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This is probably a stupid question but we are registering and I dont know if I should put china on it. I dont even know what the hell china is and what makes it so special. I grew up poor so we definitely didn't have any. Is entertaining with china supposed to be better etiquette or something? What if we dont really have dinner parties?
The point of it is to be fancy. That is the only point. If you don't feel like you need/want/get it, you won't miss it, I promise.
China is fancy dishware that is entended for fancy/special occassions. Some people use it regularly, and others barely use it.
If you don't think you'll use it, don't bother registering for it. It costs a lot of money and often the pieces are pretty delicate, can't be washed in the dishwasher...etc. Plus - the patterns can go out of style quickly..so if you don't think you'll use it, just register for casual dinner ware. Something you can use everyday.
LOL. Yeah, it's basically for entertaining. Girls used to get pieces of their chosen china pattern slowly until they had the whole set (as well as for their wedding), then pass it on to their daughters. We opted not to put any on our registry.
My mom has china we took out during the holidays when I was growing up.It was very pretty.
I wouldn't say it's a necessity though.
There's a family set boxed up for me, but it's going to stay there for a while and we're not registering for our own. We don't have the space or the need - we asked for everyday plates, stuff that will hopefully hold up in the microwave/dishwasher/with kids.
Thanks guys! I felt like I was missing something. Great, the less stuff I have to register for the better, lol
Nice dishes used for holidays and fancy dinner parties. Nothing that resembles our rando dishes from Wal Mart, Target and my brother's old apartment.
overpriced plates that continue to exist mostly because of wedding registries and will end up sitting in a box collecting dust once you have kids who like to break things. :)
I love my china and I collect it and use it frequently. I have three formal sets. My mom does too. I just think it depends on how much you entertain and if you like it. There is no reason to act nasty about the people that do like it and want it.
@Aubergold: We're not registering for it. There's no rule that says you have to :) My mom and his mom have both offered theirs and we will probably take it BUT I seriously remember twice that we ate off my Mom's china in my whole life. You can't put it in the dishwasher and if you don't think you'll be doing A LOT of fancy dinner party entertaining types of things then I definitely would register for things that you guys would be more likely to use. Because as someone else previously said it can be very expensive! Even the cheap place settings can be well over $100.... for ONE place setting. I don't think there's anything wrong with not registering for it! Do what you want :)
It really depends on the couple. My mom still loves her china from her wedding 25 years ago. She picked a relatively basic pattern so it hasn't gone out of style, and she uses it 2-4 times a year so it's lasted. If you think you'll ever want it, now is the time to get it because chances are you won't ever buy it for yourself.
We prefer to entertain casually, so we aren't registering for it. We are going to register for decent dishes that are microwave and dishwasher safe, maybe from Corelle or somewhere similar, but we don't think we'd use super delicate dishes that cost $80+ a plate.
I didn't think anyone was being nasty...maybe a bit sarcastic...
@MissBananaBread: I'm not sure that "now's the time to get it" is a good approach to take now that I've had the wedding. In the nicest way possible, many of are guests were very conservative in their giving. I'm completely grateful for everything we received, but if we had registered for fine china, we might have gotten a few plates – and we'd be returning them or spending a lot of money to complete the set.
Anyway, unless you come from a very well off family with a circle of friends that uses china regularly for entertaining, I would not register for it. I also agree with PP that I'm thinking of kids down the line, and china would not last through that. :)
To me? A giant waste of money. I dont want to have dishes so expensive that I'd be afraid to use them, and I much rather spend that money elsewhere. Same goes for 'real' silverware. My every day Corelle is good enough for any sort of (informal) hosting I'd ever do
OK about kids - I want to defend kids and china
I have china and crystal lots of both - so did my mom - we used it regularly and the only things that I have had broken in my 20 years of using it is 2 crystal glasses one by my ex and one by his father
Real china is less likely to break or chip than everyday dishes (unless you are using paper or plastic of course)
My mom had 4 kids, I have 2. Really sometimes isn't it nice to have nice things to use? Kids can be taught to respect things and heck it is a plate - if they break one then you teach them to save up and buy you the replacement if it was their fault and not a true accident.
Saying you never are going to have nice things because you have kids means they will probably never know how to take care of things.
@Aubergold: Welcome lady :) As a side note: We're registering for nicer casual dinnerware (Fiestaware) that will hopefully last us for years. My grandmother has had her Fiestaware for YEARS AND YEARS! So we're opting for registering for that instead of china. Like I said, we'll probably either get my Mom's china or his Mom's (or our grandmother's... or all of the above haha) I do agree with MissBananaBread though that if you think you would ever want it, now would be the time to get it but if you do pick a classic pattern that will transition easily for years without being too trendy. My mom's, his mom's and our grandmother's all have VERY CLASSIC patterns that actually could all even mix and match very easily between the patterns. But like I said in my previous post, unless you think that you'll do a lot of formal entertaining, then I would forgo it and register for things that you think you guys would use more often. :)
@unixfairy: I don't think anyone was trying to be nasty about people who do use their china. I plan on using my mother's china (or his mother's or our grandmothers... which ever pattern or patterns we choose). I just think that sometimes china isn't for everyone because not everyone entertains formally on a regular basis, if at all and in that case registering for china would be unnecessary when gift givers could purchase items that would be more practical for the bride and groom.
Sorry guys - nasty was a strong word and I regret using it. There is nothing wrong in wanting nice things. No if you need basics do not register for china right now. But I don't think you have to not use it if you do have it - it makes the food taste better LOL I promise
One of my favorite meals with my FI - good china, good crystal, sea scallops in cream pesto, salad, angel hair pasta and good wine in our glasses. We ate it buck nekkid and so do not think china is just for holidays ;)
There is no point.
Our everyday dishes look nice enough that we have no issue entertaining with them (Ours are just plain white squares). We didn't see the point in registering for expensive china that we would never use.
With that said, my grandmother gave me a set of bone china as a wedding gift that belonged to her. If it's a family heirloom, then that's different. I just, personally, would not spend the money to buy it.
@unixfairy: that is awesome. Now I kinda want to register for fine china just so we can do that.
@unixfairy: LMAO!! if china facilitates buck-nekkidness, I might just have to reconsider!
@MrsB-to-Be: thanks for the fiestaware recommendation!
@Aubergold: LOL really it does - there is something kinda sexy about it - try and picture that on paper plates - candlelight, good music and chinet -umm NOOOOOOOOOOOO
Now to be fair I collect discontinued china so I started one set off of ebay and another from goodwill and have searched for years for bargains so if you can just find two dinner plates the buck nekkid will happen!!
@unixfairy: HAHAHAHAHA OMG you are making me laugh. Im so mad you said 'chinet" lol.
Seems like a waste of money if you're not into fancy-schmancy shit. Plus you can't even put most of that expensive stuff in the dishwasher....PASS!
@unixfairy: OMG that is absolutely hilarious!!!! FI and I might definitely have to test that one out hahaha
@Aubergold: Sheet I could not remember Dixie or I would have used that LOL
@Aubergold: Totally welcome! I already have a 4 piece place setting my parents got me when I went away to college and I LURVE it!!! We're finishing out our red set with another 4 place settings and registering for white as well but it comes in LOTS of colors!! :)
What PPs have said. The only reason I have china is because it was given to me after my great grandmother passed in October 2009.
The china I registered for says it's dishwasher safe, although I will probably end up hand washing it just to be on the safe side. The main reason I registered for it is because my FMIL gave us a china cabniet, and I have just alwasy wanted china! I don't plan on getting all that we registered for as gifts, but as long as we get 2 place settings for now, me and the FI will be using them at least once a month, just because! It is also something I can work on collecting over the years. I agree that it is most definitely not required, but if you ever think you might want any, might as well start now~!
We're going to get Corelle (no one got it for us, boo). I grew up with it, and that stuff does not break.
As a side note, my mom did give us some re-gifted china, but it looks very holiday-ish, so we will probably only pull it out for Xmas. Maybe we will buy china for ourselves later when we are tired of the holiday china and (if we have them) the kids are older. ;)
@KatyElle: For some reason, that made me think of the china the dads had in The Birdcage: "Oh what interesting china! It looks like the young men are playing leap frog... Where are my glasses?" Heh.
@bellagio: One of the first things I registered for was Corelle - my Grama tought me its value from a young age :)
@KatyElle: OH MY GOSH. I can't decide if that is insane or amazing.
Op, I agree that unless your formally entertain frequently china is most likely not something you really need unless you just want it. Of course, my family always rocked the dixieware at holidays because no one wanted to hand wash all the gold rimmed fine china my Grandma wanted to use. Although I am exicted that that particular set (Which is quite large and has been passed for 4 generations) will be coming to me someday because I do think it would be fun to have nice stuff. I might have to try unixfairy's idea after we are married...;)
I registered for china, got all of it and absolutely love it. Growing up we used our china, crystal and silver very often. Pretty much any dinner that was beyond just my 4 immediate family members was served on china. Every holiday, every dinner party, (there were many) and pretty much any time anyone joined us for dinner.
It made those dinners special and is a huge part of my upbringing and created wonderful memories.
So for me china was a no brainer.
Setting the table for Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas with my mother was a ritual I grew up with. I loved the week leading up to holidays because of all the time we spent together getting ready to host our entire family. Setting out the china, crystal, and silver was part of that.
There are times when I entertain with my basic, everyday table ware and there are times when I pull out the Waterford (Irish family = picked my Waterford when I was 20 and have gotten pieces ever since). I can't wait to have my china. I can't wait to add my great grandmother's china to mine when it gets passed down.
As I think I wrote elsewhere, I always give china or crystal from registries because I see those as "forever" gifts that people will cherish and pass down.
BTW, I just read an article in some magazine (Traditional Home, perhaps?) about some Brittish artists who are using the traditional process for making china, but infusing modern mesages in the designs. They're like conversation pieces for each guest. :)
I have service for 12 of my china pattern and use it regularly even though there are just the two of us. I definitely also use it for entertaining and for special holiday meals like Thanksgiviing and Christmas.
I wasn't brought up rich and certainly am not rich now, nor are we "fancy-schmancy shit".We used my mom's china when I was growing up and none of it was broken. We didn't carry it to the kitchen until we were older. It's pretty hard to break a plate just eating off it.
It's nice to set a nice table, add some candles and flowers and have a relaxing meal.
If you don't feel the same way, or wouldn't use it,then obviously you shouldn't register for it.
It's funny, until I saw this thread I kind of completely forgot about china. I remember being a little girl and seeing my mom's china (she had it displayed in a hutch though we rarely, if ever, actually used it) and thinking it was really neat. I also remember going into places that sold it and looking at all the pretty patterns.
I doubt we will actually register for it, but I do think china is pretty. I'd love to have some...someday.
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