Want china? But don't want to blow your registry wad?
The Rogue Bride (one of my newest favorite reads) is in the midst of a common dilemma: To register for fine china or not. She writes:
Realistically, this is every girl’s one chance in a lifetime to get fine freakin-China. We’re never gonna buy it. Honestly, we’re probably never gonna use it. So…
Well honey, you're in luck. It just so happens that I have a piece of hindsight advice for you:
We didn’t register for china and, in some ways, I kinda regret it. Sure, I probably wouldn’t use it very often, but it is very much a chance of a lifetime, because, no, you won’t buy it yourself. On the other hand, would I trade my Wusthof knives, Le Creuset dutch oven or Calphalon pots and pans? Hell no, why, because I love to cook. If I already had all that fine booty, I might have reconsidered the china. But alas, getting stuff I'd use trumped the fancy stiff I probably wouldn't.
My solution: I’ve been collecting a mix-match china set from thrift store. You can find lovely pieces, especially of you live in a city. Estate sales might be worth checking out too.