It’s hot and muggy outside and there is not much to share here. We have a family wedding of a Grand Nephew coming up in October and I’ve been checking out their registry to see what we’ll pick to gift them. My thoughts went back to our wedding registry.
We were married in December of 1974 and these were some shower and wedding gifts we received. They are still serving us well. These high quality stainless steel bowls have been used over and over again for mixing anything from cookies to cakes and brownies and for savory things like egg scrambles. Fifty two years old and it is accurate to say, ‘they don’t make them like they used to’.
My tried and true stand mixer has been a faithful friend over all these years beating up ingredients for me and saving my hands and wrists and arms a lot of wear and tear.
My aluminum pans have made so many cakes, crumbles, breads, brownies, and other wonderful treats.
We don’t have all the Pfaltzgraff Yorktowne dishes anymore. I did keep a couple of the teapots, the sugar and creamer and the cookie jar. I use the cookie jar as decor. We do have a full set of Moss Rose by Royal Albert that we collected after we were married. I purchased the Moss Rose Tea Set in Oxford in 1973 on our summer music tour before we were married and that inspired us to buy the dinner set, too. My parents purchased service for 8 of our sterling. Since our wedding we added 4 more place settings.
In walking about the house to see what other wedding gifts are still visible this pewter oil lamp came into view.
We both enjoyed and enjoy pewter. This gift was from friends from my Bethany Russian Baptist days. And these pewter gifts below were from mutual friends.
Looks like I have some silver polishing to do on those sugar tongs!
This sent me way down a rabbit hole that I’ll continue closer to our anniversary in December.
Are you still using gifts from your wedding showers and wedding day?
The Happy Wonderer ~ ellen b. 
…tired and true “friends!” The best kind.
How great that you the things you were given when you were married are still serving you well. I think things were built to last better back then. Everything you have still looks brand new too!
What a lovely trip down memory lane, Ellen! There really is something special about things that have been with us for decades and still have a job to do. They become more than just bowls, pans or kitchenware because they carry so many memories with them.
Sarah and I have been married for 19 years, so we haven’t quite reached the 52-year mark yet! But I can certainly understand why those wedding gifts mean so much to you, especially when you can look at them and remember the people who gave them to you and the life you’ve shared since.
I particularly love that your Royal Albert Moss Rose tea set has a connection going all the way back to your music tour in Oxford in 1973. That’s the sort of story that makes an object priceless. The fact that you bought it before you were married and then built the dinner set around it afterwards makes it even more special.
And I have to agree with the “they don’t make them like they used to” sentiment. There is something wonderfully reassuring about an object that has survived 50 years of being used and is still doing exactly what it was made to do!
I hope you have a wonderful time choosing something special for your grand nephew and his bride. I’m looking forward to hearing more of your wedding memories when December comes around. What a wonderful anniversary milestone to celebrate! 😀
We are still using the Folk Art pattern from Pfaltzgraff, and I still love it!
We will be married 58 years October 5th and I still have wedding/shower gifts that I am using or displaying. I also have an avocado green Kitchenaid mixer that my husband talked me into buying in 1978 (I thought it was too industrial looking at the time, ha, ha) but I’m so glad I listened to him and it’s still working! We bought our daughter one for a wedding gift in 1992 and the quality of the bowl is very noticeably lighter. [a humerous side note: I have an electric knife from 1968 or 69 that has a cord on it that you could jump rope with it’s so long! 🙂 Compare that to the cords on today’s electrical appliances.
Elaine, what is the deal with new appliances having the shortest electrical cords ever! For a change the latest hairdryer I purchased has a very long cord. I’m thinking it is a European model because of how few and far between the electrical outlets are in the UK and Europe!
Thanks for leaving your comment. I enjoyed reading it. 🙂
Congrats to your Grand Nephew. I also still have my first Kitchen Aide mixer from when we were married 52 years ago! I added another bigger one about 15 years ag,o which I use the most often, but when I make Christmas cookies both mixers come in handy.
Wow, KitchenAides haven’t changed much in appearance. Yours is in pristine (meaning super clean) condition. Very impressive! The bowls and pans look great, too. They must have been great quality, and, like you said, they don’t make them like that anymore. The pewter oil lamp is really pretty. You received some wonderful presents!
What a fun jaunt down memory lane. Such useful and lasting wedding treasures. Your cookware looks like new. Your pewter pieces are very nice. I still use many of my wedding gifts – fancy bowls and such. Enjoy the upcoming wedding.
Amazing how things were made to last years ago. I too have many of the things I had when we first got married (54 yrs). The Yorktowne pattern is what I had once upon a time. My mom had the folk art and we traded. Now a days just have a few folk art left.
Great memories and a lovely look back! Take care, enjoy your day!
Oh that is so neat! I do still have quite a few things from our wedding/shower that we still use.
What a beautiful testament to a life well-lived and shared! In a world that throws things away so fast, your story proves that love and care make objects sacred. Every time you use those pieces, you are tasting a bit of your wonderful history. Thank you, Ellen for showing us how simple things can hold the deepest love!
You received some lovely gifts.
We were married in 1972.