Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Our Wedding China

Hi everyone!  I have been absent from blogging for about a week and a half.  Not only have I not posted, but I haven't had time to visit anyone else's blog either.  I always feel like I'm out of the loop when that happens.  We've had family things going on and the puppy is still keeping us very busy.

This week I'm participating in Cuisine Kathleen's "Let's Dish" party.  Her challenge this month is for us to set a table with wedding china.  It can be our wedding china, or the wedding china of a mother or grandmother, etc.  I just realized that the challenge was actually to use formal wedding china in an informal arrangement so, Oops, I guess I didn't get that memo.  The story of my life these days.  :)  Anyway, I was glad for the opportunity to set a table with our wedding dishes.  Those of you who are regular readers of my blog have seen this china before, but here it is again.


This is the pattern we picked out for our wedding, and we were fortunate enough to receive all twelve place settings, and some serving pieces as well.


This china is called "Juliet" and is made by Royal Doulton.  I wonder if Hyacinth would approve.  ;)



My sweet mother-in-law gifted me with these place mats and matching napkins the year I started blogging,


and she gifted us with the sterling three years ago.  We didn't register for sterling flatware when we got married, and I'm so very grateful to have some now.  The pattern is "Grande Regency" by International Sterling.


We'll be married 27 years next week, and I still love this china as much as I did when I picked it out.  I feel the same way about my husband, by the way.  :)  Actually, I love him a whole lot more.


I took some of these pictures in the morning and Mr. Forest Manor took some in the evening, so the color of the dishes looks different at different times of day and in different lighting.


As wedding gifts, we received the meat platter and the oval vegetable bowl.


I swapped some extra plates for the bud vase above and a sugar bowl.


We also received this sandwich platter as a wedding gift.



My sister gave me the pretty sweet meat dish for my birthday one year.  I love the shape of it.


My mother-in-law brought us these fruit/cereal bowls from London early in our marriage.


I first set the table using our etched sherbet glasses, and then decided to use the bowls instead.


I'm so glad our David Austin roses bloomed late this year, because I was able to use them for this tablescape.


I love, love these roses!!  We planted this rosebush about four years ago in honor of our anniversary then.  It's a David Austin rose called "Gertrude Jekyll."  This is a climbing rose, and it grows against the front of our house.  I love the rich shade of pink, the shape, and the amazing fragrance of these roses.  It's described in my David Austin book as "an Old Rose perfume, the quintessential rose fragrance."
 

I found these napkins at a local antique mall.  I love the embroidery and the fact that the design is the same shade of blue as the pattern in my china.



Our wedding picture...


We looked so young then; I don't know how the years have gone by so quickly.


Salt and pepper shakers were another wedding gift.




Crystal is Gorham "French Cathedral."



I've updated this post by adding some candlelight shots.  The husband took these this evening, and I think he did a great job.  :-D






My husband also took these macro shots.






 So tell me -- do you still like your wedding china?  If so, do you ever use it?  We never use ours, and I'm going to have to change that.  It's a shame to leave it in the china cabinet all the time.

Thanks so much for visiting me!  I will be catching up with my visits, as well; I can't wait to see what you've been doing.

I'm linking this post to:
"Let's Dish," hosted by Cuisine Kathleen
Tablescape Thursday, hosted by Susan at BNOTP
Home Sweet Home, hosted by Sherry

Have a terrific day!

Denise

17 comments:

  1. Oh, Denise, I completely understand about not doing a post or visiting because I have been in the same boat. One of my friends lost her son and I didn't open my computer for days and then didn't do much. Just didn't have the desire.

    Your china pattern and the table you set is lovely. I was drawn to your beautiful roses. Gorgeous. I know you were excited to have a special occasion to use them.
    How special to share your wedding pictures. Both of you look so in love.
    I also like the linens your MIL gave you. I love the colors and the applique design with your china.
    Now, you are all set for an anniversary candlelight dinner. Have a great anniversary celebration. Great post.

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  2. I was so glad to see that you had done the challenge too. I always love your tables, and your taste in dishes is so much like mine. Your pattern is just beautiful, and I love that you have so many interesting pieces to use. Your crystal is stunning too.

    I still love my wedding china, but if I got married today, I would choose a different crystal, something more like yours.

    And btw, you were a beautiful bride. I think I like looking at the wedding pics as much as the table picks this week.

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  3. A beautiful and interesting post.
    Welcome back!

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  4. Hi Denise,

    Your china is just beautiful! And your sterling. And you did such a nice job photographing it! What a fun challenge!

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  5. I thnk you and I were out to lunch when the part about using the china in an informal way was announced. It's OK...we're together on this one!

    Let me start by saying how utterly beautiful your roses are! Late bloomers finish first, I guess!

    I think it's sweet that you said you still love your china just as much and love your husband even more. That's a good thing all around! The china is so pretty and has such a lightness about it...it reminds me of china in a fancy tea room. You really have a lot of great accessory pieces, too. A sweet meat bowl? Really??!??!! AND a bud vase!!! You've got it goin' on all the way!!!

    Glad you're back and swinging to hit it out of the park! Have a great weekend!

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  6. Your china is just lovely...I can see why you don't get tired of it. I still love my wedding china as well, so I can totally relate to your sentiment. Gorgeous table!

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  7. The table is so elegant and pretty. I don't have wedding china, but I have my mother's with I do use at Easter. I have the same rose, and now I understand why she grows 6 - 8 feet tall. Last hear she didn't bloom at all. I am wondering now if I should move her? I will have to see now healthy she is this year. Last year her leaves were yells and she didn't bloom. She is. A lovely rose with a very sweet rosey smell.

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  8. I love your wedding china, as I am always drawn to colorful patterns. I can see why you still love it! How wonderful that you were given so many pieces when you married! I don't have any serving pieces for mine except the platter.

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  9. It is all so beautiful -- I particularly love your sterling. Nice in-law!

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  10. Oh gosh Denise, you chose such a beautiful china pattern. I can see why you would never tire of it. Your sterling from your dear MIL was such a thoughtful gift. I love the napkins that you found from the antique mall. Aren't they so pretty with your dishes and with the placemats, too? You're crystal is a lovely pattern, also. Now, about those roses... exquisite for your display! I wish I could smell them. You certainly have so many serving pieces. Aren't you the lucky one? Your wedding pics are just precious... oh such sweet memories to cherish. xo

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  11. Beautiful choice! Like you, I'm still in love with my husband and the china we selected 39 years ago. How wonderful that you received 12 place settings. We had to add to ours over the years and never did get any serving pieces. I did add a tea service that I found on eBay for a great price. '-)
    Thanks for sharing your beautiful china service.

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  12. I really love it that your husband participated in Kathleen's challenge too by taking the evening and the macro pictures. He did a wonderful job! This could be one of the reasons you are so happily married. You work well together, wonderful! As I have been saying in my comments to the other participants in this challenge, classic china never goes out of style and literally provides a lifetime of beauty to grace your table for family and friends to celebrate the occasions of your life. Your pattern is beautiful. I do not have wedding china, but I can imagine that every time you set a table with it that your mind takes you back to remember all of the love and joy you experienced when you and your husband picked it out.

    I have been low profile with my blog for several weeks. It seems that life takes a lot of my time. I blog for fun and I love doing it, but my family, my home and job have to come first. Besides family birthdays, Easter, Mother's Day, confirmations, graduations, packing everything up to move out of the house while new flooring is installed, working twenty or so extra hours a week over the last three weeks, and the garage flooding this week (one big nasty, wet, sopping mess) life has been pretty dull around my house. I hope I can find enough time today to put a table together to participate at Kathleen's challenge before it closes too. Better late than never.

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  13. What a beautiful setting! I love the china pattern and it looks so pretty on your table!

    Thanks for the inspiration!
    karianne

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  14. Hi, Denise! I LOVE your table (and I've never seen that exquisite type of rose before!) Your china is reminiscent of mine, as you commented (thank you for visiting, by the way!). Although I have to admit I actually like the deeper color of your flower pattern better than mine. Our taste must be very similar! Wasn't this challenge fun? It was great thinking about "the old days" and seeing all the beautiful dishes out there in blogland! Rosie @ The Magic Hutch

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  15. I love your wedding china, it is just beautiful! The roses are so lovely, just like that young couple! :) Thanks for joining in! Use your china!

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  16. Your wedding china is beautiful Denise! It is a true classic that looks as perfect now as it did when you chose it.
    Love those beautiful David Austen roses too - I never realised you could get them in the US too!
    So many lovely photos, thank you for sharing!
    Gill xx

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  17. Your china is beautiful. I love the David Austin rose too. Thanks for hosting!
    Sherry

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THANK YOU FOR YOUR KIND COMMENTS. I ENJOY READING EACH AND EVERY ONE OF THEM.

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