we use so much. all clad pots and pans, reidel wine glasses for 5 different kinds of wine plus water, our flatware, our everyday dishes, our china a couple times a year. we have simon pearce lamps and vases around the house. silver frames too. cookbooks and serving dishes.

one of my most cherished gifts is a pair of crystal tea light holders from tiffany given to us by our dear, dear friend who was killed on 9/11.

Ziana
All those gifts that you hate were probably re-gifted to you. Hey, they hated to do it but had to.

I'm beginning to wonder if Z is pulling everyones' legs? Anyhoo, my 4 big white ironstone mugs have lasted longer than most marriages...

Okay, I'll be the one to say it. Given the recent history and all the pontificating about how this should only be about travel...here it comes...wait for it....WHAT DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH TRAVEL??????

people travel to weddings in order to give presents. ha ha

28 years and counting: the newfangled air Popcorn Popper! We were SO poor, and what a great cheap snack. It lasted about fifteen years, we've replaced it twice since then...

Also, among the cutest: a picture frame with a ten dollar bill inside, with caption: "In case of Emergency, break glass". (That one didn't last long nearly as long as the popcorn popper!)

sylvia - I was beginning to wonder the same thing, too. She seems a little too obnoxious to be real.

I said suitcases - that's about as travel oriented as you can get!

No. She's the real thing.

I was waiting for this question 'what does it have to do with travel'?
There always someone who asks this and yes i thought the same thing - people 'go' to weddings...Ah! Something never change. And to those of you who asking - I AM that mean, really. Truth is hard, bs is soft...'I love my dish rugs more then anything' wew people!

I don't think she's for real. I think she's a troll or something.

...or something.

I've been trolling for years then...too bad it isn't paid job, I would be traveling and have no time trolling.
Why is it no one like to hear the truth?

I have to say, my family and friends (for the most part) have great taste and were very generous :)

We use and love so many gifts--most came at my shower b/c like in JJ5's circle, $$ is typically given for wedding gifts.

A couple of faves: a homemade cookbook with favorites from friends and family. I love that I have some of my grandmother's and great aunts recipes. My Kitchenaid stand mixer was a terrific gift but my husband would probably say the Krups coffee maker with the thermos carafe is his favorite. And probably the most cherished is a piece of art/sculpture from my uncle and aunt.

I love and use all the practical stuff I registered and received on a regular basis. What I don't use is the large, $$ crystal bowls that I didn't register for. They're very pretty and I probably should display one or even two somewhere instead of keeping them locked up in the closet, but...

There is no "truth" in receiving wedding gifts. There are manners and gratitude though.

Do people that give you presents know of your high expectations?

I guess if your social network is like you then everyone ends up happy, albeit poorer from giving expensive gifts.

Until my father's death last year, he still used on at least a weekly basis the GE electric mixer they received as a wedding gift in 1950 (it looks like those retro KitchenAid mixers, only it's twice as heavy and about 10 times as loud). In fact, he had been using it to mix some batter just 20 minutes before he died. As my mother later said, some appliances really do last a lifetime. A lot of happy memories associated with that mixer.

Until recently, I still used a large wood salad bowl that we received as a wedding gift in 1983. It is beginning to split and I am still holding on to it in hopes that it can somehow be repaired. I think of the "givers", Frank & Rosemary, every time that we use it to serve salad.

That one was touching. I hope someone continues to use that blender, with a smile everytime.

One of my bridesmaids gave me a teak salad bowl with servers. The servers have been long gone, but I still use and cherish that bowl.

I have many hand embroidered pieces, many of which are stained and no longer usable. However, I cannot bring myself to throw them away. As someone mentioned earlier, the people who gave (or made) these gifts are no longer here.

BTilke - so sorry to hear of the loss of your Dad. Mine died 17 years ago and I still miss him as much as ever.

Your story reminded me that the toaster that we are using was a wedding gift to my husband's parents in 1952!

As newlyweds, our toaster stopped working, and we were on a tight budget. I had snickered when my FIL gave us this toaster, to use temporarily, thinking "this won't last." Well, it makes great toast and keeps on working.

They don't make 'em like they used to!