Setting the table . . .

[saltymuffin]

When you were/are putting together your registry, what approach have you taken towards china/crystal/flatware?

We eloped, so didn''t have a registry, but received gifts of money from many friends and relatives. With that money, I am attempting to purchase some of the types of items that we would have registered for. Since I am doing it after the fact, and have no other planning details to worry about, I am really agonising over the details!

Like many people in 2007, we aren''t very formal, but I would love to be able to set a nice looking table when we do entertain. But I don''t really like the idea of having all sorts of fine china that doesn''t get used.

So far, I have come up with the following strategy, but would love some help and ideas for the details!

I have settled on a relatively inexpensive, white bone china. We will use this everyday. It is quite plain, but with nice lines, and won''t cost a fortune to replace a broken plate ($15/dinner plate). I plan on getting a full setting of 8 - including side/dessert plate, dinner plate, cereal bowls, soup/pasta bowls, rice/dessert bowls, cup and saucer, and mugs. I also picked out a nice stainless flatware set which we will use everyday - I am not going to bother with silver.

I would like to be able to "dress up" this china for special dinners. I figure I can do this by adding some crystal wine and water glasses, and some "accent" pieces of china. This is where I am unsure. What should the accent pieces be?? A popular one seems to be salad plates. I also thought of accent bread and butter plates, or figured I could even just stick with nice serving pieces . . .

Any thoughts from those of you who are sticking with only one set of china?

 

[Cleopatra]

Hi SaltyMuffin!

FI and I aren't registering for any plates/china. I recently bought a wonderful set of dishes....they are white stoneware in a rounded-square shape. They have a very Asian feel to them, while being modern and classic at the same time.

I, too, plan on using these dishes as my main set - even for entertaining. FI and I discussed registering for serving dishes....platters, large serving bowls, etc. I feel as though these pieces will add a formality to my existing table setting when I want to do some entertaining. Nothing too fancy, but still a nice, cohesive balance of casual/modern/chic/classic. I feel as though if you already have a nice, classic set of dishes, I would register for more serving pieces to up the entertaining to another level. Just my two cents....

And I agree with the china issue...I know some young couples who are getting married and are registering for china....my friend (guy) said when he found out his future wife was registering for china: "If you can't microwave it, I don't want it!"

 

[laine]

I think I would get fancy dinner plates and let all the other pieces be white. You might not always use salad or bread and butter plates, but are likely to always use the dinner plates. That way, they would be the focal point, and all the other white pieces would blend in. Lady Kemma had a number of posts about china and which expensive pieces to buy, you may want to look for her posts.

 

[saltymuffin]

Thanks to both of you. I will do a search for Lady Kemma's posts!

I think I will get some nice serving pieces for sure, and then one type of accent plate. The idea of a dinner plate does make a lot of sense. I was hesitating about the salad plate for the exact reason that you might not use it! Bread and butter plates can always be set on the table, but might seem odd as an accent item.

 

[NewEnglandLady]

I think a nice white bone china is perfect. For me, when I have people over for dinner it's about showcasing the food. Any patterns or color just distracts from the food. You'll notice that nice restaurants always service in crisp, white plates. It's hands-down the best way to present the food.

I think that it's common to get creamers, a suger bowl, a gravy boat, etc. with a china set, but I'd rather invest in some nice serving platters, a nice salad bowl, maybe dessert plates?

 

[brazen_irish_hussy]

My friends who just got married added very nice salt and peper shakers, servers, etc.
Their solution to the plate thing was to by cheap metalic chargers to put under their plain plates. It looked lovely and was cheaper and easier than a second set of plates.

 

[Sabine]

I was going to suggest chargers too...they are cheap enough that you can get different sets to match the occasion.

 

[WTNLVR]

Careful with chargers. I used them once and when people were cutting their roast beef, the chargers were sliding around on the tablecloth! We couldn''t stop laughing. I had to tape sandpaper to the bottoms to prevent them from sliding around. Mine are brass.

 

[Pandora II]

I''m in the situation where FI and I have pretty much everything we need - but asking for money would be VERY frowned upon by our families (I would just like ebay vouchers

) - so I have been racking my brains.

We are going to register for a nice plain white bone china set - if I can find one that is suitably modern looking, everything I''ve seen is a very old-fashioned shape for the serving pieces. Hopefully with white I can maybe mix and match.

In your situation, I would probably buy some nice crystal bowls for serving salads, puddings etc

The things I always think add to a table are pretty water jugs, nice candlesticks, salt and peppers, serving flatware, winebottle coasters.

I''m a huge silver fan, so I would like an everyday set - say a salt and pepper set by Peugeot (yes, the car people) they do the most beautiful wooden ones with amazing mechanisms and a 25 year guarantee and they come in the really huge sizes for pasta - and a silver set for nice dinner parties.

Fine linen napkins with a proper monogram on are also nice to have - ditto tablecloths.

 

[monarch64]

I love chargers as accents for special occasions...besides sandpaper, hee hee, you can get felt bumpers (the kind you stick on the bottom of knick knacks to protect the wood surfaces they rest on) and stick those on the bottom of the charger to help keep them from sliding around on the tablecloth. Otherwise, you can accent with beautiful table linens (I loved the monogram suggestion, keep it simple), and a set of beautiful napkin rings.

Pretty, seasonal stemware is also nice...you can pick up wine glasses, water goblets, etc. in sets of 12 from a big box store pretty inexpensively, and don''t forget to dress up your desserts...invest in a nice cake stand with a cover (some double as punch bowls, those are great too), and pick up a beautiful cake knife and server if you don''t already have one. You can also find fun and decorative dessert plates super cheap at the end of a season, those are always a nice touch!

 

[saltymuffin]

Thanks everyone, these are all great suggestions. I did go back and read some of the old threads. The main suggestion by Lady kemma was to have collections of different dinner plates and to use these with plain glass soup bowls, etc. It is a great idea for someone who loves collecting dishware. In my case I am using the plain white china as the "base" and adding to it.

After all of your great suggestions, I think I am edging away from accent plates. I like the ideas of making the "other" items on the table the accent. I will look at getting nice serving dishes, candlesticks, a silver serving set, salt and peppers and other such ways to add some sparkle to the table. I really like the idea of some crystal serving bowls. They are something that you can use on the table anytime with fruit, flowers etc. Nice linens are also an excellent idea.

I am interested in the comments on chargers sliding. You often see colorful, pretty chargers in discount stores, and thought they would be an cheapo option. I have wondered about the actual dinner plate moving around on top of the charger, but it seems from all of your comments that the chargers seem to move on the table cloth instead . . .

 

[Gypsy]

I have a lovely set of Wedgewood Classic White-- 20 place settings. It's our everyday and our 'semi-formal' set. I've been meaning to buy chargers, and will... but after the holidays. It's a classic set that is never going to be discontinued so replacements are a breeze. It's easy to dress up or down.

Our current 'formal set' is an inherited platinum band bone china full set from John's grandmother. We will be buying Waterford Brocade though as our additional formal set.

The set stemware I'm either buying for myself or registering for is Vera Wang Classic. Works with everything.


Soup bowls, etc... all crystal or blown glass. Nice, affordable and match it all.

Nice table linens. Shop sales, places like Tuesday morning. Nice napkin rings. And place card holders add personal touches.

I love this stuff.

 

[zoebartlett]

My FI and I just registered at C&B and Macy''s and we skipped registering for china and crystal. We did register for flatware at C&B though. I had just bought two boxed sets of white everyday plates (salad and dinner), mugs, and bowls not too long ago, and they''re fine. I figured white goes with anything, so if we did want something else one day, maybe we could mix and match. They look nice and they''re great for everyday use. My mom has my grandmother''s china, which will be either mine or my sister''s one day, and I didn''t see the need to get formal things right now. The serving bowls and dishes we registered for are also white. I did that because I really like the fresh look of having an all-white table. I love the idea of using colored place mats and cloth napkins and "dressing up" the table that way.

I''ve also heard that food shouldn''t compete with the dishes or bowls it''s served on/in, so a solid neutral color is best. That thought may have been in my mind somewhat when we were choosing things to register for.

 

[saltymuffin]

I am really happy with the approach you all helped me put together - and having a lot of fun picking things out!

For anyone else wondering about what to do, this is my final approach:

White, modern lined, bone china which we will use everyday, and for entertaining. I picked a non-English brand to keep prices down, which allows me to feel ok about using them everyday and allows me to be able to afford to buy the "extra" pieces like soup bowls etc. I will also get a couple of matching serving dishes. As I went with white, I might mix and match from various white bone china lines.

Stainless steel flatware for everyday and entertaining.

Vera Wang Wedgwood Duchesse crystal. I am going to get wine glasses, chanpagne flutes, old fashioned glasses, and the "iced beverage" glasses. These are a splurge item, and will be the things that I bring out on special occasions. They have a formal look to them, but also go well with the modern china I selected. I really like this whole line, so I am also going to keep my eye on ebay for a vase, the cake plate, and a bowl.

Silver - I am searching ebay for silver candlesticks, salt and pepper shakers, a water jug, and some serving utensils - cake server, spoons etc. Does anyone know much about silver?? What should I be looking for? I figure polishing this small amount of items won't be too big of a deal for a special dinner, and it will add something special to the table.

I will scope out the local discount stores and keep my eye on sales for some pretty table linens in various colours.

I think the mixture of old (silver), sparkly (crystal) and modern (white china) will make for a unique and comfortable table. Thanks everyone for your help!

 

[Cleopatra]

Great job Saltymuffin! I really like all of your ideas! I LOVE the Vera Wang line! LOVE it!
FI and I are having an engagement party in a few weeks and relatives have been pestering us to register (because they WANT to bring gifts), so FI and I went register for a few things.

We registered for chargers (like someone on this thread suggested) and also some nice linen napkins and silver napkin rings to jazz up the table when we are entertaining (we aren't registering for china or any dishes, so I wanted some things to liven up the table setting when we have company). I was really thinking about this thread when we were doing the registering-thing!!

 

[lehcarm]

Another alternative would be to get a set of cheaper, yet fancy looking dishes you could use for special occasions. For a shower gift, I got a box set of white china with silver edges. Mine was on clearance, and I''m not sure the exact brand off the top of my head, but it is very similar to the set below:

http://www1.macys.com/catalog/product/index.ognc?ID=137235&CategoryID=30827

I was in Target the other day adding some things to my registry and I saw that they have some very pretty looking white dishes with gold or silver on the edges too. Target.com doesn''t seem to have everything that my store had, but here are links to the plates and bowls. My Target also had some really nice looking wine glasses and tumblers with a matching gold or silver rim. Twenty dollars for 12 pieces doesn''t seem too bad to me.

http://www.target.com/Silver-Band-Dinner-Plate-Set/dp/B000RO68JG/qid=1196355784/ref=br_1_4/601-4360843-6185734?ie=UTF8&node=3221461&frombrowse=1&index=tgt-mf-mv&field-browse=3221461&rank=pmrank&rh=&page=3

http://www.target.com/Silver-Band-Bowl-Set-12/dp/B000RO68HI/qid=1196355784/ref=br_1_1/601-4360843-6185734?ie=UTF8&node=3221461&frombrowse=1&index=tgt-mf-mv&field-browse=3221461&rank=pmrank&rh=&page=3

http://www.target.com/Gold-Band-Salad-Plate-Set/dp/B000RO16Y8/qid=1196355784/ref=br_1_5/601-4360843-6185734?ie=UTF8&node=3221461&frombrowse=1&index=tgt-mf-mv&field-browse=3221461&rank=pmrank&rh=&page=3

With these affordable options, you wouldn''t have to feel bad about only using them a few times a year. The only downside is that it might be hard to replace pieces down the road if they break, but the pattern is simple enough that you might be able to get by with using a similar pattern.

 

[sap483]

Another option if you do change your mind about the salad plates is to get plates in different shapes that can stack when at the place setting. For example, Crate and Barrel has these white square plates with a silver border (picture below) that are still rounded on the sides. In one of their catalogs, they pair a charger in that shape, with a dinner plate in that shape and a salad plate that is round but has a silver design on it. It looks very nice and adds some additional dimension to the table...

 

[gtn]

I have a set of white plates from a restaurant supply company. The one downside about this that they are quite heavy. I did that so that I can dress up or down the meal with my accents. I have matching coffee cups (I''m sure you''ve seen them in hotels) in white. I haven''t found any nice tea cups in white yet so I have a vintage Johnson Brothers "Golden Apple" teacups and saucers. I am hoping to find a nice white tea set and add white serving platters, bowls, etc. to my collection.

The nice thing about restaurant supply is that it''s easy to replace. You don''t need to match the manufacturer, just the plate shape and size. They are durable. My friend dropped a dinner plate in the sink and it didn''t even chip! And it''s pretty cheap.

 

[brazen_irish_hussy]

I have no clue where you are, but there are places in new york and london that buy lots of old silver pieces and then sell them by the pound. I have a few friends in NY who got their good silver at amazing deals this way but I am not sure if they do this anywhere else.

 

[surfgirl]

salty, I know Bloomingdale''s has a terrific registry planner that is a small binder book with check lists of all the things one is "supposed" to put on a registry for their new home. I found it helpful to cross off things that we already have, and see what else I really wanted/needed. You can just go to the nearest Bloomies and ask the Bridal Registry for that booklet. Williams Sonoma might have one too, but the Bloomies one was easier to go through, better lay out.

 

[monarch64]

Date: 11/29/2007 1:35:41 PM
Author: sap483
Another option if you do change your mind about the salad plates is to get plates in different shapes that can stack when at the place setting. For example, Crate and Barrel has these white square plates with a silver border (picture below) that are still rounded on the sides. In one of their catalogs, they pair a charger in that shape, with a dinner plate in that shape and a salad plate that is round but has a silver design on it. It looks very nice and adds some additional dimension to the table...

Hee hee, I would almost call those plates "cushion cuts!" I like that idea!

 

[saltymuffin]

Thanks for the comments everyone!

Lehcarm, cheap and fancy is a great idea. I actually already have some festive Christmas dinner plates which I can use at Christmas time. I don''t think I''ll go searching for other seasonal or fancy ones, but will keep my eye open, and maybe pick up some gold or silver trimmed plates when I see something I like for a good price.

I am actually in Canada, and we don''t have Target here -sob- it is the one US retailer I would really like to see open in Canada! We also don''t have Bloomindales, but do have a big national department store which would have a registry list, which I should pick up. Thanks for the suggestion surfgirl.