The China Wedding Anniversary

After twenty years comes the china anniversary, and there are two ways in which this can be celebrated—one, by making the affair an evening party Chinese in character.

The invitations for this can be sent out written on small folding fans, and the drawing room and dining-room can be decorated with Chinese parasols, lanterns and fans. The guests can be requested to appear in Chinese fancy dress, and the supper served on brilliantly colored Chinese pottery.

The second way is newer, and possibly would be preferred by many, although the number of guests would necessarily be limited. This takes the form of a delft dinner party. The invitations, if sent by mail, can be printed on little pasteboard plates, painted in water-color to resemble delft crockery. Real china plaques of small size can be substituted for these if the invitations go by hand.

Should the host and hostess care to take a little extra trouble, they can replace their ordinary dining chairs with cheap wooden ones, white-enameled and decorated in blue. The buffet and mantel can be draped with white-and-blue linen, and the windows hung with white-and-blue curtains.

The table napery should consist of white damask embroidered in delft blue wash silk, and the china, which can be hired, must be blue and white, if not, strictly speaking, delft. Even forks, knives and spoons can be hired with handles of blue and white porcelain.

The floral decorations should be ragged sailors or com flowers, which are of the exact shade of blue desired. A great cluster of these in a delft bowl can adorn the center of the table, and a bunch of them be laid at each guest’s plate, those of the ladies being large enough for corsage bouquets, and those for the gentlemen of a proper size for boutonnieres.

To carry out the delft idea completely the menu should consist of typical Dutch dishes. The menu cards should be painted in blue, with bits of Holland landscape. The table can be lighted by white candles held in delft candelabra, or delft banquet lamps.

Jean Wilde Clark, Ed., "Wedding Anniversaries: The China Wedding," in Weddings and Wedding Anniversaries: A Book of Good Form in the Conduct of Marriage Ceremonies . . . with Added Chapters about the Various Anniversaries, New York: The Butterick Publishing Company, 1910, p. 115.

Return to Top of Page

Vintage Wedding Fashions, Weddings, and Anniversaries
GG Archives

Vintage Wedding Dress Fashions

Vintage Weddings, Etc.

Wedding Anniversaries

Related Section

Women's Vintage Fashion Topics

Other Vintage Fashion Topics

Improve Your Family History Through Illustrations

Make Your Family History More Readable Through Illustrations From the GG Archives