Waterford Wedgwood USA is the American arm of the legendary Irish company. Annual sales topping $1 billion make this the largest luxury lifestyle crystal and fine-china company in the world. In addition to Waterford crystal and Wedgwood china, the brand also includes the Rosenthal and Royal Doulton lines. But Waterford Wedgwood is not just about table accessories. When you register with the company, you can list gifts from linens and lighting to clocks and writing instruments.

While you may be excited by the prospect of a one-stop luxury registry shop, you probably still have questions: Do I really need dinnerware for 12? Will I ever use those crystal glasses (and who has time to hand-wash them anyway)? And just what the heck is a rim soup bowl?

For answers, Weddings in Houston sat down with Jorge Perez, U.S. director of bridal and special events for Waterford Wedgwood, at a recent Macy’s bridal function. And some of what he had to say surprised even us WIH wedding pros.

WiH: Let’s talk about today’s bride: Does she really need all that crystal and china collecting dust in her closet? Do young brides still entertain in that fashion?

JP: Well, certainly today’s brides aren’t what they used to be! They’re smart, savvy and very busy. And they’re looking for good buys. Bridal is a $9 billion business and we’re losing a lot of market share to Target for exactly the reasons you’re talking about. These brides probably grew up with Waterford in the cabinet, but weren’t allowed to touch it. What I’m trying to do is educate them. We have to teach them that, yes, they do need these fine things, and they aren’t as fragile as their grandmothers told them. You can take this on a picnic to the Hollywood Bowl. And the price isn’t out of line. These are girls wearing Jimmy Choos and Manolos, yet they forget that the table is the essence of who they are. They’ll register for earthenware — which breaks if you look at it — and keep the bone china, if they even get it, in the closet. China is the hardest thing there is, it’s much better suited to active use than earthenware.

WiH: Okay, but how do you get that point across to young brides, or, for that matter, older or second brides who have never had china and crystal?

JP: The company has really changed how we do business. I do a lot of these events where I go to the store and talk to the brides. I tell them what a rim soup is and that I use it every day! It’s not just for soup, but pasta and other things as well. Plus the stores have to change how the product is positioned. How can a bride envision that plate hanging on the wall? It can be overwhelming to set foot into a china shop for the first time. The stores need to have tablescapes and encourage the brides to handle the china and crystal. Sure that cup is pretty, but does it fit your hand? Is it going to be comfortable every morning? And do they need china cups, or are they mug people? I give them little tips as to who they are today and who they want to be tomorrow.

Of course I can come and talk to maybe 100 brides, but we need to reach thousands of them. That’s where a media presence comes in. We have a Web site where they can get tips and learn about things, plus I’ve been on Lifetime TV several times. You can watch those clips on YouTube, or just Google me. And, of course, magazines like Weddings in Houston are so important. A bride picks up a copy and hangs onto it for six months to a year!

WiH: Modern marketing and product placement aside, has the actual product changed over the decades?

JP: We as an industry have had to change. We were still pushing five-place settings. Not everyone today needs that, so now we offer everything as open stock. If she doesn’t need a bread-and-butter plate, she doesn’t have to buy one. We have to be no muss, no fuss, and easy to live with for today’s brides. All of our china is dishwasher safe, even the Lismore crystal is dishwater safe, because that’s what she wants. It freaks the older people out, but I’ll tell you, you’ll break far fewer glasses in a dishwasher than by hand-washing. Just don’t let your husband load the dishwasher!

And while a lot of the older patterns are coming back in style — Wedgwood’s Desert Rose, for instance, is very big again — we have some very modern pieces designed by Vera Wang, Marc Jacobs, Michael Aram and Robert Mondavi. Mondavi has our first no-cut crystal wine glass, and we’ve lowered the cuts on others because wine drinking is a very visual experience. Jacobs — if you want to see him, he haunts the Paris flea markets every weekend — is very into vintage. He’s brought back the champagne saucer and it’s very popular.

WiH: Final tips for brides registering for fine tableware?

JP: Oh, definitely! I have a ten-tip sheet for brides. I always recommend that they only register at places that reward them, and don’t register at more than three establishments. You can even register online — it’s so easy— and register for different price points. Also, keep your registry updated, listen to your mother at least a little bit, and include the groom. Does he like barware? Give him the scanner and let him go! And don’t forget to take advantage of the completion offers. You can usually get a big discount on items on your registry that you didn’t receive. I love Macy’s Star Rewards program.

When it comes to Waterford Wedgwood, there’s the added value of designs never being discontinued. If you chip or break something in your lifetime you can get it replaced, and at half price. You’ll never go out and buy all of this stuff yourself, so register for it now. You will use it; the dinner hour is coming back, we’re seeing that resurgence for the first time in several years. People, families, are sitting down together to talk, over food. Even if it’s just pizza in front of the TV, put it on that china! That plate is a little black dress—you can dress it up for company or dress it down. Be that person! It will remind you why you fell in love in the first place.