Elegant Wedding Day Patterns

Some friends of mine were making plans to get married and I wondered what type of china and glassware they would register for. I decided to visit some local department stores to see what was available for purchase. Most of the department stores I visited had pretty much the same china patterns by Gorham, Lenox, Mikasa and others. I looked at the crystal stemware for sale and they were also made by the same companies along with Waterford crystal.

My visit to the department stores started me thinking about what pattern I would buy if I were going to get married. Now my choice might not be the first choice of my bride to be, but I am sure we could come to some type of compromise. My choice in china patterns would be Lenox Autumn with a manufacturing date starting in 1919 to the present. My next decision would be to find elegant stemware to go with my dinnerware. I looked at all the available Waterford, Lenox and other glass patterns and decided they just did not meet my desire to have a pattern to complement the colors in the chinaware. I also had my heart set on a pattern that would just dazzle your eye when you looked at it. Quality was important to me and I would not settle for any thing less then fine elegant crystal. I was sitting at home thinking about my new problem and then I saw what I was looking for. It was right in my own home sitting directly across from me. There they were no more than ten feet away from me in my own display cabinet: glassware made in a gorgeous color called "moonlight blue". The pattern was simply called Caprice and was made by the Cambridge Glass Company. Each piece of Caprice sparkles when you hold it and the light shimmers and reflects off the optic effect of the hand blown stemware. My problem was solved.

My mind went back to my friends and their upcoming wedding. Maybe I could suggest some patterns that they might like. What other patterns could I think of that newlyweds might like? I started looking though my goblet collection and I began to see other patterns that passed my high standards. The first pattern I found was First Love made by the Duncan Miller Glass Company. The next pattern was Romance by the Fostoria Glass company. It has flowers and ribbons in the pattern. Flowers are popular and the Heisey Glass Company's Orchid line came to mind. Nothing says it better then roses, so how about Rosepoint by the Cambridge Glass company? Little girls grow up reading and dreaming about fairies so why not a set of stemware to match their dreams. The Central Glass Company produced a pattern called Morgan that features fairies in the design. All of these patterns have designs etched directly onto each piece of glass. Some of these patterns will be found with real 24 carat gold encrusted into the design. Gold encrusted items were meant to be special and they are.

There were many glass companies that produced glass from the early 1920's to the middle 1980's. The Cambridge Glass company produced approximately 114 different stemware patterns. The stemware patterns ranged from undecorated stems in many colors to highly detailed etched and hand cut leaded stemware. The Central, Fostoria, Heisey, Morgantown and Tiffin glass companies are some of the other high quality glass companies that produced exceptional patterns worthy of being in your home or a museum.

In addition to elegant stemware, these companies produced a staggering amount of accessories that go along with the stemware. In some cases complete service sets can be collected. Elegant wedding gifts could include water pitchers, creamer/sugars, cups/saucers, candlesticks, vases, decanters, console sets; the list of items just goes on and on. A pair of Cambridge #3115 pink and blue champagnes would make wonderful toasting goblets for the bride and groom! Some of these companies were way ahead of their time when they started making glass with modern designs such as Fostoria Seascape and Cambridge Square designs.

Choose a pattern that fits your personality and taste, but is timeless. Will you still like the pattern in 30 years? Many of the patterns talked about today are timeless and will be popular 100 years from now. Click on the link at the end of this paragraph and it will take you to my photo library where there are detailed photo's of the etches mentioned in this article. There aremany other elegant patterns to look at besides the ones in this article. You are welcome to browse through the other albums on the site if you like, but I must warn you that there are numerous photos in some of the albums and it might take a while to load if you are using a dial up internet provider. Be sure to check the photo library often as I will be adding more items as I have time. ( Wedding Day Gallery)

The next all glass and pottery show featuring many of the patterns mentioned in this article, as well as many others will be sponsored by RMDGS. The show will provide brides, grooms, family and friends an excellent opportunity to see many different styles and truly elegant glassware produced by these companies.

The theme for this year's show is "Deco on Display". The Kirkland Museum of Decorative and Fine Art in Denver, will be exhibiting part of the museum's extensive collection of glass and pottery at the show. The Kirkland Museum features more than 3,000 decorative art works, focusing on the first seventy-five years of the 20th Century, including Arts & Crafts, Art Nouveau, Art Deco, Modern and Pop Art. Many of today's popular patterns are now proudly being displayed in museums. While the Kirkland museum may be lesser known, it has been recognized as the top museum in the country for its collection of Art Deco and Modern glass and pottery.

A fabulous collection of "Nudes" crafted by the Cambridge Glass Company will be on display. Large exhibits of Nudes are truly breath taking when seen in person. There will be three extremely rare Cambridge Art Deco Mannequin heads on display that must be seen to be believed. Additionally 13-15 exhibits featuring Art Deco and Modern themes will be available for the public to review.

The show is located at the Douglas County Events Center, 500 Fairgrounds Road (Exit 181 from I25) in Castle Rock, Co. 80104. Hours: Sat. (10am - 5pm) Sun. (11am - 4pm) Admission: $4 good for both days. Parking is free, food is available, and the Events Center is handicap accessible. Show Link:
( Glass & Pottery Show).

The Denver Modernism Show is a fantastic opportunity to add to your collection of modern and Art Deco glass or pottery; you might want to consider attending the show to learn more about collecting Art Deco and Modern glass. In addition to glass, the show will have a wide assortment of other Art Deco and Modern merchandise for sale. The next Denver Modernism show will be Aug. 15 - 17, 2008. The 3rd Annual Denver Modernism Show will be held at the National Western Complex, near the intersection of I-25 and I-70. Please visit their website at: ( www.denvermodernism.com).