future. If a guest can afford it, they will buy it. If they cannot, they will move to something else There are so many gorgeous patterns (BTW-FI and I seriously considered both the Ralph Lauren and the Vera Wang patterns above ;o) ) but ask yourself if you will realistically USE and WANT it. Dont worry about now or later, dont worry about where to store it, think of practicality. But bottom line, you can always throw it on there. If you get it, BONUS! If not, reconsider it at a later date.
Now I think I’ve probably confused you more. =oP
We decided against registering for china, as we both know we’ll be inheriting it from both sides of the family in the future. Instead, we registered for simple white dishes for every day use.
I did register for fromal china. It is actually the gold version of the Vera Wang. I am glad I did. I don’t think I would buy it on my own, and I just think there is something special about wedding china that will make me smile whenever I use it. It is also something I would like to pass down someday.
I also registered for an accent plate from a completely different line. One of the nice things about the Vera Wang Grosgrain pattern, and for the other patterns you have pictures of, is that they can be jazzed up with accent pieces. So, if your tastes do change over time, you can update the china for less than buying a completely new set.
We are not registering for formal china since I feel like we won’t use it. We may get a basic set of every day dishes and then maybe some with more of a color or pattern. I also will probably get my mom’s one day. However, I really like some of the patterns you picked above.
We registered for the French Knot pattern. I liked its teacup best. I also liked that the patterns on each piece were slightly different, so if I wanted to add other components in later, it wouldn’t look too weird. I figured, I’ll never buy china for myself, so now is the time. We are both older and don’t really NEED much of anything else.
My aunt recently asked if I wanted my grandmother’s china, which I would love, but she wants me to remove the china off our registry. I am disappointed that there’s a stipulation behind getting my grandmother’s china. It was given to her as a wedding gift and she doesn’t want it.
Great picks! Go ahead and register for it! The styles you are looking at are classic not trendy. As far as the economy, people may not purchase you a set if they are unable but may buy gift cards towards the purchase. Plus, after the wedding you’ll be able to get them with your completion discount rather than pay full price on your anniversary.
I’m inheriting a lovely, floral set from my great aunt–wonderful for sentimental value, but clearly old-fashioned. The two sets you linked a elegant and simple. I don’t think these will ever go out of style. Go for it!
If you’re not sure whether you’ll want the crystal, maybe that’s what to hold off on until later. It will be much cheaper to buy for yourself later than a whole china pattern would be.
I’m not registering for china. I’m inheriting my mom’s, when it will mean something to me. As for now, I could not care a smidge about china. One more thing for me to break.
First off, your choices are all so pretty! 
I think it’s a personal choice for each couple whether they need formal china or not.
We never even looked at actual fine china from the get go, because we knew we’d never use it. We registered for an elegant “regular” dishware set (”White Trace” by Denby) to use as our “formal” dishes and cheaper plain white square dishes from Target to use as our “everyday” dishes. Two years later (woohoo!) I am glad we made this personal choice — and I’m loving that we don’t feel badly that we use our “formal” dishes all the time. Since both are simplistic but elegant, we intermingle pieces from both and the results are lovely.
we registered for grossgrain too! I figure if we dont get the complete set we”ll just return it and use the credit towards something else…like sheets or towels.
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Mrs. Gloss, Boston/Maine Age and Occupation: 24, Designer/soon-to-be Architect Fiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Systems Engineer Engagement Date: May 23, 2008 Wedding Date: August 2009 Venue: SS Katahdin/Lakeside Tent About Me: I don't like nickels or the skin that forms on pudding when it's in the fridge for too long. I couldn't live without Pantone markers, fountain soda (3/4 diet, ¼ regular Coke), run-on sentences, or ridiculously oversized sunglasses. I will try to DIY almost anything and am just OCD enough to make most of it work. I am truly excited about having all my family and friends together, becoming Mrs. Gloss, and having amazing photos to prove it!
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