Wedding China, what have you done with yours?

No I didn’t have any either wasn’t well enough off for China I ve got my mums set though sitting upstairs with all the rest of the stuff I must get gone

BradfordLass72, I do like your cutlery.

We still have the canteen of cutlery, bought as a wedding present, by DH's boss. It has been used constantly.
I did find out the hard way, that you shouldn't put bone handled knives into a dishwasher! The cost of replacing 6 was horrific, when I looked in John Lewis. Although I did manage to buy some very nice ones at a car boot sale, long ago.

We started using ours after I went to a friends and instead of giving everyone mugs she was using her delicate china. It was so pretty and lovely to see instead of chunky mugs which are sometimes heavy or light and burn your lips if the tea is very hot.

Now I love having a freah cup in a small cup instead of sipping while it's that little bit too hot then hurrying up as it starts to get too cold.

As for washing I enjoy washing up the beautiful china while enjoying the view from the kitchen window and having time to day dream. Very therapeutic. The dishwasher is great form the pots nd pns etc now.

I use China mugs so get the best of both worlds.

We had a canteen of Jesmond pattern Sheffield plate from my parents as a wedding present which has seen service in various places around the world, but now rarely gets an outing. The only china we got were a set of cups and saucers from an aunt, none of which survives. We have a bone china dinner service that we bought abroad, and a Spode Italian tea service which DH gave me for our 20th anniversary. I’ve been thinking recently that we ought to use both more often, but we don’t entertain nearly as much as we used to so it’s only high days and holidays. Neither of my children will want any of it. Perhaps we ought to hold a charity china smashing event and get rid of it all!

I had a Denby dinner service bought by ex’s aunt who was well off. Well used all broken eventually. I have a Royal Albert Country roses set which I collected myself over time just because I love it. It doesn’t get used loads but it does come out Christmas and birthdays and when I decide we are l going to have afternoon tea.

Not china, but the most useful thing we received as a wedding present was a Granton ham knife from my parents’ next door neighbour. It has been in almost constant use for fifty three years and last year, the bone handle came off. I took it to a local cutlery manufacturer who fitted a new handle, commented on how sensible it was not to have discarded it because it will now last for another fifty three years! Shame I won’t?!

My wedding china was American and so disshwasher proof. I sold it at auction last year and got 250 euros for it, a fraction of its original value but not too bad.
Register, re your charity china smashing event, we have a china smashing stall at our annual garden fete - they appeal beforehand for old China and odd pieces and iyout's displayed & you pay to throw tennis balls at it. It's very satisfying and the stall is very popular!

Sorry Greyduster, predictive text changed your name!

My in-laws gave us a dinner set of Copenhagen porcelain. It is hand painted and beautiful. We used it a lot until we got a dishwasher. Not sure what to do with it.

We had a Denby collection. It's known for being tough but one summer we were away and the cats smashed it off the dresser. They must have had a fight!

I use mine for high days and holidays, it gets heavy use over Christmas and New Year. I have a lovely Edwardian tea service, which I quite often get out for Sunday tea, we usually have crumpets and a slice of cake, put a teacloth on the coffee table. It is the only meal we ever eat in the LR.

DD expects it, and complains, if on her visits, I use the kitchen Denbyware.

I had a Denby dinner service and a flowery tea service all long ago smashed and broken. I seem to have inherited so many bits of pieces from mum, aunts etc shouldn't think I will ever want for a plate

We were given a set of Wedgewood seconds. We laughed at the pattern and used it for everyday till we didn’t have enough of it left.
We were also bought some Chelsea pattern Pyrex. It started a lifelong collection. We are still buying it when we see it in charity shops and could probably feed 18 people five courses on it if we were minded to. eBay now call it Retro’

I didn't have any of the posh stuff! Mine is stoneware and it survived one move to Australia, 2 moves while there and one move back to the UK. Only one cup was broken.
When my mum passed away, I went through the sideboard and there was 3 sets- 2 incomplete and one that she had only had a few years that was complete. The complete set I passed on to a charity shop, the other two (one set was actually my grandmothers who died before I was born) I have kept a cup, saucer and side plate of each, given equal to my sister and the rest I gave to a friend who was just starting an afternoon tea business, using vintage crockery.

I didn't get any other than M & S casserole dishes which I use every day. Interestingly my son and fiancee have on their wedding gift list a12 piece imperial blue box set and a Britannia 44 piece cutlery set in a wooden box. Never had anything so expensive on my wedding list.

We use ours!! Downsized some 20 years ago and decided that we would use 'only the best', going forward. Gave everything else away to the Salvation Army who need it for rehousing people. We dine everyday off Royal Doulton and drink out of Royal Worcester crystal (and Ikea). Everything goes in the dishwasher, it's OK although the pattern is fading a bit - but nonetheless, inspite of its age (42 years), we still love it. USE IT

A friend of mine, who volunteers in a care home which specialises in Alzheimer’s/Dementia care, mentioned that as part of helping the residents to cope they have afternoon tea a few times a week. They were trying to get hold of tea sets to make them as authentic as possible. I was more than happy to donate the three sets which I had received as wedding presents. They had all been kept in the cupboard with hardly any use. I like to think that it is doing some good ?

Cabbie21 Many years ago, my father-in-law bought some posh cutlery from a fancy silverware place in Knightsbridge (the sort of shop that had a doorman, even back then). I assumed it wasn't dishwasher-safe and F-in-L agreed but said, "Life is too short to hand-wash forks" and in it went. He is long dead but the silverware is somewhere in the family still.

I had a wedding present list at a rather pricey shop. On it I put Haddon Hall china. I received dinner plates, tea sets, and assorted bowls, dishes and a cake stand. Some of the assorted dishes have never been out of their boxes!
I've used the dinner service at Christmas once or twice, but they have to be washed by hand. Currently, they are all languishing in the cupboard below the China cabinet. I really like them and keep thinking I'll use them.
I've also got my grandmother's tea service. I've never had that out of the box since the day I inherited it.

We have RoyalDoulton- It only gets used at Christmas.
There are a couple of websites that by discontinued China to sell on.

Use it/take to a charity shop/Freecycle it.

Not long ago dh and I finally got rid of a huge dinner service -veg dishes, soup tureen and all! - that had belonged to Mil, and I think her mother before her. I don't think MiL ever used it except at Christmas.
It was evidently 'good' but I didn't like it at all and we had no room for it - it had been sitting in the garage for ages.
The charity shop was pleased to have it.

I long ago stopped having 'best' and 'everyday' china - just one set for everything now.

We had Denby chevron, the lot, and still have it all. We have now been using it every day for very many years. Married 1967

I’m still using mine 49 years on.

We were given a Poole Pottery dinner/tea service and it only comes out at Christmas.