Does anyone use their wedding china/crystal stemware?q

Not really, but it looks nice on display in the china cabinet in our dining room. I will say that my parents make a point of using their china, crystal and silver for Christmas, Thanksgiving and Easter meals and I hope to emulate that example when my kids get older. And my wife just pointed out that it would also help if both sets of parents didn't insist on us spending every holiday at one or the other of their homes.

Why did you get etched stemware if you weren't sure you'd use it? My parents had the etched stuff and it was almost never used, except for the scotch glasses. If I had a registry i'd chose riedel for my stemware. I don't like etched stemware, except for things like hiballs or scotch and cognac glasses. FWIW i use my fine china for everyday dining, but it is white.

Yes man we used our crystal wine glasses pretty hard for ten-twelve years before moving on to other sets. Etched glass, beautiful, about $75 each IIRC. We got about eight when we were married. We added another eight or so afterwards. The design was discontinued, so we cleaned out the stores and outlets. We are down to two or three, and still I always look for one of these first when I am looking for a wine glass. My wife has moved on to another fancy set. They are delicate, but they are not that delicate. We didn't throw them in the fireplace, but we handed them out to whoever at fairly rowdy parties and nineteen times out of twenty they survive undamaged. I still run them through the dishwasher on the scalding hot water setting (& air dry). Don't baby that stuff - use it. It's tougher than you think. I got a great deal of pleasure out of those wine glasses. I think you should regard them as disposable and not as future family heirlooms: your kids will want to get their own and, if they inherit them, then they will not use them out of fear of breaking them. Use the stuff. The china plates we use maybe five times a year. Because of the gold on them, they can't go into the dishwasher, so they are a bigger pain in the ass to use. But we enjoy using them quite a bit at holidays and dinner parties. I don't think we've lost a piece or, if we have, we don't miss it. Do spring for the big mammoth pieces -- the turkey tray, the vegetable bowls, etc. -- and maybe the odd items -- butter dish, salt and pepper wells, etc. -- while the pattern is available. If you have the space to store these things, they are worth it. Also make sure you have a good dining area to spread out and use the stuff in style. In my opinion you can't all crowd around a two-top and fully enjoy the fine china. But the crystal wine glasses are a lot more fun. Use them in good health I say and when so many break, after say ten years of heavy use, get yourself another set of glasses that you like just as much or better.

Funny, my parents got Riedels in the early '70s, not for prestige but for aesthetics, and when I realized and told my father, he remarked that I now should understand where I got my good taste from...

I think Riedel is definitely more attractive than etched wine glasses. They definitely add to the experience. Every time i look at a Vitis glass, I smile. I absolutely love the shape and the way the bowl is pulled into the stem. They're the sexiest glasses ever imo.

HS, I used my fine bone china almost every day for a year. I haven't broken anything. I think that people are overly paranoid about their china because it's expensive, but as long as you take care of it, it will last forever. What sort of pattern did you get?

We do not use our wedding crystal (Riedel) for anything other than dinner for two, and even then, it is rare that we remember to or feel like going to the trouble to unpack it. We use our china and silver once or twice a week. The china is a bit of a pain as it is not dishwasher safe (and why we don't have a dishwasher). The crystal is way too fragile to use - if we had heavy stuff like Waterford or Baccarat, it might be different. As is, we have easily gone through 100 broken glasses, if not more - typically from Crate and Barrel.

We got quite a bit of William Ashley stuff and yes, we do use it on special occasions (Christmas, Easter, Anniversaries, occasional birthdays). Plus it looks great and my wife loves them.

We use our crystal, china, and silver (serving pieces and utensils) frequently. Then again, we like to entertain with multicourse, leisurely dinners, to include holiday meals. Occasionally, my wife and I will use them just for ourselves when we've prepared a special meal. It all makes for a delightful presentation.

Very few of my friends ever use their formal crystal, china or sterling. At one time we had place settings for 18 but we used them maybe once or twice a year.

We got rid of them and now have a very nice set of white Apilco dishes and heavy stainless. We use them everyday. Our glasses are Kate Spade, Ridel and assorted Crate and Barrel glassware and specialty drink glasses. The only cut crystal I have are a dozen double old fashion Waterford glasses that I use to serve scotch and tequila. They have a nice, heavy look and feel that adds to the experience.

Congrats on the wedding! I say use and enjoy them. Only the need to handwash the dishes stops us from using them more.

My wife insisted on registering for fairly practical wedgwood stuff, and we use it all the time. I wanted fancier, more delicate sets, but it's nice to have stuff we use.

I'll reiterate someone else's question: Why register for etched glasses if it's not what you want to use?

We registered for plain glassware, and have broken all but two of the red-wine glasses, so whenever we have guests, my wife and I make a point of using those. At least until another breaks, I think we both see something a little symbolic in that.

heh, that's pretty funny.

We have two china cabinets filled to nearly overflowing with china and silver (no crystal though). I think we have three different complete sets of china - all inherited - and two sets of antique silverware. For normal use I pared us back to two sets of everyday-use dishes (8 sets each) and a forest of plain everyday glasses. Don't get me started on the coffee cups/mugs/tureens.

Some of the china has never been touched in ten years of marriage. And all we use are the 8 Ikea dishes. Easily a hundred dishes in the house, but when all 8 of the Ikea dishes are dirty, I have a crisis. And there's just two of us in the house, for now.

My wife and I use it all the time!