For most brides, one of the most important—and worry-inducing—items on the wedding registry is fine china. China occupies a place of honor in many dining rooms, but many of modern brides view picking a pattern with trepidation. Some eschew china altogther, relying instead on more casual “everyday” place settings and serving pieces. While “everyday” certainly has its place as the workhorse family staple, it shouldn’t completely supplant fine china—in the dining room or on the wedding registry. Each is necessary, and each has its place.
The top three reasons brides don’t put china on their gift registries:

1) “I’ll never use it—we sit on the couch and eat off TV trays every night.”
Even if you can’t picture yourself hosting a formal dinner party in the next ten years, you’ll want to start collecting china now. In the years to come, you’ll be having everyone over for holidays, and TV trays won’t cut it for a Thanksgiving of fifteen people. In the meantime, you never know when you or your spouse might need to impress a client or boss with an elegant dinner at home. Whether you cook or have it catered is up to you, but your place settings should set the right tone.

2) “It’s old-fashioned—the patterns remind me of my grandmother’s house.”
These days, fine china is anything but frumpy. Many luxury-brand designers, such as Kate Spade and Hermès, are trying their hands at china, while bridal designers like Vera Wang and Monique Lhuillier are adding to their wedding repertoires with china lines.

3) “I don’t think any of my guests will buy it.”
Nonsense! China is the most classic and traditional of wedding gifts. Your twenty-year-old male cousin may not risk it, but many of your family and friends, especially those of your parents’ generation, will choose china over a more trendy gift like an ice cream maker.

Once you have your china, don’t keep it tucked away in a cabinet or closet, only to be hauled out for those rare special occasions. Here are three fun ways to make the most of it:

• Coordinating pieces are wonderful instant décor; plate hangers make displaying platters and chargers easy.
  
• Instead of the same old TV-and-trays routine, surprise your spouse one night with a romantic candlelit dinner on your wedding china.
  
• Send the guys to a sports bar and have your girlfriends over for a tea party on Sunday afternoon. If your china is floral and delicate, rent period pieces like Pride and Prejudice for a Victorian feel. A Sex and the City marathon is the perfect backdrop for modern china by Kate Spade, while classics like Breakfast at Tiffany’s and Love in the Afternoon will suit every taste.