Wedding Wednesday - The Modern Gal Selects her China Pattern

As we gear up for the busy wedding season ahead, I'd like to give my advice to those brides who are  selecting their first china pattern.  Too often, formal dinner china is overlooked by brides of our generation for various reasons - the most common of which is "I'll never use it".  I'm here to squash that myth and to offer up some helpful tips when selecting something that will likely stay with you for the rest of your life!

• Shop without presumptions 

For years I dreamed of registering for China. When asked what patterns I leaned toward, I said without fail, "Herend's Queen Victoria".  Elegant, classic, feminine.  Just what I thought my formal china should be.  Boy, was I wrong!  On registry day, I proudly marched my mother over to the Herend display to show her my choice.  "Lovely" she said, "But just not very... you".  My aunt was with us and she agreed that while gorgeous, it felt a little too formal for my personality. 

I was quite disappointed. For someone who has been dreaming of china registry their whole life, this was the equivalent of her not liking my wedding dress! Ok, maybe that's going a little too far, but you get the point.  We started from scratch, and began to look at other lines.  My eyes settled on Mottahedeh's Tobacco Leaf, and I was smitten!  It's colorful, whimsical, and has a very Asian influence - perfection! It just goes to show you that a second set of eyes is invaluable when making your selection.

• Involve your Fiancé

Mine had no interest in this aspect of our gift registry - he wanted to register at Bass Pro... can you imagine?  However, I did see many couples shopping for china together, which I found lovely. At the very least, keep your future spouse in mind - Mark would have hated something too feminine, so I made sure to steer clear of anything with too much pink. If you select something that you both love, you will be more inclined to use it!  This advice goes for the rest of your registry as well - involving your future spouse in the selection process is a must, especially if they will be the chef in the family!

• It's about the mix, not the match

Gone are the days of matching your dinner plate to your dessert, to your charger, to your bread and so forth - or so I found out.  I learned that layering your dinnerware is a lot like layering fabrics in your home - start with a focal pattern, and draw color and pattern inspiration from it.  After selecting the Tobacco Leaf pattern, I determined that I would use that as my dessert plate and select something different for my dinner plate and charger.  I selected L'Objet's Aegean Filet Gold for the dinner plate, and I love how the delicate gold scallops lend a contemporary edge to the more floral Tobacco Leaf.  Finally, I selected four different colors of chargers - pink, orange, green, and powder blue - to coordinate with the colors in the dessert plate. I set the table with all four colors at one time for a very fun, festive look!

• Consider a monogram

Nothing is more exciting when you get married than using your new monogram - I love monogramming things with mine and my husband's initials, and cherished any gift I received with my new last name. Consider a china pattern that allows you to add your monogram to the center of each dish - ask your local specialist, many shops have at least one line that will offer this.  A monogram can also be incorporated into your linens - never too many in my book!

• In with the old!

I know a few lucky women who have inherited china from their mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, etc.  If this is your lot in life, make the most of it, and add in some touches that represent your style and personal flavor.  A colorful dinner plate, or a metallic edged charger will modernize your inherited treasures and make them your own!

• Have fun with it

China gets a bad reputation for being a boring, old, stuffy wedding tradition from the days when it was included in a woman's dowry (as if!).  Our mothers' generation was taught that their best china was reserved for only holidays and extra-special dinners.  Just because something is beautiful and well-made does not mean it needs to be stuffed back into a cabinet only to be pulled out on Thanksgiving - living well means using your best items everyday.  Select something you enjoy, and you'll get a smile every time you pull it out - you may even find yourself eating Chinese takeout on your new set of dishes... and I won't blame you!

Xx
Ivy

SOURCES:
Dessert Plate
Dinner Plate
Chargers
Place mats: Vintage, similar here
Monogrammed Napkins: Vintage, similar here
Gold Bamboo Flatware: Estate sale, similar here
** We opted out of registering for traditional silver, and I adore the vintage gold set I already had.
Wine glasses
Gold Candlesticks: Vintage, similar here
Glass Candlesticks
Napkin Rings: these were a gift, similar here
Colorful Taper Candles - Never use scented candles on your dinner table - they will overwhelm the food!