Should I register for china?

COnoviaSarah

I can see myself using china in 10-15 years.  I don't know that I would buy it for myself.  I have nowhere to store it now.  The patterns I like are at least $100/place setting (which is crazy, IMO).  If we add it to our registry, I'm afraid that this will be most of what we get instead of the other items that we actually "need" at this point in our lives.  But, like I said, I don't imagine I will ever spend that kind of money myself.  My mom insists that registering for china is necessary.  

Did you register for china?  Are you glad you did?  Wish you hadn't?  I need others' opinions...  TIA

lkm2006

I'm not!!  Really, there is so  much that I NEED I would hate to registry for china.  I would really prefer to receive other gifts. 

mirpy

i registered for pottery instead of china, because i won't ever use it & want stuff that is dishwasher, oven, microwave & stovetop safe. I got mine from station 2 pottery (http://www.station2pottery.com/). It's in western PA, but their prices are the best I've found, they are soooo  nice, and their work is great. 

kmt_cas

We did and I'm so excited about it   I was trying to figure out if it was a smart choice or not just like you.  FMIL initially thought it was silly to get china but after awhile I realized if we didn't get it now, the probability of us ever getting china for ourselves was very slim.  Yet we could get sheets/everyday dishes/pots and pans any day.  For us it was a smart decision.  We've decided to eat off it once a week (Sunday dinners) to make sure that we'll get some wear out of it.  It's really a personal decision though.  If you think you'll never use it, don't bother.  If you think you will down the road and you find a pattern you love then do it.

Jennifer2008

I say yes, since you think you'll want it some day. I personally LOVE ours, but I never considered not registering for it...

AdeleDazeem

China is just about the ONLY thing I want to put on my registry.  I really don't want to put garlic presses or cookie sheets on there and I think this will horrify my own mother has much as not having china has upset yours.  But, it's about personal preference.

I know a lot of women come here complaining that they will never use their china and that is something to consider.  However, think about holidays and family gatherings down the road..  Marriage is about life... not about the here and now.

And... my mom has gorgeous china and holiday china.  Both go in the dishwasher at every holiday.  I don't understand that excuse at all.

COnoviaSarah

Because I do think I will use it in the future, I'm leaning towards asking for it.  (Joy--I like your reminder about the marriage being about life, not the here and now.)  

BUT, what do I do with it for the next 10 to 15 years?!?  We live in a small townhome now, and to my mom's horror, we don't have a china cabinet (obviously).  Any idea?

AdeleDazeem

Aw, thanks Sarah!

I'm not sure what to tell you about where to put it.  I have a small apartment myself and storing it won't be simple.  I hate the idea of leaving it in boxes in the closet or moving with it all the time.  But, I really want it so I'm willing to put up with it until we settle somewhere more permanent.

Maybe you can have it and use it, but not display it in a china cabinet until you move to a larger place.  Or, if you really really don't plan to use it for 10 or 15 years, maybe you can inherit your mother or grandmother's china instead of registering for your own.  Oooor... just get the china and use it sooner.  Make nice dinners with your new husband and break out the wedding china.  I bet it'll be fun

mwhitson14

We didn't register for china. We don't do fancy dinners at my house, or my family, and I know it won't get used. I bought some really pretty white and silver dishes for special occasions, not china but still nicer than everyday wear for super cheap (casa cristina, and she doesn't do it anymore).

bcs00

We only registered for everyday dishes, but that's because my mom and both sets of grandparents have offered their china up to me when/if I want it.  I know, one day, I will want it - so I'm glad it's there.  It's not exactly what I'd have picked, but it's special, ya know?

Having said that, I don't know that I would have registered for china (if the hand-me-downs weren't there), because there were so many other things we needed.

SuMmErKuTiE

We registered for china because we know we'll definitely use it! I love to cook and entertain and I can't wait to start hosting holidays at our house. I also agree with what OP stated in that you would never go out and spend that much money yourself on china. I would love to remember my china as a wedding gift every time we use it.

It all depends on the couple. Some people never use their china and stemware, others will put it to good use. It all depends on your needs, and definitely not what your mother says because it's certainly not necessary!

dancr214

I was in the exact same situation.  I didn't think I would use it, I don't have anywhere to put it, and I didn't want to register for it and get nothing but place settings.  The lady at BB&B was APPAULLED I wasn't registering for China (but she was really annoying and not a help whatsoever).  I think whatever you want is what you should do.  Who cares what everyone else thinks.

Morfudd

Do it. It's tough, it's classic, it's a legacy you can pass on to your (future, theoretical) kids,  it's a way you can make any (future, theoretical) kids sit up a little straighter and remember that they are at a special, family-centred event when it comes out for a holiday, Sunday, big birthday, whatever.

And, you probably are going to have more important things to be buying in 10-15 years, and the china may be one of the few things from your registry that will last. Pottery is much easier to break. Your toaster or microwave will have died, the sheets will have worn through, you'll have changed your bathroom colors (and, thus, the towels) three times, the dog will have thrown up on the duvet cover, you'll have lost half your stemware at the first new year's eve bash you threw, and the (future, theoretical) kids will be saving for college. The china will still be there, barring earthquake or a cabinet-climbing toddler.*

However, I say this as a young woman whose grandmother, the daughter of a very poor family, really saw having fine china as having "arrived" in the world. When my mother was divorced from her first husband, and had to sell her wedding china to buy food, she told her mother (who was livid,) "well, a material loss is a spiritual gain!" Grandma: "That's b*******, Franny!"

Anyway, I loved registering for my china, but then, I inherited everyday ware from my grandmother (the same grandmother). We're also plannig to be in a professional world where entertaining and networking are pretty important.

(A side-note for dish preservation: most of the metal-embellished plates out there are actually *supposed* to be dishwasher-washed, and then left until entirely cool: the heat of the water softens the metal, and you can damage it with your fingertips. The more you know...)

*And this is why we fasten our cabinets to the wall.

futuremrskapp

<font color="#800080"><strong>That is a great idea! i think you just solved my problem :)
</strong></font>
In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_registering-gifts_should-register-china?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:34Discussion:faf17039-d285-48f1-bbea-7917b232aa5bPost:fe3aac11-0e89-42e7-84ed-227dff1f4cab">Re: Should I register for china?</a>:
[QUOTE]We didn't register for china. We don't do fancy dinners at my house, or my family, and I know it won't get used. I bought some really pretty white and silver dishes for special occasions, not china but still nicer than everyday wear for super cheap (casa cristina, and she doesn't do it anymore).
Posted by mwhitson14[/QUOTE]