Wedding registry- Fine China? Causal China? What's a girl to do??

Question

OK- this is for all the ladies getting married, have been married that did a registry. I can't decied if I should get fine china or causal chine for my set? Or should I get both? Most registry tell you to get both fine and causal but here are my concerns. 1. Ask for two sets it might split the registry- like I would have to go back and buy all the left overs because I would get half of one set and half of another. 2. Will I really use the Fine China? 3. Will I regret not getting nice china to remember my wedding day? Because I'll never buy it own my own.
I just like know what you did- did you ask for china? Which set and are you happy with it. I just love the fine china, I think it's beautiful and just soo nice. But after the years go by and I have children whom I don't want touching it, is it a waste? I guess I am feeling a little guilty asking for something that's anywhere from $70-100 a place setting, even though I am having a nice wedding.
Is it worth $ for the china?

What I mean by "remember" is basically having a family heirloom that I can pass down to my children and their grandchildren "my wedding china". No one in my family before me had a wedding so my mother and grandmother never had china. Yes, I physically will be able to remember my wedding without china LOL
And Yes, I love my FI and understand that marriage isn't all about china. And I guess I should mention, I am approaching 30 and I do have holidays and dinner parties at my house.

Answer 1

Id opp for the fine china,as you said you would not buy it for yourself so it would be a cherished gift from your friends and family in celebration of your marriage.
You will use it for special occasions and you will be proud of it. Fine stemware (Chrystel ) is also an option instead of the casual dinnerware,that you can purchase yourself. Good luck in your marriage.Oh and children can be taught as they get older how to not destroy your china or anything else.I bought my daughter at age 2 her own dinner set in Royal Dalton it had bunnies on it and she is now 32 and still has it as a cherished heirloom from her childhood,her child will use it when old enough.

Answer 2

To answer your questions:
1. Asking for 2 sets won't necessarily split your registry. I mean, you might end up splitting the registry between appliances and dishes. You never really know how it's going to end up.

2. Only you can decide if you'll use it. I know it sounds weird but it's kind of a personal choice. I have so many friends who would just not even think about getting fine china - I'm in my mid-20s and people are just not at the point where they have dinner parties. We all usually have pizza when we're at friends' houses.

That being said, my husband and I love cooking. New recipes, interesting ideas, all that. So we decided that we really wanted to get fine china. In the end, I think we got 7 out of 10 place settings and a few of the serving pieces. So it was the right choice for us.

3. I doubt very much that the china will help you remember your wedding day. It might be a nice reminder of the time that you got married or whatnot but...in the end you'll have pictures and memories of that day and I don't think the china really has any bearing on it. That being said, you know a really nice china set might run you (for 12 place settings) about $1500 or so. If you don't need or think you will use the set right now, maybe you can just set a little money aside in a fund and when you think the time is right you can go ahead and buy yourself a nice set.

We registered for Wedgwood's Lustreware set. We got half of the place settings in Blue Fin and the other half in Oyster, and some extra plates in Pacific Stripe. I loved it because I thought it was modern looking and it looks really great when you mix and match stuff. You can see it here (http://www.wedgwoodusa.com/shop/collection.asp?id=468&cat=R&terms=Lustreware) or on the Macy's website too. It definitely hasn't been a waste for us...good luck deciding though.

Answer 3

We didn't register or get fine china for our wedding. I think it is a waste of time and money to get the fine stuff. First off you are rarely going to use it and when you do it will cause more stress than good b/c you will sit and worry the whole time that someone is going to break it. It is more practical to get the things that you will use and later in the relationship get the china if you still want it. Like maybe for a 10 or 20 year anniversary go and buy it.

Or, a friend of mine wanted to get the china as a elegant reminder of her wedding day but she didn't really want/need/or plan to use it later...so she and her husband went and got 1 dinner plate of the fine china that they liked. They took it to a jewelry store (i think) and had the date /time/place and their names ingraved in the back of the plate. Now she displays the plate in a curio cabinet with some other collectibles. It was a great idea...and beautiful.

Answer 4

Personally, while fine china is great to have for special company, but don't think I would miss it all that much if I didn't have it; you can't use anything with gold plated edging in a microwave and your beloved man may not realize that is the worst case scenario!

Personally, I think it depends on how often you will use your fine china and what the people you invite to dinner will expect. If you or your future hubby are in a high profile, social job where you will invite "cultured" clientele where they will be impressed with fine china, then that would be the logical choice.

Personally, I have not been in that situation and I have found that with casual china you will use all the time and therefore can appreciate it more often. My relatives are down to earth and are more concerned about the dishes I serve than the china I serve it on.

Good luck!

Answer 5

We haven't created our registry yet, but I already have 12 full place settings of buth my fine china and my every day china. I don't know your age, but for me, I've never understood why it's expected that you should wait until you get married to have nice things - like china - or to actually start your life. So I picked out what I liked and I bought it (a little at a time on the fine china - great deals on ebay but still expensive!!), and I've used it several times. Fortunately, my FI likes both, and the plus side is that we can register for the serving pieces and things like that, but we can also register for more "fun" stuff, like camping equipment, luggage, accessories, etc.

Basic point is that you should just do what feels right to you - I have one friend that registered for her every day dishes and for Christmas dishes because she knew she'd never use fine china. And even if you register for place settings, most people don't buy a whole place setting - they usually buy a plate or two, or a bowl, etc, so you may have to do some filling in after the fact, but if you like to entertain or plan on having holidays at your house, to me, it's worth it. Oh, and my china is Lenox Federal Platinum - I know, totally commonplace, but I loved it before it was way overdone!!

Answer 6

Hi, congrats on the engagement!

As for causal vs. fine china, I registered for both.

I wanted the fine china for those special occasions and I also wanted it to have so I could pass it on to my children eventually. In all reality, you are never going to buy it for yourself. As for the cost, there are still some people out there who would rather give a gift rather then money as a gift. So, just b/c you may not get it all for your shower, you can almost be sure you will get some as a wedding gift.

Unless you plan on eating off paper plates the rest of your lives, get the casual china!!!

I don't regret getting either one and I'm glad that I did.

Just an FYI.....should you not get all the pieces, most places offer a discount when you register at their stores for items you don't get on your registry.

Good luck!!!

Answer 7

If you think you need fine china to remember your wedding day, then you probably are forgetting the most important thing about the wedding - the marriage. Your husband will remind you of that every day for the rest of your life. Neither of you will give a damn about what kind of china you have in your cabinet. And since it's at other people's expense, go for the casual china. It's more affordable.

Answer 8

I was so confused when I registered.

Basically just register for what you want. Think about what kind of couple you are and pick the things you will need and want. If you like to entertain or 10 years down the road will be having your family for Thanksgiving you may want to register for fine china. It will come in handy one day. If you guys don't plan on doing a lot of entertaining then go more casual. Just remember to pick something classic because you don't want to have to replace it in 10 years and you don't want your dinnerware to date yourself... My parents have some brown dishes from the seventies packed away in some box somewhere... lol!

Also you can register for both fine and casual china... fine flatware and everyday silverware. Why not! It's your wedding!!

Answer 9

I don't have fine china exactly. Instead, I have my great-grandmother's causal china (it's about 50-60 years old).

Most registeries are just guidelines in case you have absolutely no clue where to start. Try registering for things that you want and would use if you had it, but wouldn't normally buy (ie: an espresso machine). This way, there aren't any extra pieces that you would still need to buy to complete the set.

Good luck!

Answer 10

The only thing that you should decide is if you want to use the china or not. If you get the fine china expect to put it in a china cabinet and not use it. I prefer the casual china and to use it on a special occasion like an anniversary. Most important....enjoy your wedding.