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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