More brides choosing heirloom china
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
Bridal Registry Tips and Items You’ll Really Use
Practical Gift Ideas
Registry Basics
Before you and your sweetheart start scanning items for your registry, do your homework. Consider the size of your space and where you will store your new items. If you’re living in an apartment or smaller condominium, you may want to rethink registering for the super-deluxe size barbecue grill. You’ll be surprised how quickly your new gifts can fill up your space.
Next, think about your guest list. Make sure that you have a variety of items to choose from and at different price points — high and low — so guests can purchase items they feel reflect their own taste and that they can afford. Be sure to consider your out-of-town guests as well, by registering for items that are available both at nationwide locations and online, such as Target and Bed Bath & Beyond, to help ensure they can access your registries from anywhere.
Kitchen and Bath Registry Ideas and Necessities
Now that the registry basics are covered, the fun can begin. Start with the rooms that you live in and use the most — the kitchen and bathroom.
Do you like to host dinner parties? Fine china should be on your list. According to theknot.com, crisp black-and-white dinnerware patterns are all the rage this season. Find something that will not only match your taste and decor, but also be a classic design for years to come.
Want to skip the china, but love to cook? Register for a complete collection of high-end cookware. Stores, such as Sur La Table, offer cool cooking gadgets for the basic, well-stocked and gourmet kitchens alike.
In addition to registering for the mainstays in the kitchen, such as sterling silver flatware and crystal stemware, don’t forget about everyday items like measuring cups and spoons, a kitchen scale, electronic timers or even a microwave oven.
Love a spa feeling and want to re-create it in your bathroom at home? Then don’t settle for a plain, ordinary shower experience when you can create an invigorating one. Register for a new showerhead. Many new showerheads, such as the Enliven showerhead from Moen (available at Target), offer multiple settings that suit any mood — “Relaxing” wide spray, “Invigorating” concentrated spray and “Refreshing” combination spray. Available in fixed and handheld versions, both feature a spray selector, making it easy to change settings and keep you and your spouse singing in the shower.
Continue to create your spa-like, romantic atmosphere by registering for luxury bath towels and high-thread-count sheets. Other items to consider, both extravagant and necessary, include: a down comforter, feather bed, pillows, alarm clock with dual alarms and a closet organizer.
Beyond the Registry
If you and your significant other are looking for adventure instead of objects, why not create memories instead? Family and friends can help purchase items including your airfare, honeymoon suite or candlelit dinners at your vacation destination on sites such as www.honeymoonwishes.com or www.thebigday.com. Register for horseback riding or scuba diving adventures for you and your sweetheart to have memories that will last a lifetime.
Finding Inspiration
Still need help finding inspiration before registering? Retailers, such as Target, offer planning ideas and buying guides on their Web site by category to help get you started.
Recent, popular items to register for include:
* Luggage
* Tool kit
* Bagless vacuum or steam cleaner
* Patio furniture
* Ultra compact digital camera (to help capture memories of your special day and new life together)
Before taking the big walk down the aisle, make sure you’re prepared with necessities that will last long after saying “I do.”
For more information about the Enliven three-setting showerheads available at Target, visit moen.com, or call (800) BUY-MOEN.
Courtesy of ARAcontent
Register for Wedding Gifts
Register at National Chains
7 Months Before Your Wedding
Registering for your wedding gifts may sound like one of the most fun tasks on the overall list! It really can be but to get the most out of it, you really want to be certain that you stay organized. Creating an overall checklist, colors, and keeping all of your needs in check can make this seemingly easy task much more enjoyable. It helps to first visit a few of the stores that you plan to register at to make sure that they not only have the items that you want, but also that guests can easily purchase them. You want to consider things such as shipping for the out of town guests, as well as the return policy. May not sound like much but when you consider all the things that you may register for, it can truly add up.
If you are in a home already then take inventory. Go room to room and consider what you might need or want for your home. Consider things that you may never necessarily buy for yourself such as fine china, nice serving pieces, and vases. This is the time to create your overall wish list and put everything that you could ever want on there—within reason of course! You want to take into consideration any color scheme that you have going by room or for the house as a whole because this is a great time to accessorize and specify what styles and colors that you want in each and every item. The more specific you get, the more likely you are to get exactly what you want.
As you will have guests likely buying you gifts for a bridal shower as well as your wedding, consider listing out items at various price points. Also consider registering at 2-3 stores to make shopping much easier. This can also ensure that you spread out your wish list and include items that may be found at one store but not another. It can also make shopping much more convenient on the guests—and returning much easier on you as a couple. Use the store’s checklists to stay organized and ensure that you don’t list out any duplicates. Before you walk around each store with the scanner (which can be so much fun for you and your beloved) take the time to walk through ahead of time with the checklist so that you are sure to capture everything on your wish list. This will also help prevent you from adding items just for fun. Consider some of the more unusual items as well such as luggage and holiday items—you’ll be happy later on if you happen to get some of these items. If you stay organized and on top of this task, then you are sure to have fun creating your wish list of all the items you could ever want as a married couple!
Maid of Honor? Be Prepared
December 29, 2008 by admin
Filed under Bridesmaids
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Maid of Honor? Be Prepared
(ARA) – The role of the maid of honor can turn into a dress rehearsal for the day when it is your turn to be the bride. The bride’s maid of honor typically has a very close personal relationship with the bride and often serves as confidant and advisor on a variety of issues. Preparations can include selecting wedding colors; choosing the bridesmaid dresses, the caterer and flowers; identifying a location for the wedding and the reception; and hosting a bridal shower.
This position of honor can be loaded with a lot of work and responsibility as well as a lot of fun. Typical maid-of-honor duties often include shopping with the bride, arranging transportation for the bridal party, communicating plans and responsibilities to the bridal party, selecting and sending out wedding invitations, ensuring the bridal party gets to rehearsals on time, helping during the rehearsal dinner and other events and making sure the reception runs smoothly.
“Deciding to marry is a big step and preparing for a wedding is an extremely stressful process,” says Dr. Douglas Whiteside, director of the Argosy University Seattle Psychology Center. “The bride needs reliable and trusted people around her to help make decisions and transact business. Therefore, the role of the maid of honor is critical in helping the bride cope with the demands of planning a wedding and preparing for a new life.”
She also has official duties such as signing the marriage license along with the best man and participating in the first dance with the best man, holding the groom’s ring during the ceremony, holding the bride’s bouquet during the ceremony and toasting the newlyweds during the reception. Then there are the tender tasks of helping to prepare the bride just before her grand march down the aisle by fixing her hair, adjusting the veil and wiping tears to avoid smudging makeup, along with the tedious task of helping to keep track of the wedding gifts and money cards.
Lest we forget, the toughest task for the maid of honor is the unofficial duty of keeping the bride calm, being a sounding board for the bride and offering thoughtful opinions when major decisions are being made. There is also the responsibility of keeping the bride calm the day of the wedding when nerves and anxiety will be at their peak. Screaming at the caterer, banquet hall attendant or church clerk over a forgotten detail can raise the stress level of the bride and those around her prior to the wedding. This can take the mood of this festive occasion in a wrong direction.
Assisting the bride through this delicate and stressful process also means looking out for her emotional well-being. The maid of honor often tells jokes to make the bride laugh and help reduce her stress level, and makes sure the bride eats healthy meals to keep her nourished and balanced. On top of all that, the best maid of honor must be a good listener in order to provide the necessary emotional support the bride needs leading up to and the day of the wedding, as she prepares for the start of her new life.
Courtesy of ARAcontent
