Wedding Registry and Tableware
March 19, 2010
Bridal Registry
Considering the future is essential when it comes to wedding registry choices. Brides and grooms should account for more than present circumstances when pondering gift registry items. As entertaining opportunities increase and a family expands, tableware needs can change.
“We’ve decided not to register for china.” This sentence uttered by an increasing number of brides and grooms, once sparked disapproval from traditionally-minded family members insisting that one day, the happy couple would come to regret their missed opportunity for gifts of fine dishware.
However, many modern couples, practical and self-aware from years of living on their own or together before marriage, forgo the fine china, crystal stemware and silver flatware in favor of alternative groupings of tableware, including china pieces mixed and matched with everyday dishes.
Only the bride and groom truly know what the bride and groom truly need.
- collect antique china, flatware and stemware via E-bay and other resale sources while focusing on everyday dinnerware when it comes to the registry
- use inherited/passed down china, flatware and stemware as the fancier tableware items, again focusing on everyday tableware when it comes to the registry
- register for a combination of casual and fine tableware, for example, by ordering a full set of high-quality everyday dinnerware and mixing it with selected fine china pieces, such as serving platters and salad plates (as illustrated by the picture at the top of this article)
It is an opportunity to look ahead and foresee entertaining needs, including considering the potential regret of not selecting some finer items.
With that said, couples should not feel boxed in by traditional registry musts. Times are changing, and so are styles. Designers are looking to the past for inspiration in tableware, which provides a wonderful opportunity for piecing together old and new items to create highly original place settings.
Mixing tableware pieces is a great way to balance practicality with the possibility of future large-scale entertaining needs. For example, by registering for a small set of fine china pieces and mixing them with a more casual china pattern or everyday dishware, a bride and groom can get both a full set of practical dinnerware and an option to “fancy it up” with finer accent pieces for those special occasions, such as festive dinner parties or holiday meals.
Mixing Grandma’s favorite china with new dishes is not out of the question. “New vintage” pieces, such as recently-manufactured drinking glasses that blend the look of antique glassware with modern flourishes, can serve as unifying touches at table settings that showcase a variety of eras. Furthermore, new flatware with vintage undertones can occupy the same table as beloved heirloom silver serving flatware pieces.
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Overseas Weddings World
February 26, 2010
Wedding Dresses & Jewelry
Getting married or forming a civil partnership is a major step in life and very few couples can meet the expense of a wedding planner.
Religious Wedding Ceremonies
Great Britain has an abundance of beautiful historical places and buildings registered for marriage. A wedding or civil partnership ceremony can be held in any church, hotel, restaurant or other public premises that are authorized to hold marriages. For religious ceremonies in England and Wales, couples can opt to be married in a Church of England (the Anglican Church) or any other religious building registered to hold a marriage ceremony.
The Anglican Church is the only establishment in which couples can get married without the need to attend a Register Office in England. A Register Office is a local government office that registers such records as births, deaths, marriages and adoptions. If a couple chooses to be married in any other church or religious venue, they would generally also need to have a civil wedding to legalize their union.
To get married in the Church of England, the couple usually needs to speak to the vicar of the church in question to discuss their options. However, for marriage ceremonies in other churches, the couple to be married need contact the person in charge of marriages in that establishment. The government, citizens and rights section of Directgov provides more information.
The Legal Process
Start gathering evidence early and contact a lawyer or solicitor at least 4 to 5 months before the wedding.
A wedding can take place in any country as long as it is within the laws of that country. In general, if a marriage is legal and valid in the country in which it took place, it will also be considered legal in many countries of the world. But it is worth checking with the authorities before embarking on a destination wedding. UK marriages are legal in all countries.
Planning a Civil Wedding in England and Wales
Start by contacting the British embassy in the county of residence. Most embassies are happy to assist couples with basic information regarding marriages in the UK. But for more specific advice, the couple would need to contact the local authority for the town in which they wish to be married. Directgov provides a comprehensive list of local authorities and their contact details.
If a couple plans to have a civil wedding or civil partnership (same sex marriage) ceremony in England or Wales, they would need to give a formal notice of marriage to local Register Office. This notice is normally displayed to the public for 15 days before a marriage approval can granted, and will be valid for a year, provided that the couple does not change the venue for their wedding or civil partnership.
