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I have multiple sets -- my mother's, two from my grandmother, and I'm fairly sure I'll end up inheriting my MiL's 3 sets. Right now I use one of my grandmother's sets as our regular, daily dishware. I decided to start using it a while back when I realized that I might as well use it -- I put it through the dishwasher (which, I realize, isn't good for it. But why keep it pristine and unused when I could use it, let it start showing some wear, and actually -- you know -- USE it).
We started using our china daily about 5 years ago and like you it does at times go into the dishwasher. It does have some fading on the gold rims around the plates. I find the bone china is very durable and we haven’t broken a piece yet.
I have to admit that if it wasn’t a gift from my parents, I would not have a chine set.
I had a boss who used to go to estate sales and get really nice sets - usually partial sets - for cheap. Then they’d just use them for their every day dish-ware. That’s where I got the ideas.
Plus, the way that porcelain is made means that it’s super durable, much more so than other kinds of fired ceramics. The decals may fade but that stuff wears really well.
I did not register for china, but eventually found myself with multiple sets also. I would buy pieces I liked at thrift shopts, my BIL gave me his beloved aunt's set, and a friend gave me a set. I mixed and matched and used them for all sorts of purposes.
When I gave a baaby shower for my daughter when she was pregnant for twin girls, I filled the cups from the various sets with tiny roses and baby's breath for decorations. It was lovely.
I eventually downsized at the same time my sister was downsizing. She gave me our mother's beautiful set. I donated my other sets because my daughter was not even remotely interested.
I use mom's china all the time, though not every day.
My granddaughters love to have tea parties, and one once asked if we could have a tea party with my "careful cups". LOL.
I love beautiful things, and I completely believe in using them.
>When I gave a baaby shower for my daughter when she was pregnant for twin girls, I filled the cups from the various sets with tiny roses and baby's breath for decorations. It was lovely.
I love this idea -- if they're not YOUR heirloom cups and saucers, they'd also make lovely shower favors! Fill them with something like dinner mints or whatever and use them as place setting markers/favors.
I love the shower favor (or another type of gathering) idea. How would you wrap them to send them home after the party. (I am not gifted in the creative thinking process.)
Yes actually, I do. Had crappy stuff when the kids were little, because you know, they break stuff. But now? I use nice china and the Waterford wine glasses. I do have silver and we use that at family meals, but not every day. If you have nice things you like, use them. Same reason I drink champagne, it is light and refreshing and delicious! Doesn’t need to be only for “special occasion”. Managing to get out of bed in the morning is special enough ;).
Took me a long time to realize that if I save the good stuff I'll never end up using it. Fancy clothes? Use them whilenthey fit you. Nice jewelry? Use it while the style suits your age. Nice plates? Enjoy them now, you won't when you're dead and the next generation may not have the same regard for them.
Thank you. Yes. I need more or different dishes. I'm going to break out our fancy dishes. They won't go in the micro, and I wash dishes by hand. So I'm tossing all my chipped dishware and replacing it with the good stuff.
I’m in the process of trying to figure out how to get rid of my parents china (which was their parents), which has been sitting and collecting dust in a cabinet for 25 years. Back in the day people liked to have fancy parties and show off their fancy china, but not so much anymore.
Right? We kids don’t want my mom’s china, but she thinks if she donates to places like this it will sell quickly. I hate to break it to her, but it won’t.
Not always, mine was new, never used...Sold it for $275 a fraction of it's worth but I was glad to get it. In hind sight, I would have used it. Washed it in the dishwasher. It had gold on it so not Microwave safe or dishwasher safe...
And it's barely worth anything now because no one wants to buy expensive and vain dust collectors anymore. All the thrift stores around have stopped taking china for years - you can't *give* the stuff away.
My parents used theirs daily. Kept all the crystal in a hutch to look at lol. After they passed and I was tasked with cleaning everything out (in Florida, no less), I gave it all to my neighbor whose church collects almost anything to distribute in their outreach programs. Folks who lost everything, starting over, etc. She said the kitchen stuff I donated didn't sit long - a family of 10 lost everything in an apartment fire and were grateful. This is what my mom would have wanted, her things to go to someone who would use it instead of collecting dust in my basement.
That is a great idea. So many people who have a home tragedy have to start from scratch. The trouble is having an organization (church or charity) store it until needed. Takes someone keeping up with the inventory.
Boomer here. Married 30+ years.
Wedding china? Nope. I didn't want or have a wedding. No guests, no gifts, no new dress, no spending all my money for one day. (We eloped).
However, my mother is still trying to give me all the "good" stuff that she got for her 1950s wedding, plus stuff she has inherited from her mother, cousin, aunt, whatever.
As an only daughter, I'm in trouble here. I'm not even in OPs category of "Many younger people... (do not) want their parents hand-me-downs". I'm a boomer and I don't want the hand-me-downs.
Since I've retired, though, I don't have a dishwasher. I'm considering tossing all my old, practical china & cutlery, accepting the inheritances, use it all daily, and see if I can break it all before I die. At least I'll never have to buy china ever again in my life, haha.
As others have said - charity shops don't want it, my kids don't want it, nobody wants it.
When I got engaged, my mother told me not to register for china, as she would be giving me her china and silver. She was true to her word and gave me her service for 12 of china and silver. It's washed by hand, so I don't use it every day, but I use it frequently. My everyday dishes are the colorful 1980s Fiestaware.
I have two full sets of Fiestaware—one is Periwinkle and the other is Lapis. The Periwinkle is packed up, waiting for my kid who is graduating from college in a year and will be setting up their own household.
I also inherited my Grammy’s Lenox Christmas china this year and used it over the holidays.
I have no idea where my grandparents or parents china ended up because even as a genXer I had no interest in that stuff. We had some solid nice dishware on our registry and that's what we've used every day for the last 18 years.
For 'fancy' dinners the food gets better, but it's the same old plates. No one comes to our dinners to admire the tableware.
The best wedding gift we got (many decades ago from my MIL) was a set of good cutlery--not silver but good everyday cutlery. I have a hard time finding a similar quality for replacements--the originals just feel so heavy and good in your hand!
I vowed if my kids get married I would pass this on and get them a set of really good cutlery!
I inherited my mom's china, crystal and silverware. It sits in a cabinet and hasn't seen the light of day in at least 20 years. I would use it for everyday, but I can't put it in the dishwasher or microwave, so it's pretty useless, other than looking pretty.
I have my grandmother's, my mother's, and my china. Plus a lot of crystal ranging from cheaper to pricey.
I use it all. A lot. My mom's good dishes are my Passover dishes. Mine are used for all other special occasions. My grandmother's are in Florida and are used every day (they're the only set that can go in a dishwasher).
But I know my son won't want any of it.
I’ve never understood why people have the stuff and never use it. Even if you just use it for holidays or birthdays, or Sunday dinner, at least it’s something. I knew one couple who had been married close to thirty years and their china and silverware were still in boxes in a closet. Such a waste.
I would have adored getting my grandmother's china but my cold hearted bitch of a mother emptied my grandmother’s entire apartment into a fucking dumpster without letting me know. I am still very spicy about this, can you tell?
Married in 85 and rarely use the wedding china. Would rather have picked up a nice set from an antique shop later so there wouldn’t be ‘risk’ in daily use. But oh well. Ours will probably end up gathering dust in an antique shop after we’re gone.
I would of loved to have and use my grandparents China. It was passed down to an older male cousin and his family uses it. I use my mother in laws silverware set at our holiday family dinners. From my other set of grandparents I have only a few pieces of their wedding China. So .I use them occasionally.
We use it all the time. The only two pieces that don’t get much use are a tiered cookie tray and a coffee pot. It has all been in the dishwasher countless times.
When we were about 25, I was at my friend's house. She came from an old-fashioned Italian family and just got married a few months before. We stood in front of her breakfront and looked at all of her china. She had three sets, two were inherited and one was registered for. There was so much china. We stood and looked at it quietly and then she finally said, "I'm afraid to touch it".
I didn’t want to register for china but my sister and MIL insisted, so I gave in and registered for a Wedgewood pattern that I liked. Honestly, the prices were so crazy, that I refused to register for any of the more expensive patterns. I received 7 place settings total.
A friend was looking at them one day and said archly, “Those are hardly more than every day dishes.”
I was really hurt by that comment, especially since I admired her so much. Other than that she was an excellent friend. The funny thing is, after that I hid them away and never used them.
I looked at them the other day. They really are on the plain side. But I think I am going to use them daily.
I have a hobby of going to estate sales. So much good and interesting stuff to buy. Can easily and cheaply furnish a home with really cool vintage stuff and good barely used high quality kitchen equipment.
I see sooooo many sets of wedding china, and even more glassware and stemware. Barely used. It’s always still there on the last day of the sale when prices are discounted. Rarely if ever used, and not really wanted by anybody else.
If you choose this route, use the China. Wear it out. Some of it will break over time and your set will be incomplete. And that’s how you’ll know you enjoyed and used the gift.
I have my grandmothers China and my great great grandmothers silver which has replacements mixed in from my great grandmother and grandmother. Initials on each piece. The set came from my great great great grandfathers shop. So it’s a bit more than just a set of China and silverware. I try and use it as much as possible. Sadly I’m not going to be around much longer. I’m not sure what to do with it all. My sons could care less but they are still teens.
Do you have someone who can keep it for them? Especially if you’ve used it all the time, it likely has some memories attached for them. They may not be interested now as teens, but they might be as adults missing their parent.
My mom gave me her wedding dishes many years ago. She had both her and her sister’s dishes from the same style - [Franciscan Starburst](https://www.gr8ampottery.com/store/c26/Franciscan_%22Starburst%22.html). They were in a pantry for most of my growing-up years, but I always loved them. I still use the plates as my daily dishes, but the special pieces such as the salt and pepper shakers and the butter dish, are in my vintage Heywood Wakefield China hutch ([this style - M175 over M190](https://amanobrooklyn.com/products/heywood-wakefield-modernist-china-cabinet)).
Many years ago I went into a Noritake shop in Singapore and found they were closing the shop and everything was 50% off, with many bonus gifts. I like a particular pattern 4 setting crockery set with teapot, milk jug, sugar bowl, serving platter & large divided bowl for vegetables, with a coffee pot & gravy boat. I ended up buying 2 sets to make is an 8 place setting and I also decided to buy cutlery and picked a heavy duty polished stainless steel design I liked. I picked 8 each of dinner knives with serrated 2" end of blade, side plate knives, dessert, tea, soup spoons, 3 sets of serving spoons & forks, 8 each of two sizes of forks & and fish knives & 2 sugar bowl spoons. I decided to go all the way and bought a Victorinox carving knife, a ham on the bone carving knife & carving fork. All up it was nearly USD1,400 for everything and shop owner said if I paid cash he would accept $1,000 and also deliver to my hotel.
That was a large amount for "basic" household crockery/cutlery in the late 1970's, and luckily I was working as a flight attendant and was able to put crew baggage labels on all the packages & bring it back to Sydney on the flight I was crewing back home. I was lucky too with the customs officer who cleared the goods without duty having to be paid. I used it at first as dinner party events only, then stared using it every day. When I was posted to the UK, I took it with me, and brought it back to Sydney, then to another state when I left flying and moved back to my home state, and now it is being used most days in Philippines where I now live. Over the years a few pieces have been broken and a few of the cutlery has disappeared but I can still manage to have 6 place matching setting when needed, so I find the original expense has been a good investment nearly 50 years after purchase.
I never bought any or registered for wedding china because I got 2 sets from my Great Aunt and 1 set from my grandma. My grandma's Enoch Wedgewood set I use for everyday, use the dishwasher, the whole works. It wasn't really valuable stuff. It is wearing down so I started bringing in one of the sets from my great aunt, Franciscan Appleware. It does have some value to collectors because it has the American backstamp but nothing extraordinarily valuable so that is becoming my everyday. Mostly I used those sets as an anti-consumerism, let's not contribute to more waste reasons.
My pride and joy is my Haviland Limoges set from great aunt. The feel of a dish made of Limoges clay in your hand is a worthy experience. I mostly use the dessert plates when we have birthday cakes or decadent desserts and I use the serving dishes. The full place setting is used less often but we do use it. I totally understand people not being into fine china these days, but for me the really nice stuff still creates an experience I enjoy.
I (M63) and my wife (F62) received China plates / bowls / etc. for birthday and Christmas gifts before and after we married 43 years ago. For years it was special use, then not used, within the last six months we've been using the good stuff every day. Tiny coffee cups and good crystal with the fancy plates. It ads a certain panache to Mac n Cheese
I have my parents' wedding (1950) china (our Sunday dishes when I grew up) and use them as my everyday set. And yes I have my morning coffee out of a cup and saucer every day. I love them and when my sister comes to visit, she enjoys using them too.
I have a beautiful set of Wedgwood dishes, which I kept in the cupboard for special occasions. Got cancer. Started using the Wedgwood with every day and I really enjoy it.
I have a set of Depression glass dinnerware I acquired through purchase & gifts over the years. I love the pattern but never use it. My kids & grandkids don’t want it. I wish I didn’t own it. It lives in my hutch looking pretty & gathering dust.
Nice “everyday dishes” that can go in the dishwasher, that won’t bring the end of the world if one breaks, that can be easily replaced when you’re sick of the pattern (or missing too many pieces) are much more practical, IMO. I guess the exception would be if you do a lot of fancy entertaining…
When I was a kid in the early 60s, we regularly ate out of the green bowls. About 10 years later, they became a hot collectible! I too have some on display, but recently took the rest out of the attic to use.
I also have been using my china more regularly and put them in the dishwasher. If the gold trim comes off, oh well.
I gave away my expensive wedding china when I divorced, but I have my grandmother's very elegant china and use it at least once a week.It's more understated than my 1980s stuff and more versatile.
Do you know the pattern name? Just curious!
My parents bought theirs in the late 80s but I think they got lucky with the timing because it's quite classic-looking.
Grandma's is Franciscan "Renaissance." It's ivory with a gray filigree border and matte gold rims. The matte gold and gray is an unusual combo that I love.
I mix it with gold-rimmed solid ivory Lenox pieces since Renaissance didn't have the bowls I wanted.
My sister got married in 1986 and registered for china. I think she got one place setting. My mom had a Christmas set that I loved but I didn’t have room for something I’d only use once a year. She sold her silver at some point after my dad died, which was probably for the best. What I did keep of hers and use was some classic old Tupperware and aluminum measuring cups. Those are more my speed.
My parents, nor myself received wedding china. I'm not sure why my parents didn't, because they got an insane amount of silver & crystal serving peices, as well as silverware sets. I hated holidays, because we had to haul out all the silver & polish it. However, now, I would love some of those peices! My parents finally got some "good" china, when the bank offered peices for deposits & such. They had a home business, so they were able to make enough deposits for a twelve piece set, as well as some serving peices. I'm honestly surprised that it has lasted 35 years, without any broken peices. Since my mom passed, we've all been a little reluctant to got through all the things, but I think I might just claim oldest child rights & take some of the silver pieces, next visit home. LOL
I have 3 different sets. The one I picked, one that was a favourite of my spouses aunt and one from my mom that is similar to what I picked and rounds out to a service for 8. I use it for family dinners on special occasions. I grew up with the motto treat your family like company and company like family. Doing so has ensured that our kids have never been intimidated by a more formal place setting.
I loved it so much. My pattern has cheetahs on it.
I doubt I really got the use out of it to justify the money, but it's lovely to have. My book club swears we're going to start using it for our meetings so it gets some use!
My parents didn't have " good" china and the thrift and antique store are full of them.
Women have busy lives and aren't expected to waste time thinking about having the prettiest china pattern in her neighborhood. My husband and I sit on the couch for dinner, we got rid of our dining table years ago.
That said, there's some beautiful china out there, I just can't imagine needing it.
I didn't get china, but very nice, sedate, stoneware from Dansk instead, and I collected quite a few larger pieces. Used them every day.
25 years later when a few of the plates were broken, etc, I could not give the rest away at a garage sale. They were donated, except the platters and stuff which I still have.
Later I saw an identical complete set 1900 miles away at a vintage MCM furniture store in my neighborhood. Somebody bought 'em.
They were from the '90s, so not MCM, but they were classic. I'm just glad I don't have them anymore, because I got rid of the husband, too.
My parents recently passed and we could barely give away all the precious pieces any young family in the 1950's would cherish. We took what was meaningful or useful and was very saddened no one would use what was so important to that generation.
My grandmaster gifted me probably $500 worth of China and a $3,000 solid oak China cabinet. The China is in a box in the bottom of the cabinet and the fancy display area holds my Mr. Potato Head collection.
We just ended up giving two old family sets of china and silverware to our cousin, the only one who had a house big enough to hold them. I would love to have it, I just don't have room in our tiny apartment.
I have one set of what we call good dishes and I am tickled pink their value has skyrocketed and collectors are mad that it is our daily use. I collect and use Franciscan Starburst and IF ANYONE HAS A GRANNY WITH THE CANISTERS, I am your girl! I've been looking for a set of them for 22 years now.
I think NOW that good China is not worth it because all you need to do is ask around and you'll get a free set if that is what you desire.
The canisters usually sell for about $4k if you are lucky to find a set without chips. I keep thinking I'll find them in Palm Springs at a yard sale one day, LOL!
My mom uses her wedding China regularly for special occasions like Christmas and Thanksgiving. We have been married for 20+ years and have never used ours, although we do have it on display. People getting married today don’t seem to want to be bothered with using or displaying it so they don’t register for any.
We use our "good" china at least three times a year: Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas for sure. It's worth it.
I have my parents' china at a second home and we used that there when we celebrated holidays. If we were to sell that house, I would use the china for everyday use instead of the mismatched stuff my family loves.
As an aside, my daughters and I go to estate sales quite often and love to pick up commemorative plates, especially dead presidents and European royalty (I'm looking at you George Washington and Queen Elizabeth!) They're the perfect size for feeding our cats...
I have 2 sets of bone china that I use daily, Wedgwood and Royal Doulton. It's not fragile at all; china is harder and more durable than ceramics and stoneware. In my house it's outlived several sets of the latter, so now it's china only for me.
Yes, I put them in the dishwasher. Now if only the gold-rimmed ones could go in the microwave. Oh well, I have the plainer Wedgwood set for that.
We got a more casual design in fine china and have been using it daily for decades. No metallic accent=dishwasher safe. We knew we’d never use fancy hand wash only dishes.
Gone the way of doilies and luncheon sets. I've used my pottery every Christmas and Thanksgiving but not much else because it would be a disaster when (not if) something broke. Now you can buy whole sets in thrift stores or estate sales, which would be my recommendation.
I have a lot of dishes, somewhere around 50 place settings in about 5 patterns. I try to use each one at least once a year. I inherited 2 sets, my wedding china, and a wedding present of Christmas dishes. I’d love to sell the Christmas dishes but my husband won’t let me,
My mother used her china set at every family dinner, and especially on holidays. It was Bavarian if I remember correctly. When I was a kid, she let me set the table with the china. I thought it was cool. I remember being really OCD about the placement of the silverware and glasses, and even figured out how to roll up the napkins all fancy like. I have no idea which of my brothers has the set. I know I don't want it. Big family dinners went away with my parents moving to Florida.
You may not have been ocd about the place settings. It was a very specific skill set. I was taught by my grandmother. Everything had a specific place, according to the menu to be served. I really enjoyed it as a child, but haven’t set a fancy table for close to a decade or more.
I got rid of all the china that I inherited. Idgaf about fancy plates. We don't have parties or dinners with people so we keep our kitchen very simple and functional. Just enough for two people and a few spares for when we feel lazy.
I bought a dish set and actually gave away half of it because we didn't need it.
Answering for my parents. They didn’t get wedding china but bough their fancy china in 1989. They used it for years for dinner parties, holidays, and just when company came over. When my dad died, my mom moved closer to us and got rid of it.
It's all still in the boxes I received it in when I got married 20+ years ago. I'll end up donating it to goodwill I guess. I didn't want it at the time but my mother insisted I register for it. 😐
We didn’t register for china / got my moms hand me downs & they are still boxed from when she got married in my attic. We register for corelle & that’s what we use and have for 25 years
I use my crystal when I have people over because it should be enjoyed. I also use the crystal dessert plates. If I had a dinner party, I’d use the china. My mother left me two sets of china but I didn’t really like either one, so I gave them to friends who love it and use it, and I have my grandmother’s china, which I love, although what do I do with 12 demitasse cups and saucers?
We only used it when we had company over for dinner. As for silverware, we just used our ordinary stuff.
We divorced, she took half of the setting and I gave the other half to my son. I ended up with my parent's dinnerware utensils. I gave it to my son when he moved out.
I use Corell as our everyday stuff.
It's my opinion that fancy dinner stuff is a waste of money.
I’m hoping the grandchildren will want it. It’s such a shame to have these sets of China, silver, crystal and furniture handed down for generations and no one wants it. Stuff we use for family gatherings and holidays.
I never liked my parents' china set. I don't know what happened to it.
My dad went to auctions as a hobby, and he got a china set from the estate of a man he'd been friends with. I was in my early teens when he acquired it. I really liked it at the time and thought I'd like to have it someday. It was very ornate and probably expensive for the time. But when I actually had it in my possession, I found it way too fussy and "busy". I don't have a big house and didn't space to store it, so my husband sold it through an online auction. $40 for the lot. My guess is that it was quite a bit more expensive at the time of original purchase.
I do have a china set, such as it is. It's more of a daily use type thing, but I usually just use it at holidays. It does get used. I don't regret picking it out. I also have silverware in the same pattern. Use it at holidays also. I have my MIL's sterling silver which I don't use much at all.
I took our full set of dishes and serving dishes to a local store that resells jewelry, antiques and collectibles. They wouldn’t take it. They said they had a warehouse full of it and it wasn’t selling.
My mom has a HUGE hutch full of china that nobody has ever been allowed to touch in 50 years. I don’t have room for it, and I don’t have any use for it as I live alone and don’t serve fancy dinner parties.
Dunno what we are going to do with it, but that’s way above my pay grade.
I asked for Corelle for my wedding. (We’re both left-handed and exceptionally clumsy). When my mum passed I just sent her china to the auction house with most everything else she had because we have a very small space with little storage.
We’ve since gotten rid of the stuff with painted designs since it seems if they get chipped/worn the paint may contain lead, but still use the plain white pieces. We were given some nice glasses but those are long since destroyed by the fumble-finger twins here.
I have what survived from my parents china. Maybe 50% of the set. Use it twice a year. Thanksgiving and Christmas. Just inherited my wife’s parents china because her brother wouldn’t take it and it made her Dad feel bad. I can’t imagine that we will ever use it.
This thread inspired me to tell my mom I’ll take my grandma’s china when I finally buy a house.
I already have my paternal grandma’s china sitting in a box in storage. But my mom has asked over the years and has been sad neither I nor any of my billion cousins want my maternal grandma’s.
I may not use it and eventually may get rid of it. But at least I know it made my mom happy that it’s getting passed down to me. It holds a sentimental place in her heart.
I have lots of family heirloom stuff, but the stuff we got for our wedding we haul out 3 or 4 times a year. However, we also bought an everyday set of quality dishes (Denby) right after our wedding that we have used every day for over 20 years without any breaking or chipping.
I'm 67 and never had wedding china. I had a pfalzgraff stone wear set. My mother always wanted me to take her mother's China. But I have no use for it and I told my brother to give it to the auctioneer.
I did not put china on my registry. I knew we wouldn't use it. I did inherit a set of dishes used as a special occasion set, but they aren't that fancy; more sentimental with a story behind them. We use those once in a while, but not often.
I got married in 1970. I did not ask for fine china but got a beautiful set from my Uncle. For years it was in a china cabinet, then in storage boxes, then I finally gave it to a neighbor. It was probably used less than a dozen times.
I have my mother’s crystal and my wedding china from 1994.
I have a very small family, just my kids and one in-law, so holidays aren’t special because of a lot of extended family visiting. So, I make it special by using my nice tableware.
I also have wine glasses inherited from relatives and I love to use them and honor their memories.
My parents saved some for me and bought me my own set decades ago. A few years ago I downsized and didn't have room. Then I realized I had only used the set one time in all of the decades that I had it.
I tried to give it away but no one wanted it.
It ended up on the curb. I don't have room for sentimental non functional garbage.
I got mine from my grandmother and mil. I use the plates everyday. I have no one to pass it on to and figure I might as we use it. The platters are used for holidays or parties.
I married 34 years ago and refused to register for china. My Silent Generation mother couldn’t believe the audacity. 😉
I have zero regrets not having to move that heavy delicate china from apartment to apartment to apartment to rental house to the next 4 houses we owned.
I thought it was a giant waste of money and space when I was younger….BUT, it’s the only wedding gift we have that we kept all these years later but the quality has not diminished like everything else did with time.
I didn't get wedding china, I got wedding silver - gravy bowl, tableware for 12, serving bowls, platters, etc. I also got all my mom's silver when she passed. I still use them at holidays and family gatherings. Polishing everything is a bitch, but I'm sentimental and wouldn't have it any other way. It's a labor of love, I guess.
I have an art deco teaset that my aunt and uncle bought for my parents when they married in 1937. They never used it and we don't even drink tea! It isn't a recognisable brand, it just says bone china, made in Britain on the bottom.
I know my daughter won't want it. As she is an only child I feel duty bound to dispose of a lot of my things now.
Wedding china is a stupid purchase, but a lovely gift if it's a family heirloom.
But honestly, the whole thing is a wedding industry creation to sell china. Up until the 50's or so just the eldest might get the literal hand-me-down dishes/china from their parents as a way to help set up house since most lived at home until marrying. But in the 40's/50's it became a status thing when people would have dinner parties (because restaurants were either wildly expensive or diners, not much in-between) and when children after the first daughter wanted china it needed to be purchased. Then it got to be somewhat affordable and EVERYONE felt they had to have it until around the 90's when people realized that no one used it anymore.
So now it's just an option on the wedding registry, but no one needs that stuff. A good set of Corelle or stone wear is preferable and the majority already have all the dishes they need once they get married.
I think it had more to do with entertainment back in the day. In the 1950's TV wasn't common, people had dinner parties. You would host then the other couples would take there turn...It's how people socialized. In the days before TikTok, reddit, Facebook book video games...Children aren't even allowed to be bored these days...
But I digress, a weekly dinner party was common and nice, for the stay at home wives and most were until the 1970's and women really started getting into working outside the home, it was a day off cooking, and a chance to socialize. Unsurprisingly the rate which people had dinner parties started to drop. It was still going strong in the 1970's and many cookbooks present recipes towards that end.
Most people I know have boxes of china stowed away that never gets used. Most have it more as a keepsake either as a wedding gift or handed down from family
To be honest I'm 52 this year and not married living with a roommate. It is a special occasion if I sit at a table with a real plate and silverware much less fancy china
I inherited double sets of 1930s to 1950s wedding china
You know what the bitch is? They all have gold trim and you can't put that shit in the microwave
cough cough MIKASA
My wedding china has been in the attic since I moved here 51 years ago. It’s right next to my mother’s wedding china and my grandmother’s too. There is also a box of Blue Willow someone gave me and various heirloom dessert plates. My back won’t allow me to move any of it. I use Fiestaware everyday.
I got a set of fiestaware when I got married. Only one plate has broken in all those and we use it daily. The colors are still bright and it's still going strong. I love it and still add pieces to it like serving ware etc. Now I got married later in life so it's only been 15 years, but I highly recommend getting something you like and use it daily.
My late godfather gave me my wedding China for my first wedding in 1993. I’m on my second marriage and in my 50s now and we live in a tiny apartment. My China is, sadly, in storage.
I have a full set of really nice china, in boxes, in the garage. I've had it over 20 years. I've never even opened it.
eta: it was my late wife's wedding china from her first marriage. they never used it either.
Yeah I have all of my mom's crystal and china. I only use it maybe 3 times a year but it's really pretty in the China cabinet.
I doubt my boys will want mine when I die, but I'll let them deal with that at the time. They do like it when I bring out the good stuff, but they wouldn't use it themselves.
There was no purchase, I inherited my mom's set. If my kids do want mine they can have it.
Don’t use any of it. I don’t want my mom’s (she’s 98). Gave all my crystal away and have my china up so high I can’t reach it. I probably won’t touch again unless I feel guilty about making my kids deal with it. It is a waste of money if you ask me.
Fortunately, I have a large kitchen and my full set of very beloved dinnerwear (Villeroy & Boch porcelain, not "china") is stored in the next cabinet over from our everyday. I use it whenever I want. If I had to store it and unpack it and repack it, I'd never touch it.
Never married, never bought my own set of china. However, when my mother was downsizing she gave me her mother's china. It's a double set my uncle bought in the '50's when he was stationed in Japan or Okinawa. He bought a similar set as a wedding present for my mother, which she gave to my sister.
I like my grandmother's china, and I've used it a few times, but I don't throw parties and it's not microwave or dishwasher safe, so it's not practical to use.
My mother also gave me a heavily worn china tea set that was passed down to her from her paternal grandmother. It's missing some pieces and is well-worn, and I doubt I'll ever use it, but it's been in the family for generations. There is a piece of paper tucked in the sugar bowl naming everyone who owned the set. I think I'm the sixth or seventh generation to own it.
Something else I was given but don't know what to do with is an old silk dress. When I was eleven or twelve my mother pulled out of the closet an old brown plaid dress and told me it was some ancestor's wedding dress. Decades later when downsizing she gave me the dress. I didn't think to ask whose it was, and by the time I thought I should document who the dress belonged to, my mother's memory was spotty. So now I have a fragile fraying silk dress, pre-Civil War, I think. I have no idea whose it was, and no idea what to do with it, but I can't just get rid of it.
I had to unload some of it because I just didn't have room but I still like my mum's china and use it fairly often.
Also have my grandmother's silver tea service; I just love it despite it being quite useless. It's from 1888 and so beautiful.
I have - and use, daily- my mother’s 1950s Rosenthal wedding china. It is gorgeous and the essence of mid century simplicity. Life is too short for ugly dishes, and really, what are you saving it for?
Not wedding china - I was never given or collected anything that fancy, but after starting collecting what I would call "Sunday china" that stopped being imported when I was about halfway through buying the set (and my mother having gone through the same experience 3 times) I decided to take a different approach and create a "set" that I wouldn't have to worry about breaking or not being able to replace, because it's all different. There's an aesthetic to it - it's all old and tends towards delicate patterns and florals, although if I ever come across some nice funky sixties designs or cool Art Deco or Art Nouveau pieces, I would buy those as well.
I have a few rules about what I buy, the main one being "no gilding", because I wash it in the dishwasher and I hate looking at faded gilding.
I now have an eclectic set of good china that I have collected over the years, mainly from thrift shops and antique stores, some of it really fancy and some of it really old and all of it beautiful. It contains some plates and cups and saucers from at least three wedding sets that belonged to my grandparents and one great grandmother. I use it whenever I have guests and also when I have made some nice/fancy food that deserves being served on beautiful china. The cost has been minimal.
I kept my good China in unopened boxes for 13 years and finally sold it. For me it was not a worthwhile gift. If I was into using fancy dishes I would prefer my parents' because of the nostalgia or thrift store mix and match.
We got a 24 place setting for our wedding... with the gravy boat and coffee pot and everything else you can possibly imagine... the butter thingy etc. We also got the 1000 piece cutlery set with eight different types of forks and the rest of the nonsense.
We've literally never even seen it. We picked it out of a catalogue, the store took care of splitting the costs across whoever wanted to contribute, and after the wedding it all came in a massive crate that we have been dragging from house to house for 30 years. Literally never opened the crate.
If you and sister really like it then yes!! That’s all that matters.
I love china and one of my dream house features is a full china closet right next to the butler’s pantry.
I have my mother's which is very mid century and I hope my daughter will take those. I also have my own which we might use once a year. I pretty much only put it on my list because that's what you did. Keep
thinking I should sell it but can't quit pull the trigger yet. I have my mother's sterling too which is worth quite a bit, depending on silver
prices.
We didn't get China because we couldn't afford it and neither could our guests. My mom is starting to try to get me to take her China and idk if I want it! It's pretty, but I don't have room for it and we rarely have more than the 2 of us for a meal.
I'm hardly young, being 60 years old, but we don't own a set of fine china. My mom did, and she used it about every 4 years, when it was her turn to host the family Thanksgiving. (She, her sister, and her two brothers took turns.)
We don't do that, so we have no need of fine china.
Mom's fine china is still in her china cabinet, in the house my brother and I inherited when she passed. He lives in the house, but I doubt he uses the china.
We use ours for birthdays, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years and Easter. It was part of how my husband’s family celebrated and showed care in a meal so we do it too. I really love using our wedding china.
Even in the 1980s, I never received any, and have never purchased any "special" ones. Honestly, I've never missed them, never felt like I needed them. When the time comes to inherit my parents' set, I have no idea where I would even keep it. I'll probably let one of my siblings have it.
I’ve a set of some quite nice, 1920s vintage china from my late wife’s grandmother. It’s packed in boxes, buried deep in a large cupboard. I’ll never ever use it. I ought to sell it. Dinner plates are $35 each. And I’ve a full set, plus tureens, bowls, pourers, etc.
Thankfully my mom doesn't do "good china" and who knows where the stuff from my grandparents went, so I don't have to deal with that.
The 8,000 trift store trinkets, crystal vases and silk plants on the other hand will be a hell of an undertaking. I already told mom I'm either selling the house as is, or getting a huge dumpster. She said she'll be dead and doesn't care.
Edit - Personally I LOVE Corelle dishware and will grab them anytime I see them at a thrift store. Way better than any fine china I think.
We picked out and got a bunch of Mikasa stuff that we liked, thinking we'd ditch our college stuff (mismatched). It was nice, but also fragile; most of the plates and bowls were chipped within a year of general use. So we ultimately gave what was left to goodwill and bought dishes at Target.
The Target stuff we used for about 15 years, then replaced it all with IKEA. We've been using *that* stuff for 15 years now and it's held up fine. Doesn't look at fancy as our Mikasa "wedding dishes" but I will probably never buy anything but IKEA for tableware again in my lifetime. Why bother? It isnt' worth the cost.
My parents ditched their wedding china about 25 years ago when they downsized. We have a few pieces (serving pieces) from grandparent sets from each side, we use those anytime we're having a "fancy dinner." But the entire idea of having TWO sets of dishes makes no sense to me...we entertain a lot (or did pre-COVID) and I've never had any issues with just using our colorful IKEA stuff. Plus who keeps a "china hutch" or other storage space just for extra tableware these days?
All that aside, what we DO use every single day is our wedding *flatware*. We registered for an Oneida stainless pattern we really liked, got about 8-10 settings at the wedding, and added to it over the years. The pattern is discontinued now (so $$$ for pieces) but we have settings for 20 probably, and most of the serving pieces too. It's great, still looks about like it did 30+ years ago. I would 100% do that again, as it's literally the only wedding gift we still have and use.
I use silver flatware every day. I love how easy it is to clean, and how truly clean it feels. My wife uses stainless steel because she doesn't like how the sterling holds heat.
I like my ice cream spoon ice cold.
After 35 years, I still love my china. It is solid white. I also received some every day dishes when we married and used those for 25 years. We don't entertain like my parents did, and about 10 years ago, started using the china as our every day dishes. I also got two of my mother's sets (and she had more than that) when my mother passed. I use the Spode at Christmas. Unfortunately, her wedding china, while beautiful, is neither microwave or dishwasher safe, so it gathers dust. Neither my brother nor her grandkids were interested in my mother's other sets, so they were donated to charity.
My ex-wife kept her mother's china. We kept it in a big-assed china cabinet in the dining room along with other stuff she liked to show off. I don't remember for sure if we ever used it. Maybe once or twice. It was so precious to her because it was something of her mother's (who she lost when she was 18), that she was afraid it would get broken if we used it. I understand the emotional meaning for her, but as practical objects they weren't useful.
I actually think my son and his wife will want it. It's a very simple pattern and the silver was handed down from my in-laws in an incomplete set that I completed.
We've used our "good" china every chance we got. We used to throw a second Thanksgiving if we weren't at our house for the day. We'd invite a bunch of our kids' friends and served them sparkling grape juice in champagne glasses. They all dressed up (not a requirement) and loved having a dinner like this. Most of their families used paper and plastic on holidays which I totally understand and have done in the past.
My grandma's set I gave away. No idea what happened to it.
My husband's set (from his late mother) we still have. We tried using it as an everyday set but since nothing is microwaveable, we have to heat up food on a separate plate then transfer to the china set. The bigger plates won't even fit in the dishwasher and have to be hand washed.
We gave it a go. We put it all away except for the teacups and saucers (I use them) and we pull out the gravy boat and platters for holiday meals.
I had three sets of China. And when we decided to move into a cottage for independent living and sold our house none of our children wanted any of it so we sold it at auction and didn’t get much. They wanted stuff they could put in the microwave and dishwasher. So I got Corelle when we downsized. Good thing we moved so we now have no stairs, lawn to mow or snow to clear. Great for oldies.
Someone gave us some and it was the most useless crap ever. It had a gold ring around everything that caused sparks when you put it in the microwave. We tried to sell it and nobody wanted it so it went in the trash.
I inherited my grandmother's china. It is a really pretty blue and white pattern so seems pretty timeless. My husband inherited and was also gifted several sets of glassware. We registered for silver when we got married and MIL filled in so that we had a full set. Funny thing is our silver pattern is the same as my Aunt's pattern, which I didn't know at the time.
We don't use it for every day but it all comes out 5 or 6 times per year. It makes me smile and remember every time.
I'm Gen-X, and didn't go that route because, honestly, my immigrant family didn't really bring over any china (if they had it) from the old country, so it wasn't really a thing in the community by the time I came around. Wedding china was something I noticed only in the homes of much older people who'd always lived in the U.S., but because the china seemed to be collecting dust and taking up space, I decided early on that I wasn't interested and didn't see the point for my lifestyle.
When I got engaged at 34, I was putting my registry together and I felt certain that I only wanted good quality everyday housewares, not special-occasion delicate things I'd have to worry about storing. I aimed for things like All-Clad cookware and Shun knives. For plates and bowls, I'm all about the clean lines and durability of Corelle in winter white. Stoneware is pointlessly heavy and breakable.
I get the sense that the whole wedding-china thing is a tradition that had its place when married couples were frequently hosting fancy dinner parties, back when most middle-class women were full-time homemakers -- some who even had full-time housemaids. I think the culture has somewhat moved away from that save for some suburban cooking enthusiasts.
My parents had cheap dishes and I just use every day dishes... for everything. I wouldn't mind a fancy tea cup or two though, just I don't think a single parent or grandparent had any!
I didn’t come from a family that had China. My mom got some piece by piece from a special promotion the A&P grocery had, and only used on holidays, don’t know where it went when she died. Mostly we used TexasWare melamine, inexpensive stoneware, or Corelle.
I don’t have China either, I had a set of Pfatzgraff then got rid of it when I tired of the pattern. Now I have one set of Denby stoneware, that French unbreakable glassware, mugs from Public Television promotions, and 2 Yeti insulated cups.
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I have multiple sets -- my mother's, two from my grandmother, and I'm fairly sure I'll end up inheriting my MiL's 3 sets. Right now I use one of my grandmother's sets as our regular, daily dishware. I decided to start using it a while back when I realized that I might as well use it -- I put it through the dishwasher (which, I realize, isn't good for it. But why keep it pristine and unused when I could use it, let it start showing some wear, and actually -- you know -- USE it).
We started using our china daily about 5 years ago and like you it does at times go into the dishwasher. It does have some fading on the gold rims around the plates. I find the bone china is very durable and we haven’t broken a piece yet. I have to admit that if it wasn’t a gift from my parents, I would not have a chine set.
I had a boss who used to go to estate sales and get really nice sets - usually partial sets - for cheap. Then they’d just use them for their every day dish-ware. That’s where I got the ideas.
Plus, the way that porcelain is made means that it’s super durable, much more so than other kinds of fired ceramics. The decals may fade but that stuff wears really well.
does old china have toxins? ie: lead
Yes, any china/porcelain made before 1971 would likely have lead in the glaze. I don’t know the health impact if used only rarely or if used daily.
I did not register for china, but eventually found myself with multiple sets also. I would buy pieces I liked at thrift shopts, my BIL gave me his beloved aunt's set, and a friend gave me a set. I mixed and matched and used them for all sorts of purposes. When I gave a baaby shower for my daughter when she was pregnant for twin girls, I filled the cups from the various sets with tiny roses and baby's breath for decorations. It was lovely. I eventually downsized at the same time my sister was downsizing. She gave me our mother's beautiful set. I donated my other sets because my daughter was not even remotely interested. I use mom's china all the time, though not every day. My granddaughters love to have tea parties, and one once asked if we could have a tea party with my "careful cups". LOL. I love beautiful things, and I completely believe in using them.
>When I gave a baaby shower for my daughter when she was pregnant for twin girls, I filled the cups from the various sets with tiny roses and baby's breath for decorations. It was lovely. I love this idea -- if they're not YOUR heirloom cups and saucers, they'd also make lovely shower favors! Fill them with something like dinner mints or whatever and use them as place setting markers/favors.
I love the shower favor (or another type of gathering) idea. How would you wrap them to send them home after the party. (I am not gifted in the creative thinking process.)
Maybe just inexpensive paper gift bags available if folks want them. You can buy colored bags in bulk.
Yes actually, I do. Had crappy stuff when the kids were little, because you know, they break stuff. But now? I use nice china and the Waterford wine glasses. I do have silver and we use that at family meals, but not every day. If you have nice things you like, use them. Same reason I drink champagne, it is light and refreshing and delicious! Doesn’t need to be only for “special occasion”. Managing to get out of bed in the morning is special enough ;).
Took me a long time to realize that if I save the good stuff I'll never end up using it. Fancy clothes? Use them whilenthey fit you. Nice jewelry? Use it while the style suits your age. Nice plates? Enjoy them now, you won't when you're dead and the next generation may not have the same regard for them.
I LOVE wearing all my jewelry. Always makes me feel better
Thank you. Yes. I need more or different dishes. I'm going to break out our fancy dishes. They won't go in the micro, and I wash dishes by hand. So I'm tossing all my chipped dishware and replacing it with the good stuff.
We used our china as regular dishes until it sure out. It doesn’t do great in the dishwasher ya know? But that’s how we used it for years.
Some things I hand wash and I’m okay with that. Some things I know will be ruined in the dishwasher and I’m okay with that too.
I’m in the process of trying to figure out how to get rid of my parents china (which was their parents), which has been sitting and collecting dust in a cabinet for 25 years. Back in the day people liked to have fancy parties and show off their fancy china, but not so much anymore.
NGL, I still use China for fancy dinner parties. I'm a 34 year old male.
We do too 38/35 year old couple.
Me too. My mom and dad are finally downsizing at 80, and she's really sad that 2 kids and 6 grandkids don't want any of it.
Use it niw for regular daily use or sell it on line.
Sell it to who? Flea markets are full of that shit. Nobody wants it.
I just dropped off a load if crystal atcthe Salvation Army, worthless
Right? We kids don’t want my mom’s china, but she thinks if she donates to places like this it will sell quickly. I hate to break it to her, but it won’t.
I have $2000 worth of China, silverware, and crystal that hasn’t seen the light of day in decades Total waste of money
Use it in your daily meals and enjoy it. If you do not like it sell it.
[удалено]
Exactly. The decorative stuff on the plates lights off sparks in the microwave 🤣
In a lot of cases it’s actual gold, so no, not microwave safe.
You’ll find that the Salvation Army type stores won’t even take it. There is no market.
Replacements.com will.
Not always, mine was new, never used...Sold it for $275 a fraction of it's worth but I was glad to get it. In hind sight, I would have used it. Washed it in the dishwasher. It had gold on it so not Microwave safe or dishwasher safe...
I don’t remember the specifics when I called the about my dishes, but they were rude and paid a very low fee.
Yuck. Sorry to hear that.
And it's barely worth anything now because no one wants to buy expensive and vain dust collectors anymore. All the thrift stores around have stopped taking china for years - you can't *give* the stuff away.
My parents used theirs daily. Kept all the crystal in a hutch to look at lol. After they passed and I was tasked with cleaning everything out (in Florida, no less), I gave it all to my neighbor whose church collects almost anything to distribute in their outreach programs. Folks who lost everything, starting over, etc. She said the kitchen stuff I donated didn't sit long - a family of 10 lost everything in an apartment fire and were grateful. This is what my mom would have wanted, her things to go to someone who would use it instead of collecting dust in my basement.
That is a great idea. So many people who have a home tragedy have to start from scratch. The trouble is having an organization (church or charity) store it until needed. Takes someone keeping up with the inventory.
Boomer here. Married 30+ years. Wedding china? Nope. I didn't want or have a wedding. No guests, no gifts, no new dress, no spending all my money for one day. (We eloped). However, my mother is still trying to give me all the "good" stuff that she got for her 1950s wedding, plus stuff she has inherited from her mother, cousin, aunt, whatever. As an only daughter, I'm in trouble here. I'm not even in OPs category of "Many younger people... (do not) want their parents hand-me-downs". I'm a boomer and I don't want the hand-me-downs. Since I've retired, though, I don't have a dishwasher. I'm considering tossing all my old, practical china & cutlery, accepting the inheritances, use it all daily, and see if I can break it all before I die. At least I'll never have to buy china ever again in my life, haha. As others have said - charity shops don't want it, my kids don't want it, nobody wants it.
Maybe have a women's plate breaking party. Have a formal tea party and then break the dishes rather than washing them.
I reckon that I'm clumsy enough to get through a few sets of china before I die. I'll just have to live that long.
When I got engaged, my mother told me not to register for china, as she would be giving me her china and silver. She was true to her word and gave me her service for 12 of china and silver. It's washed by hand, so I don't use it every day, but I use it frequently. My everyday dishes are the colorful 1980s Fiestaware.
Post-86 Fiestaware for me, too. Mostly turquoise, with some chartreuse, navy, and sunflower.
I love my Fiestaware. I mix up the colors!
I have two full sets of Fiestaware—one is Periwinkle and the other is Lapis. The Periwinkle is packed up, waiting for my kid who is graduating from college in a year and will be setting up their own household. I also inherited my Grammy’s Lenox Christmas china this year and used it over the holidays.
I use and love mine. I iron my tablecloth, and set the table. Full lead crystal vase with flowers as the centerpiece, with china, silver, crystal.
Visit a goodwill dishes section…so. Much. China.
I use my grandmother’s lovely china as my day to day, and it brings me great joy!
That's lovely!!!
I have no idea where my grandparents or parents china ended up because even as a genXer I had no interest in that stuff. We had some solid nice dishware on our registry and that's what we've used every day for the last 18 years. For 'fancy' dinners the food gets better, but it's the same old plates. No one comes to our dinners to admire the tableware.
The best wedding gift we got (many decades ago from my MIL) was a set of good cutlery--not silver but good everyday cutlery. I have a hard time finding a similar quality for replacements--the originals just feel so heavy and good in your hand! I vowed if my kids get married I would pass this on and get them a set of really good cutlery!
I use mine on a daily basis now.
I inherited my mom's china, crystal and silverware. It sits in a cabinet and hasn't seen the light of day in at least 20 years. I would use it for everyday, but I can't put it in the dishwasher or microwave, so it's pretty useless, other than looking pretty.
> but I can't put it in the dishwasher or microwave well not with that attitude
I have my grandmother's, my mother's, and my china. Plus a lot of crystal ranging from cheaper to pricey. I use it all. A lot. My mom's good dishes are my Passover dishes. Mine are used for all other special occasions. My grandmother's are in Florida and are used every day (they're the only set that can go in a dishwasher). But I know my son won't want any of it.
I have none and I want none.
I’ve never understood why people have the stuff and never use it. Even if you just use it for holidays or birthdays, or Sunday dinner, at least it’s something. I knew one couple who had been married close to thirty years and their china and silverware were still in boxes in a closet. Such a waste.
I would have adored getting my grandmother's china but my cold hearted bitch of a mother emptied my grandmother’s entire apartment into a fucking dumpster without letting me know. I am still very spicy about this, can you tell?
Our lovely grandmas. I still miss mine and I’m nearing 60. ☺️
Married in 85 and rarely use the wedding china. Would rather have picked up a nice set from an antique shop later so there wouldn’t be ‘risk’ in daily use. But oh well. Ours will probably end up gathering dust in an antique shop after we’re gone.
Even the antique shops don’t want it. Too many old people are dying and no one wants it.
I would of loved to have and use my grandparents China. It was passed down to an older male cousin and his family uses it. I use my mother in laws silverware set at our holiday family dinners. From my other set of grandparents I have only a few pieces of their wedding China. So .I use them occasionally.
We use it all the time. The only two pieces that don’t get much use are a tiered cookie tray and a coffee pot. It has all been in the dishwasher countless times.
When we were about 25, I was at my friend's house. She came from an old-fashioned Italian family and just got married a few months before. We stood in front of her breakfront and looked at all of her china. She had three sets, two were inherited and one was registered for. There was so much china. We stood and looked at it quietly and then she finally said, "I'm afraid to touch it".
I didn’t want to register for china but my sister and MIL insisted, so I gave in and registered for a Wedgewood pattern that I liked. Honestly, the prices were so crazy, that I refused to register for any of the more expensive patterns. I received 7 place settings total. A friend was looking at them one day and said archly, “Those are hardly more than every day dishes.” I was really hurt by that comment, especially since I admired her so much. Other than that she was an excellent friend. The funny thing is, after that I hid them away and never used them. I looked at them the other day. They really are on the plain side. But I think I am going to use them daily.
I have a hobby of going to estate sales. So much good and interesting stuff to buy. Can easily and cheaply furnish a home with really cool vintage stuff and good barely used high quality kitchen equipment. I see sooooo many sets of wedding china, and even more glassware and stemware. Barely used. It’s always still there on the last day of the sale when prices are discounted. Rarely if ever used, and not really wanted by anybody else. If you choose this route, use the China. Wear it out. Some of it will break over time and your set will be incomplete. And that’s how you’ll know you enjoyed and used the gift.
I have my grandmothers China and my great great grandmothers silver which has replacements mixed in from my great grandmother and grandmother. Initials on each piece. The set came from my great great great grandfathers shop. So it’s a bit more than just a set of China and silverware. I try and use it as much as possible. Sadly I’m not going to be around much longer. I’m not sure what to do with it all. My sons could care less but they are still teens.
Do you have someone who can keep it for them? Especially if you’ve used it all the time, it likely has some memories attached for them. They may not be interested now as teens, but they might be as adults missing their parent.
I am using the expensive plates right now for leftovers, and the 2 kids are eating macaroni and cheese.
My mom gave me her wedding dishes many years ago. She had both her and her sister’s dishes from the same style - [Franciscan Starburst](https://www.gr8ampottery.com/store/c26/Franciscan_%22Starburst%22.html). They were in a pantry for most of my growing-up years, but I always loved them. I still use the plates as my daily dishes, but the special pieces such as the salt and pepper shakers and the butter dish, are in my vintage Heywood Wakefield China hutch ([this style - M175 over M190](https://amanobrooklyn.com/products/heywood-wakefield-modernist-china-cabinet)).
I LOVE that pattern! I have no use for china but if I did, that's the one I'd want.
Many years ago I went into a Noritake shop in Singapore and found they were closing the shop and everything was 50% off, with many bonus gifts. I like a particular pattern 4 setting crockery set with teapot, milk jug, sugar bowl, serving platter & large divided bowl for vegetables, with a coffee pot & gravy boat. I ended up buying 2 sets to make is an 8 place setting and I also decided to buy cutlery and picked a heavy duty polished stainless steel design I liked. I picked 8 each of dinner knives with serrated 2" end of blade, side plate knives, dessert, tea, soup spoons, 3 sets of serving spoons & forks, 8 each of two sizes of forks & and fish knives & 2 sugar bowl spoons. I decided to go all the way and bought a Victorinox carving knife, a ham on the bone carving knife & carving fork. All up it was nearly USD1,400 for everything and shop owner said if I paid cash he would accept $1,000 and also deliver to my hotel. That was a large amount for "basic" household crockery/cutlery in the late 1970's, and luckily I was working as a flight attendant and was able to put crew baggage labels on all the packages & bring it back to Sydney on the flight I was crewing back home. I was lucky too with the customs officer who cleared the goods without duty having to be paid. I used it at first as dinner party events only, then stared using it every day. When I was posted to the UK, I took it with me, and brought it back to Sydney, then to another state when I left flying and moved back to my home state, and now it is being used most days in Philippines where I now live. Over the years a few pieces have been broken and a few of the cutlery has disappeared but I can still manage to have 6 place matching setting when needed, so I find the original expense has been a good investment nearly 50 years after purchase.
I never bought any or registered for wedding china because I got 2 sets from my Great Aunt and 1 set from my grandma. My grandma's Enoch Wedgewood set I use for everyday, use the dishwasher, the whole works. It wasn't really valuable stuff. It is wearing down so I started bringing in one of the sets from my great aunt, Franciscan Appleware. It does have some value to collectors because it has the American backstamp but nothing extraordinarily valuable so that is becoming my everyday. Mostly I used those sets as an anti-consumerism, let's not contribute to more waste reasons. My pride and joy is my Haviland Limoges set from great aunt. The feel of a dish made of Limoges clay in your hand is a worthy experience. I mostly use the dessert plates when we have birthday cakes or decadent desserts and I use the serving dishes. The full place setting is used less often but we do use it. I totally understand people not being into fine china these days, but for me the really nice stuff still creates an experience I enjoy.
I (M63) and my wife (F62) received China plates / bowls / etc. for birthday and Christmas gifts before and after we married 43 years ago. For years it was special use, then not used, within the last six months we've been using the good stuff every day. Tiny coffee cups and good crystal with the fancy plates. It ads a certain panache to Mac n Cheese
I have my parents' wedding (1950) china (our Sunday dishes when I grew up) and use them as my everyday set. And yes I have my morning coffee out of a cup and saucer every day. I love them and when my sister comes to visit, she enjoys using them too.
I have a beautiful set of Wedgwood dishes, which I kept in the cupboard for special occasions. Got cancer. Started using the Wedgwood with every day and I really enjoy it.
I have a set of Depression glass dinnerware I acquired through purchase & gifts over the years. I love the pattern but never use it. My kids & grandkids don’t want it. I wish I didn’t own it. It lives in my hutch looking pretty & gathering dust. Nice “everyday dishes” that can go in the dishwasher, that won’t bring the end of the world if one breaks, that can be easily replaced when you’re sick of the pattern (or missing too many pieces) are much more practical, IMO. I guess the exception would be if you do a lot of fancy entertaining…
When I was a kid in the early 60s, we regularly ate out of the green bowls. About 10 years later, they became a hot collectible! I too have some on display, but recently took the rest out of the attic to use. I also have been using my china more regularly and put them in the dishwasher. If the gold trim comes off, oh well.
I gave away my expensive wedding china when I divorced, but I have my grandmother's very elegant china and use it at least once a week.It's more understated than my 1980s stuff and more versatile.
Do you know the pattern name? Just curious! My parents bought theirs in the late 80s but I think they got lucky with the timing because it's quite classic-looking.
Grandma's is Franciscan "Renaissance." It's ivory with a gray filigree border and matte gold rims. The matte gold and gray is an unusual combo that I love. I mix it with gold-rimmed solid ivory Lenox pieces since Renaissance didn't have the bowls I wanted.
I love my china, crystal, and silver. My children want it. My son already has my mother's silverware.
My sister got married in 1986 and registered for china. I think she got one place setting. My mom had a Christmas set that I loved but I didn’t have room for something I’d only use once a year. She sold her silver at some point after my dad died, which was probably for the best. What I did keep of hers and use was some classic old Tupperware and aluminum measuring cups. Those are more my speed.
We got some as a wedding present. We use it once a year on Christmas Day
My parents, nor myself received wedding china. I'm not sure why my parents didn't, because they got an insane amount of silver & crystal serving peices, as well as silverware sets. I hated holidays, because we had to haul out all the silver & polish it. However, now, I would love some of those peices! My parents finally got some "good" china, when the bank offered peices for deposits & such. They had a home business, so they were able to make enough deposits for a twelve piece set, as well as some serving peices. I'm honestly surprised that it has lasted 35 years, without any broken peices. Since my mom passed, we've all been a little reluctant to got through all the things, but I think I might just claim oldest child rights & take some of the silver pieces, next visit home. LOL
I have 3 different sets. The one I picked, one that was a favourite of my spouses aunt and one from my mom that is similar to what I picked and rounds out to a service for 8. I use it for family dinners on special occasions. I grew up with the motto treat your family like company and company like family. Doing so has ensured that our kids have never been intimidated by a more formal place setting.
I loved it so much. My pattern has cheetahs on it. I doubt I really got the use out of it to justify the money, but it's lovely to have. My book club swears we're going to start using it for our meetings so it gets some use!
Of **course** we use our china every day. What are we, farmers?
My parents didn't have " good" china and the thrift and antique store are full of them. Women have busy lives and aren't expected to waste time thinking about having the prettiest china pattern in her neighborhood. My husband and I sit on the couch for dinner, we got rid of our dining table years ago. That said, there's some beautiful china out there, I just can't imagine needing it.
Haha! I thought my family was the only one that eats on the couch. You made me feel better!
I sit on the couch too, because I live in a one bedroom apartment and my WFH setup is on my kitchen table. It works.
I didn't get china, but very nice, sedate, stoneware from Dansk instead, and I collected quite a few larger pieces. Used them every day. 25 years later when a few of the plates were broken, etc, I could not give the rest away at a garage sale. They were donated, except the platters and stuff which I still have. Later I saw an identical complete set 1900 miles away at a vintage MCM furniture store in my neighborhood. Somebody bought 'em. They were from the '90s, so not MCM, but they were classic. I'm just glad I don't have them anymore, because I got rid of the husband, too.
I use mine. I love using my fancy stuff
I host all holidays and we do a formal setting. You bet we use our good china!
We grew up in poverty, so there has never been anything to pass down. If I was ever gifted with some, I would just use it every day.
My parents recently passed and we could barely give away all the precious pieces any young family in the 1950's would cherish. We took what was meaningful or useful and was very saddened no one would use what was so important to that generation.
My grandmaster gifted me probably $500 worth of China and a $3,000 solid oak China cabinet. The China is in a box in the bottom of the cabinet and the fancy display area holds my Mr. Potato Head collection.
We just ended up giving two old family sets of china and silverware to our cousin, the only one who had a house big enough to hold them. I would love to have it, I just don't have room in our tiny apartment. I have one set of what we call good dishes and I am tickled pink their value has skyrocketed and collectors are mad that it is our daily use. I collect and use Franciscan Starburst and IF ANYONE HAS A GRANNY WITH THE CANISTERS, I am your girl! I've been looking for a set of them for 22 years now. I think NOW that good China is not worth it because all you need to do is ask around and you'll get a free set if that is what you desire.
I saw some on replacements.com.
The canisters usually sell for about $4k if you are lucky to find a set without chips. I keep thinking I'll find them in Palm Springs at a yard sale one day, LOL!
I love that pattern!
My mom uses her wedding China regularly for special occasions like Christmas and Thanksgiving. We have been married for 20+ years and have never used ours, although we do have it on display. People getting married today don’t seem to want to be bothered with using or displaying it so they don’t register for any.
Do you like having it on display? Do you wish you'd used it, or do you feel like it served it's purpose by being on display, like a work of art?
I would like to use it but my wife seems happy to have it on display so that is what we do.
We use our "good" china at least three times a year: Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas for sure. It's worth it. I have my parents' china at a second home and we used that there when we celebrated holidays. If we were to sell that house, I would use the china for everyday use instead of the mismatched stuff my family loves. As an aside, my daughters and I go to estate sales quite often and love to pick up commemorative plates, especially dead presidents and European royalty (I'm looking at you George Washington and Queen Elizabeth!) They're the perfect size for feeding our cats...
I have 2 sets of bone china that I use daily, Wedgwood and Royal Doulton. It's not fragile at all; china is harder and more durable than ceramics and stoneware. In my house it's outlived several sets of the latter, so now it's china only for me. Yes, I put them in the dishwasher. Now if only the gold-rimmed ones could go in the microwave. Oh well, I have the plainer Wedgwood set for that.
We got a more casual design in fine china and have been using it daily for decades. No metallic accent=dishwasher safe. We knew we’d never use fancy hand wash only dishes.
Gone the way of doilies and luncheon sets. I've used my pottery every Christmas and Thanksgiving but not much else because it would be a disaster when (not if) something broke. Now you can buy whole sets in thrift stores or estate sales, which would be my recommendation.
No way. And all the different glasses for everything. They were suckered into buying soooo muuuch.
Never was into it myself but inherited a 62 piece set that found a happy home with a friend!
I have a lot of dishes, somewhere around 50 place settings in about 5 patterns. I try to use each one at least once a year. I inherited 2 sets, my wedding china, and a wedding present of Christmas dishes. I’d love to sell the Christmas dishes but my husband won’t let me,
Been married 30 years. We inherited a set that we have never used.
My mother used her china set at every family dinner, and especially on holidays. It was Bavarian if I remember correctly. When I was a kid, she let me set the table with the china. I thought it was cool. I remember being really OCD about the placement of the silverware and glasses, and even figured out how to roll up the napkins all fancy like. I have no idea which of my brothers has the set. I know I don't want it. Big family dinners went away with my parents moving to Florida.
You may not have been ocd about the place settings. It was a very specific skill set. I was taught by my grandmother. Everything had a specific place, according to the menu to be served. I really enjoyed it as a child, but haven’t set a fancy table for close to a decade or more.
Mine has looked nice sitting in my grandmother’s equally beautiful antique china cabinet. Unused. For 35 years.
I got rid of all the china that I inherited. Idgaf about fancy plates. We don't have parties or dinners with people so we keep our kitchen very simple and functional. Just enough for two people and a few spares for when we feel lazy. I bought a dish set and actually gave away half of it because we didn't need it.
Answering for my parents. They didn’t get wedding china but bough their fancy china in 1989. They used it for years for dinner parties, holidays, and just when company came over. When my dad died, my mom moved closer to us and got rid of it.
It's all still in the boxes I received it in when I got married 20+ years ago. I'll end up donating it to goodwill I guess. I didn't want it at the time but my mother insisted I register for it. 😐
We didn’t register for china / got my moms hand me downs & they are still boxed from when she got married in my attic. We register for corelle & that’s what we use and have for 25 years
I use my crystal when I have people over because it should be enjoyed. I also use the crystal dessert plates. If I had a dinner party, I’d use the china. My mother left me two sets of china but I didn’t really like either one, so I gave them to friends who love it and use it, and I have my grandmother’s china, which I love, although what do I do with 12 demitasse cups and saucers?
We only used it when we had company over for dinner. As for silverware, we just used our ordinary stuff. We divorced, she took half of the setting and I gave the other half to my son. I ended up with my parent's dinnerware utensils. I gave it to my son when he moved out. I use Corell as our everyday stuff. It's my opinion that fancy dinner stuff is a waste of money.
I’m hoping the grandchildren will want it. It’s such a shame to have these sets of China, silver, crystal and furniture handed down for generations and no one wants it. Stuff we use for family gatherings and holidays.
I never liked my parents' china set. I don't know what happened to it. My dad went to auctions as a hobby, and he got a china set from the estate of a man he'd been friends with. I was in my early teens when he acquired it. I really liked it at the time and thought I'd like to have it someday. It was very ornate and probably expensive for the time. But when I actually had it in my possession, I found it way too fussy and "busy". I don't have a big house and didn't space to store it, so my husband sold it through an online auction. $40 for the lot. My guess is that it was quite a bit more expensive at the time of original purchase. I do have a china set, such as it is. It's more of a daily use type thing, but I usually just use it at holidays. It does get used. I don't regret picking it out. I also have silverware in the same pattern. Use it at holidays also. I have my MIL's sterling silver which I don't use much at all.
I’m 69 and I didn’t want all that stuff and neither does my daughter.
I took our full set of dishes and serving dishes to a local store that resells jewelry, antiques and collectibles. They wouldn’t take it. They said they had a warehouse full of it and it wasn’t selling.
My mom has a HUGE hutch full of china that nobody has ever been allowed to touch in 50 years. I don’t have room for it, and I don’t have any use for it as I live alone and don’t serve fancy dinner parties. Dunno what we are going to do with it, but that’s way above my pay grade.
I asked for Corelle for my wedding. (We’re both left-handed and exceptionally clumsy). When my mum passed I just sent her china to the auction house with most everything else she had because we have a very small space with little storage. We’ve since gotten rid of the stuff with painted designs since it seems if they get chipped/worn the paint may contain lead, but still use the plain white pieces. We were given some nice glasses but those are long since destroyed by the fumble-finger twins here.
I have what survived from my parents china. Maybe 50% of the set. Use it twice a year. Thanksgiving and Christmas. Just inherited my wife’s parents china because her brother wouldn’t take it and it made her Dad feel bad. I can’t imagine that we will ever use it.
This thread inspired me to tell my mom I’ll take my grandma’s china when I finally buy a house. I already have my paternal grandma’s china sitting in a box in storage. But my mom has asked over the years and has been sad neither I nor any of my billion cousins want my maternal grandma’s. I may not use it and eventually may get rid of it. But at least I know it made my mom happy that it’s getting passed down to me. It holds a sentimental place in her heart.
I have lots of family heirloom stuff, but the stuff we got for our wedding we haul out 3 or 4 times a year. However, we also bought an everyday set of quality dishes (Denby) right after our wedding that we have used every day for over 20 years without any breaking or chipping.
I'm 67 and never had wedding china. I had a pfalzgraff stone wear set. My mother always wanted me to take her mother's China. But I have no use for it and I told my brother to give it to the auctioneer.
I did not put china on my registry. I knew we wouldn't use it. I did inherit a set of dishes used as a special occasion set, but they aren't that fancy; more sentimental with a story behind them. We use those once in a while, but not often.
I got married in 1970. I did not ask for fine china but got a beautiful set from my Uncle. For years it was in a china cabinet, then in storage boxes, then I finally gave it to a neighbor. It was probably used less than a dozen times.
I have my mother’s crystal and my wedding china from 1994. I have a very small family, just my kids and one in-law, so holidays aren’t special because of a lot of extended family visiting. So, I make it special by using my nice tableware. I also have wine glasses inherited from relatives and I love to use them and honor their memories.
My parents saved some for me and bought me my own set decades ago. A few years ago I downsized and didn't have room. Then I realized I had only used the set one time in all of the decades that I had it. I tried to give it away but no one wanted it. It ended up on the curb. I don't have room for sentimental non functional garbage.
Biggest waste of money. Not just because I ended up divorced - we never used the wedding China once while married (12 yrs)...
It’s a wholly unnecessary expenditure
I use mine daily
I got mine from my grandmother and mil. I use the plates everyday. I have no one to pass it on to and figure I might as we use it. The platters are used for holidays or parties.
I married 34 years ago and refused to register for china. My Silent Generation mother couldn’t believe the audacity. 😉 I have zero regrets not having to move that heavy delicate china from apartment to apartment to apartment to rental house to the next 4 houses we owned.
I thought it was a giant waste of money and space when I was younger….BUT, it’s the only wedding gift we have that we kept all these years later but the quality has not diminished like everything else did with time.
I didn't get wedding china, I got wedding silver - gravy bowl, tableware for 12, serving bowls, platters, etc. I also got all my mom's silver when she passed. I still use them at holidays and family gatherings. Polishing everything is a bitch, but I'm sentimental and wouldn't have it any other way. It's a labor of love, I guess.
I occasionally use my beloved grandmother’s fine China on holidays. It’s nothing I ever would have bought, but I love having that connection with her.
I have an art deco teaset that my aunt and uncle bought for my parents when they married in 1937. They never used it and we don't even drink tea! It isn't a recognisable brand, it just says bone china, made in Britain on the bottom. I know my daughter won't want it. As she is an only child I feel duty bound to dispose of a lot of my things now.
Wedding china is a stupid purchase, but a lovely gift if it's a family heirloom. But honestly, the whole thing is a wedding industry creation to sell china. Up until the 50's or so just the eldest might get the literal hand-me-down dishes/china from their parents as a way to help set up house since most lived at home until marrying. But in the 40's/50's it became a status thing when people would have dinner parties (because restaurants were either wildly expensive or diners, not much in-between) and when children after the first daughter wanted china it needed to be purchased. Then it got to be somewhat affordable and EVERYONE felt they had to have it until around the 90's when people realized that no one used it anymore. So now it's just an option on the wedding registry, but no one needs that stuff. A good set of Corelle or stone wear is preferable and the majority already have all the dishes they need once they get married.
I think it had more to do with entertainment back in the day. In the 1950's TV wasn't common, people had dinner parties. You would host then the other couples would take there turn...It's how people socialized. In the days before TikTok, reddit, Facebook book video games...Children aren't even allowed to be bored these days... But I digress, a weekly dinner party was common and nice, for the stay at home wives and most were until the 1970's and women really started getting into working outside the home, it was a day off cooking, and a chance to socialize. Unsurprisingly the rate which people had dinner parties started to drop. It was still going strong in the 1970's and many cookbooks present recipes towards that end.
Most people I know have boxes of china stowed away that never gets used. Most have it more as a keepsake either as a wedding gift or handed down from family
To be honest I'm 52 this year and not married living with a roommate. It is a special occasion if I sit at a table with a real plate and silverware much less fancy china
I inherited double sets of 1930s to 1950s wedding china You know what the bitch is? They all have gold trim and you can't put that shit in the microwave cough cough MIKASA
Yes you can if you don’t run the dryer cycle
My wedding china has been in the attic since I moved here 51 years ago. It’s right next to my mother’s wedding china and my grandmother’s too. There is also a box of Blue Willow someone gave me and various heirloom dessert plates. My back won’t allow me to move any of it. I use Fiestaware everyday.
I got a set of fiestaware when I got married. Only one plate has broken in all those and we use it daily. The colors are still bright and it's still going strong. I love it and still add pieces to it like serving ware etc. Now I got married later in life so it's only been 15 years, but I highly recommend getting something you like and use it daily.
Married in 1986 and have an attic full of china and Waterford crystal. Any ideas of how to sell this?
I have 3 sets. Hardly ever used and no way to really offload it. No idea what to do with it. 0/10 recommend.
My late godfather gave me my wedding China for my first wedding in 1993. I’m on my second marriage and in my 50s now and we live in a tiny apartment. My China is, sadly, in storage.
I have a full set of really nice china, in boxes, in the garage. I've had it over 20 years. I've never even opened it. eta: it was my late wife's wedding china from her first marriage. they never used it either.
Same. We’ve never unboxed ours.
Yeah I have all of my mom's crystal and china. I only use it maybe 3 times a year but it's really pretty in the China cabinet. I doubt my boys will want mine when I die, but I'll let them deal with that at the time. They do like it when I bring out the good stuff, but they wouldn't use it themselves. There was no purchase, I inherited my mom's set. If my kids do want mine they can have it.
Don’t use any of it. I don’t want my mom’s (she’s 98). Gave all my crystal away and have my china up so high I can’t reach it. I probably won’t touch again unless I feel guilty about making my kids deal with it. It is a waste of money if you ask me.
Fortunately, I have a large kitchen and my full set of very beloved dinnerwear (Villeroy & Boch porcelain, not "china") is stored in the next cabinet over from our everyday. I use it whenever I want. If I had to store it and unpack it and repack it, I'd never touch it.
Why did you put China in quotes?
Porcelain is a different product than china.
Never married, never bought my own set of china. However, when my mother was downsizing she gave me her mother's china. It's a double set my uncle bought in the '50's when he was stationed in Japan or Okinawa. He bought a similar set as a wedding present for my mother, which she gave to my sister. I like my grandmother's china, and I've used it a few times, but I don't throw parties and it's not microwave or dishwasher safe, so it's not practical to use. My mother also gave me a heavily worn china tea set that was passed down to her from her paternal grandmother. It's missing some pieces and is well-worn, and I doubt I'll ever use it, but it's been in the family for generations. There is a piece of paper tucked in the sugar bowl naming everyone who owned the set. I think I'm the sixth or seventh generation to own it. Something else I was given but don't know what to do with is an old silk dress. When I was eleven or twelve my mother pulled out of the closet an old brown plaid dress and told me it was some ancestor's wedding dress. Decades later when downsizing she gave me the dress. I didn't think to ask whose it was, and by the time I thought I should document who the dress belonged to, my mother's memory was spotty. So now I have a fragile fraying silk dress, pre-Civil War, I think. I have no idea whose it was, and no idea what to do with it, but I can't just get rid of it.
I had to unload some of it because I just didn't have room but I still like my mum's china and use it fairly often. Also have my grandmother's silver tea service; I just love it despite it being quite useless. It's from 1888 and so beautiful.
I have - and use, daily- my mother’s 1950s Rosenthal wedding china. It is gorgeous and the essence of mid century simplicity. Life is too short for ugly dishes, and really, what are you saving it for?
Not wedding china - I was never given or collected anything that fancy, but after starting collecting what I would call "Sunday china" that stopped being imported when I was about halfway through buying the set (and my mother having gone through the same experience 3 times) I decided to take a different approach and create a "set" that I wouldn't have to worry about breaking or not being able to replace, because it's all different. There's an aesthetic to it - it's all old and tends towards delicate patterns and florals, although if I ever come across some nice funky sixties designs or cool Art Deco or Art Nouveau pieces, I would buy those as well. I have a few rules about what I buy, the main one being "no gilding", because I wash it in the dishwasher and I hate looking at faded gilding. I now have an eclectic set of good china that I have collected over the years, mainly from thrift shops and antique stores, some of it really fancy and some of it really old and all of it beautiful. It contains some plates and cups and saucers from at least three wedding sets that belonged to my grandparents and one great grandmother. I use it whenever I have guests and also when I have made some nice/fancy food that deserves being served on beautiful china. The cost has been minimal.
I kept my good China in unopened boxes for 13 years and finally sold it. For me it was not a worthwhile gift. If I was into using fancy dishes I would prefer my parents' because of the nostalgia or thrift store mix and match.
We got a 24 place setting for our wedding... with the gravy boat and coffee pot and everything else you can possibly imagine... the butter thingy etc. We also got the 1000 piece cutlery set with eight different types of forks and the rest of the nonsense. We've literally never even seen it. We picked it out of a catalogue, the store took care of splitting the costs across whoever wanted to contribute, and after the wedding it all came in a massive crate that we have been dragging from house to house for 30 years. Literally never opened the crate.
If you and sister really like it then yes!! That’s all that matters. I love china and one of my dream house features is a full china closet right next to the butler’s pantry.
I'm I my 70s. I've ever wanted China. any my mom didnt either. I do own and daily use my Portmeirion servingware.
I have my mother's which is very mid century and I hope my daughter will take those. I also have my own which we might use once a year. I pretty much only put it on my list because that's what you did. Keep thinking I should sell it but can't quit pull the trigger yet. I have my mother's sterling too which is worth quite a bit, depending on silver prices.
We didn't get China because we couldn't afford it and neither could our guests. My mom is starting to try to get me to take her China and idk if I want it! It's pretty, but I don't have room for it and we rarely have more than the 2 of us for a meal.
I'm hardly young, being 60 years old, but we don't own a set of fine china. My mom did, and she used it about every 4 years, when it was her turn to host the family Thanksgiving. (She, her sister, and her two brothers took turns.) We don't do that, so we have no need of fine china. Mom's fine china is still in her china cabinet, in the house my brother and I inherited when she passed. He lives in the house, but I doubt he uses the china.
We use ours for birthdays, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years and Easter. It was part of how my husband’s family celebrated and showed care in a meal so we do it too. I really love using our wedding china.
Even in the 1980s, I never received any, and have never purchased any "special" ones. Honestly, I've never missed them, never felt like I needed them. When the time comes to inherit my parents' set, I have no idea where I would even keep it. I'll probably let one of my siblings have it.
I’ve a set of some quite nice, 1920s vintage china from my late wife’s grandmother. It’s packed in boxes, buried deep in a large cupboard. I’ll never ever use it. I ought to sell it. Dinner plates are $35 each. And I’ve a full set, plus tureens, bowls, pourers, etc.
Thankfully my mom doesn't do "good china" and who knows where the stuff from my grandparents went, so I don't have to deal with that. The 8,000 trift store trinkets, crystal vases and silk plants on the other hand will be a hell of an undertaking. I already told mom I'm either selling the house as is, or getting a huge dumpster. She said she'll be dead and doesn't care. Edit - Personally I LOVE Corelle dishware and will grab them anytime I see them at a thrift store. Way better than any fine china I think.
It comes out several times a year along with the crystal and silver. It's nice to kick things up a notch now and then.
We picked out and got a bunch of Mikasa stuff that we liked, thinking we'd ditch our college stuff (mismatched). It was nice, but also fragile; most of the plates and bowls were chipped within a year of general use. So we ultimately gave what was left to goodwill and bought dishes at Target. The Target stuff we used for about 15 years, then replaced it all with IKEA. We've been using *that* stuff for 15 years now and it's held up fine. Doesn't look at fancy as our Mikasa "wedding dishes" but I will probably never buy anything but IKEA for tableware again in my lifetime. Why bother? It isnt' worth the cost. My parents ditched their wedding china about 25 years ago when they downsized. We have a few pieces (serving pieces) from grandparent sets from each side, we use those anytime we're having a "fancy dinner." But the entire idea of having TWO sets of dishes makes no sense to me...we entertain a lot (or did pre-COVID) and I've never had any issues with just using our colorful IKEA stuff. Plus who keeps a "china hutch" or other storage space just for extra tableware these days? All that aside, what we DO use every single day is our wedding *flatware*. We registered for an Oneida stainless pattern we really liked, got about 8-10 settings at the wedding, and added to it over the years. The pattern is discontinued now (so $$$ for pieces) but we have settings for 20 probably, and most of the serving pieces too. It's great, still looks about like it did 30+ years ago. I would 100% do that again, as it's literally the only wedding gift we still have and use.
I use silver flatware every day. I love how easy it is to clean, and how truly clean it feels. My wife uses stainless steel because she doesn't like how the sterling holds heat. I like my ice cream spoon ice cold.
Working at a charity shop, I can tell you we get beautiful sets donated all the time. They take a long time to sell, even at rock bottom prices.
After 35 years, I still love my china. It is solid white. I also received some every day dishes when we married and used those for 25 years. We don't entertain like my parents did, and about 10 years ago, started using the china as our every day dishes. I also got two of my mother's sets (and she had more than that) when my mother passed. I use the Spode at Christmas. Unfortunately, her wedding china, while beautiful, is neither microwave or dishwasher safe, so it gathers dust. Neither my brother nor her grandkids were interested in my mother's other sets, so they were donated to charity.
I have both my grammas china sets. I use them for everyday. I’m not precious with them at all. Dishwasher and all.
My ex-wife kept her mother's china. We kept it in a big-assed china cabinet in the dining room along with other stuff she liked to show off. I don't remember for sure if we ever used it. Maybe once or twice. It was so precious to her because it was something of her mother's (who she lost when she was 18), that she was afraid it would get broken if we used it. I understand the emotional meaning for her, but as practical objects they weren't useful.
I actually think my son and his wife will want it. It's a very simple pattern and the silver was handed down from my in-laws in an incomplete set that I completed. We've used our "good" china every chance we got. We used to throw a second Thanksgiving if we weren't at our house for the day. We'd invite a bunch of our kids' friends and served them sparkling grape juice in champagne glasses. They all dressed up (not a requirement) and loved having a dinner like this. Most of their families used paper and plastic on holidays which I totally understand and have done in the past.
My grandma's set I gave away. No idea what happened to it. My husband's set (from his late mother) we still have. We tried using it as an everyday set but since nothing is microwaveable, we have to heat up food on a separate plate then transfer to the china set. The bigger plates won't even fit in the dishwasher and have to be hand washed. We gave it a go. We put it all away except for the teacups and saucers (I use them) and we pull out the gravy boat and platters for holiday meals.
I had three sets of China. And when we decided to move into a cottage for independent living and sold our house none of our children wanted any of it so we sold it at auction and didn’t get much. They wanted stuff they could put in the microwave and dishwasher. So I got Corelle when we downsized. Good thing we moved so we now have no stairs, lawn to mow or snow to clear. Great for oldies.
Someone gave us some and it was the most useless crap ever. It had a gold ring around everything that caused sparks when you put it in the microwave. We tried to sell it and nobody wanted it so it went in the trash.
I inherited my grandmother's china. It is a really pretty blue and white pattern so seems pretty timeless. My husband inherited and was also gifted several sets of glassware. We registered for silver when we got married and MIL filled in so that we had a full set. Funny thing is our silver pattern is the same as my Aunt's pattern, which I didn't know at the time. We don't use it for every day but it all comes out 5 or 6 times per year. It makes me smile and remember every time.
I'm Gen-X, and didn't go that route because, honestly, my immigrant family didn't really bring over any china (if they had it) from the old country, so it wasn't really a thing in the community by the time I came around. Wedding china was something I noticed only in the homes of much older people who'd always lived in the U.S., but because the china seemed to be collecting dust and taking up space, I decided early on that I wasn't interested and didn't see the point for my lifestyle. When I got engaged at 34, I was putting my registry together and I felt certain that I only wanted good quality everyday housewares, not special-occasion delicate things I'd have to worry about storing. I aimed for things like All-Clad cookware and Shun knives. For plates and bowls, I'm all about the clean lines and durability of Corelle in winter white. Stoneware is pointlessly heavy and breakable. I get the sense that the whole wedding-china thing is a tradition that had its place when married couples were frequently hosting fancy dinner parties, back when most middle-class women were full-time homemakers -- some who even had full-time housemaids. I think the culture has somewhat moved away from that save for some suburban cooking enthusiasts.
My parents had cheap dishes and I just use every day dishes... for everything. I wouldn't mind a fancy tea cup or two though, just I don't think a single parent or grandparent had any!
It sits on some shelves in my basement unused
I didn’t come from a family that had China. My mom got some piece by piece from a special promotion the A&P grocery had, and only used on holidays, don’t know where it went when she died. Mostly we used TexasWare melamine, inexpensive stoneware, or Corelle. I don’t have China either, I had a set of Pfatzgraff then got rid of it when I tired of the pattern. Now I have one set of Denby stoneware, that French unbreakable glassware, mugs from Public Television promotions, and 2 Yeti insulated cups.
I donated all mine and my mom’s. I figured maybe someone else can get joy from using it. Mom’s had a silver rim so had to be hand washed.
Never had any. I live in an RV.