More Brides Choose China

More brides choosing heirloom china

(ARA) – Ever since she was a little girl, Amanda Davis dreamed of one day having her grandmother’s cherished wedding china as her very own.

“As a child, I always loved listening to stories about past family gatherings as Mamo took each piece of her china out of the hutch so carefully,” says Davis. “I can remember thinking about how this same china had been used for numerous family gatherings and feeling a sense of connection to my grandfather, who died before I was born, through the china that I knew he had used with my grandmother on similar family occasions.”

Davis had no idea her grandmother, Bettie Guillion, shared a similar dream. Guillion knew her granddaughter loved her china, and planned to pass along her precious heirlooms when Davis grew up and set her own big date.  But there was one problem — missing pieces. Guillion received the set for her own wedding in the early 1940s and while she had managed to keep most of her beloved collection through the decades, somewhere along the way, the cups and saucers disappeared. Guillion’s daughter, Linda Bohannon, thought it would be impossible to replace them.

“My mother picked her china out of the Sears and Roebuck catalog more than 60 years ago, so we knew there was just no way we’d ever find it,” says Bohannon. “The only thing she could remember about her china was that it was made by Homer Laughlin. That didn’t seem like much to go on, so at that point I just hoped we could find some nice cream colored pieces Amanda could use with the set.”

Bohannon heard about Replacements, Ltd., known as the world’s largest supplier of old and new china, crystal, silver and collectibles. When she visited the company’s Web site, Bohannon found a list of china made by Homer Laughlin and noticed photographs of most patterns. She started clicking away and was almost speechless when she came across an image that looked very familiar.

“I called my mother up and asked her, does your china have little pink and yellow roses on it, and could the pattern name be ‘Countess’?” Bohannon remembers. “That was it; that was her china! I was completely flabbergasted. It never entered my mind that we would be able to find the exact pattern. My mother was absolutely thrilled!”

Davis isn’t alone in creating wedding registries for family treasures. Many brides are choosing to complete china, crystal and flatware sets lovingly handed down from mother to daughter to granddaughter. Unfortunately, if the patterns are especially old there is a good chance that the manufacturer no longer produces the pieces, making it nearly impossible to track down at most department stores.

“We’re one of the few places brides inheriting heirloom patterns can turn to for help because of our huge, diverse inventory of discontinued patterns, some more than 100 years old,” says Traci Hart, Replacements’ director of customer service. “Nearly 80 percent of our bridal registry sales are generated from discontinued and heirloom patterns. What’s more, we’ve put together a group of associates to specifically handle all registry requests. Because these folks are really familiar with our bridal customers, we can offer more personalized attention. It’s almost like having your own personal shopper.”

Brides like Davis, who don’t know their pattern name, are in luck. The company also offers a free pattern identification service. Replacements’ research team receives nearly 3,000 requests weekly from people who don’t know the name or manufacturer of their patterns.

“I cannot tell you how much it meant to me to receive this piece of family history,” Davis says. “I can already picture myself as a mother and grandmother pulling this same china out of my own hutch as I tell stories of my grandmother. I hope that in the future they will feel the same sense of family history and pride and that I will one day be able to pass it on to my own granddaughter. To know that it will be used in future generations of my family in the same way it was used in past generations is an amazing gift.” You can learn more about Replacements’ bridal registry and free pattern identification service at Replacements.com.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

Groom’s Tireless Search For ‘Something Old’ Gives His Bride New Joy

(ARA) – Lt. Greg Martin wanted to give his fiancee the storybook wedding of her dreams. But he had a slight problem. She was in California planning their big day while he was on the other side of the world, stationed in Iraq. Being so far away made it even more difficult for him to hear the disappointment in her voice when she told him she couldn’t find something she had her heart set on for their big day.

“Years ago, my fiancee Shannon saw this cake topper she really liked in a department store that she thought would be perfect for her wedding day,” says Martin. “It’s called ‘Swept Away’, and after I proposed Shannon remembered it and said the name was so fitting because I swept her away.”

Unfortunately, the manufacturer of the topper, Lenox China, had discontinued it. Martin’s fiancee and her mother searched numerous stores and even got into bidding wars online, but couldn’t find the treasured piece. Martin started his own Internet search which led him to Replacements, Ltd., touted as the world’s largest supplier of old and new china, silver, crystal and collectibles. Unfortunately, Replacements had sold out of the cake topper as well. Little did a disappointed Martin know, his search had far from ended.

“My entire team was so touched by Greg’s story, how he was away serving our country and wanted so much to surprise his fiancee that we made it our mission to find that cake topper,” says Martha Newman, Internet services manager for Replacements, Ltd.  

Replacements has long helped those like Martin looking for patterns that are no longer in production. In fact, the company’s bridal registry offers hope to those brides looking to complete heirloom patterns lovingly passed down as wedding gifts from generation to generation.  

“Even though we sell active patterns, nearly 79 percent of our bridal registry sales are generated from discontinued and heirloom patterns,” says Donna Braswell-Bray, who oversees Replacements’ bridal program. “We’re one of the few places brides can turn to in finding patterns that are no longer being made, whether the manufacturer discontinued them last year or over a hundred years ago. In fact most manufacturers and department stores even refer customers to us for patterns they no longer carry.”

What’s more, if a bride doesn’t know the pattern name or who made it, Replacements research department will help track down that information through the company’s free pattern identification service. Replacements receives up to 3,000 requests weekly from people looking to identify patterns they’ve inherited or whose name they simply can’t remember.

As for Martin’s dilemma, Replacements’ buying services team launched a nationwide search and finally found the highly sought after cake topper.

“Many of us were in tears, we were clapping and just so overwhelmed,” says Newman. “We were so excited to let him know we were able to make this wish come true.”

Replacements shipped the cake topper directly to Martin’s fiancee, and he called her so they could open it together over the phone. “I wish I could have been there to see her reaction and her big smile,” says Martin. “Needless to say Shannon was stunned and very excited to get the cake topper she wanted so much. I can’t believe they were able to help me find exactly what she wanted to make our wedding day perfect!”

To learn more about the company’s bridal registry and free pattern identification service, visit www.replacements.com.

Courtesy of ARAcontent