Old wedding presents still used

Seems ironing boards are very resilient as I still have my original one from 1970, along side the laundry basket, my pyrex mixing bowl, the wooden rolling pin and several wooden mixing spoons. So many memories tied up in mundane objects.

Diplomat

I have a small bride & groom Ladro figurine from my mum, 5 remaining champagne glasses from a set of 6 from my aunt & uncle and a China jug from Galway Ireland from a lifetime long friend of my mum. All now 41 years old and precious.

Lovely memories.

What to do with our plethora of other Lladros?

Having married in 1958 and downsized 19 yrs ago, I don't have any wedding presents but, I do have a pretty delicate green glass vase that belonged to my mother in law. I admired it many times when visiting, prior to my marriage to there only child/son in 1958.
I do however have a beautiful Noritake Green Point tea and dinner service we were gifted from friends and family for our silver wedding 1983.
We silently thought it an odd gift from our son and daughter in law when they gave up 6 dinner plates. Admittedly they had a silver rim.
The penny dropped when other friends gifted pieces from the same range. We later learned friends had asked our son for gift ideas..they came up with the idea of adding to the China sets.
My inlaws gave us some cash which we added the final teapot, cream jug and sugar basin.
At first it was only bought out for dinner parties but since downsizing 19 yrs ago everything is in daily use.
I don't use the teapot or veg tureen or tea cups and saucers.
I know any family won't want any of it. Youngsters prefer mugs these days.

I have a small bride & groom Ladro figurine from my mum, 5 remaining champagne glasses from a set of 6 from my aunt & uncle and a China jug from Galway Ireland from a lifetime long friend of my mum. All now 41 years old and precious.

We have a Denby dinner service a canteen of cutlery some M&S trays glass desert dishes, bedding that came boxed and probably other things that are from 47 years ago and still in excellent condition.

1973 wedding. Silver tea service with no sentimental value. Would/should sell it at some point. Silver pastry forks from BF’s brother & avocado dishes from BF. A couple of blankets & a couple of Pyrex casserole dishes, but the most useful present, still in frequent use, is an orange Addis set of washing bowl, dustpan & brush, broom head & one remaining dish brush (whose bristles are too hard for frequent use). DM, who was never allowed to have money of her own, asked what I thought we needed but hadn’t received and cashed in all her Green Shield stamps to get the rest (even a toilet brush). Wrung my heart when I found out, & still does. I still have the toilet brush but now I use it for hooking blanket weed out of the pond. Another gap filler was the stainless steel spiked meat plate which used again this Christmas. Good memories. BF died before she was 60, but those Dartington avocado plates & the pastry forks live on.

My friend bought us a slow cooker as a wedding present in 1979 which we were both really excited about! Still have it (and the friend!) and use it every week, along with my cast iron skillet which i bought for a couple of pounds from a door to door salesman for my “bottom drawer”

Yes, beautiful German crystal dessert bowls,Moulinex hand mixer and electric knife . Just thrdonated iron and threw out ironing board last year as it was too heavy. I never iron unless I have too.🤣 never have...

Pyrex dishes, a salad bowl with servers, and a metal tea set.

We still use (occasionally) the hostess trolley we were given as a wedding present in 1979. Still invaluable when the whole family are here for a meal, so Christmas, birthdays, anniversaries.

Several trays from our wedding in 1981 and some Pyrex dishes still in use. Boots used to sell a lot of kitchenware, I have a set in bottle green plastic still in use - 2 storage jars, a colander, 2 mixing bowls and a set of measuring spoons. We did have a clock as well but it died a couple of years ago.

Everything I use is from our 1967 wedding. Cutlery glasses, wooden plates instead of mats to go under a hot plate. Crockery, cheese slice, candlesticks, cake slice and so much more. I have never had to renew or supplement and still love what we have. I also have loads of platters and tea sets from my parents, which I will give to charity in the new year. I am trying to declutter a bit as I have far too much.

Electric carving knife 52 years old xx

2x M&S trays, a Kenwood electric knife, 2 x bone china sets, a set of bedding

I’m still using my kenwood chef! It’s 58 years old! Bought by my Aunt and Uncle … a very posh gift in those days! Ive only replaced the beaters after I put them in the dishwasher a few years ago!! As they oxidised!

I have a cheese board plate from my first marriage which is still in use. I also have a moulinex food processor which was a wedding present from my first marriage. I separated from my first husband in 1982, and we later divorced. The food processor stopped working shortly after. I met my DH in 1985, he fixed the food processor and we have been together ever since. The food processor is still in use.

I still have sheets and pillowcases. I also have my ironing board, which will be 57 years old in April. It’s so much sturdier than today’s ones that one of my DDs wants to inherit it!

Mixing bowls and frayed towels from my first wedding in 1967.

The dinner service from my parents was well used and we got rid of it about 5 years ago. Most of it was intact but there were chipped plates, missing bowls and a lidless tureen. It actually went on to a second life with a family that lost everything in a house fire. They didn't mind the odd bit missing. I expect it has been dumped by now. I still have a set of large pyrex bowls that aren't used often any more. We also have 2 wine glasses out of a set of 6 that a friend gave us. We used them on Christmas Day.

A set of Pyrex patterned casserole dishes are fifity years old but not complete….be warned…..one of them had shepherd's pie in it and exploded in the oven last year. I don’t put the others in the oven now.

And I could buy a Dartington Compleat Imbiber sherry glass today on ebay for 16.00. But I have 6 so no need

Well done brain. Dartington. Glasses and decanter. Could use them today.

And there's more...some straight sided sherry glasses, 2 wine glasses both sets with a heavy base and a lovely sleek square decanter all by. Damn the name has gone. Will come back when brain is in gear.

I have an AEG freezer bought in 1984 still going strong. I have considered replacing it but it is still keeping a steady -18 degrees. I also have a Swan toaster 38 years old. Just guessing that they would both see me out.

4allweknow

Cariadagain. My 3 children were all given the choice of wedding paid for or house deposit and fees. All 3 took the house option. Then about 10 years later eldest child was marrying and what happened, wedding paid for. Somehow the house money slipped by. Then the other two followed suit so same again, had to stump up to treat them all the same. Nearly needed a mortgage! But, wouldn't grudge a penny. Anyone who would have a full on wedding rather than money for a deposit especially nowadays needs counselling! My Oneida cutlery from own wedding 59 years ago is in use every day.

That was a very generous offer - and wise of them to take the house option. You don't have to have a big Wedding with a capital W - but you do need a home.

Crikey to finding you landed up paying for both - and for three.

True that weddings don't have to cost a fortune and I don't really get why anyone would go in for a big flash one personally - it's one day. I would have just thought "Small ceremony....big ceilidh in the evening for anyone/everyone and help with catering it ourselves" and that would have felt sufficient to "mark the occasion" to me personally. So I'm inclined to agree with counselling if anyone wants the "full on" do. Pagan weddings seem to get it about right imo - though I'm not a pagan myself. Small/casual/informal/meant to be fun.

It would have been a buffet - rather than sit-down meal anyway - if it had come to it. I've not forgotten the 3 course sit-down meal at a posh hotel wedding back in the 1980s (ie before things went quite so "over the top" imo) and my mother had told me "You won't be the only vegetarian. The bride's two brothers both are" and I quietly told the waiter that "I'm one of the vegetarians" and nothing ever emerged for me - whilst everyone else ate a posh fish course to start. Same quietly telling the nearby waitress when it came to the main course (a luxury meat dish with basic cooked vegetables) and consternation broke out. I didn't understand why - until they brought me a cheese omelette with the same cooked vegetables as everyone else and it all started to become very clear that one of the vegetarians at least hadnt been catered for (ie me). It was my erstwhile brothers wedding - invites sent months in advance etc. I would have RSVP'ed with "vegetarian please" added - as I was used to doing that.

Ever since I've regarded weddings as over-rated and overcharged.....