Celebrity China

UPDATE: We ordered our save-the-dates! They should be getting here in a couple of weeks and I’m so excited to start the process of addressing and stuffing envelopes and then mailing them to our family and friends. It’s sinking in… Our wedding day is finally becoming real!

Now let’s talk about cookware and china!

I know this isn’t exactly directly related to weddings, but cookware is something you’re going to need when you move out on your own, regardless of whether you’re getting married or not. And even though it’s not the most exciting thing to think about purchasing, it’s important.

My fiancé and I decided that we don’t really have any use for fine china. In our opinions, it’s a waste of money—although they can look pretty, they’d probably sit in a cabinet and come out only once a year, if at all. Plus, they’re super fragile. So we’ve decided not to put any fine china on our registry, and we’d kindly like to ask our guests not to purchase fine china as a wedding gift for us.

But cookware, on the other hand, is really important to us. And we’ve actually already made our first cookware purchase together, with a little help from Celebrity China. 

Me and Keegan opening our boxes of cookware--our first big purchase together. Thanks go to my mom for taking these photos!

I found out about Celebrity China and Cookware when I went to a bridal show over the summer. I had never heard of them before, but they were doing some kind of giveaway so I inevitably entered my information. A few days later, I got a call from their office in Kansas and they said I had won a “free gift.” At first, they didn’t specify what the gift was and, of course, there was a catch to receiving it—my fiancé and I had to come to their showcase demonstration. So, long story short—I fell for it. But I’m glad I did.

Here’s why:

We went to the showcase and we were actually the only ones who came at that specific time slot. It was pretty awkward, to say the least. Two men traded off showing us their products—they talked about the company’s history, the quality of their products, and the benefits of making a purchase. All of their cookware is made by their partner company, Vita Craft. They also cooked for us in one of their pans. So we got to eat a bit of food (I had vegetables and Keegan had chicken) and experience first-hand what their products were capable of doing. Keegan and I were sold on their products—the food tasted great, the products had energy-saving features, and a lifetime warranty—but we weren’t sold on their prices.

They did offer great discounts if you bought one of their packages at the showcase. And they would throw in another free item of your choice if you decided to pay in full that day. But even with the discounted prices, for us college kids, it was just too expensive. Keegan kept talking money with the sales rep while I tried to decide which package or individual products would be most useful to us in our first few years of marriage. Keegan finally wheedled another deal out of the sales guy—if we bought their used demo set, we’d get it half price.

So we went for it. We got their cheapest used demo package for half price. But we also decided to pay in full that day (rather than setting up a payment plan), so they threw in an extra free gift of our choice (we chose a huge skillet). And we did receive our free gift that I won from entering the drawing at the bridal show—a “free” hotel stay for three days and two nights (you have to send in a refundable $50 deposit), and two toasting glasses of our choice. And because we made a purchase that day, they upgraded the glasses to their more expensive (and better-looking) options.

The used demo package we purchased included:

-Small pot with lid

-Large pot with lid

-Steamer

-Skillet with lid

-Three detachable handles

-Cookbook

Free gifts:

-Two new, crystal toasting glasses with platinum rims

-New eleven-inch gourmet skillet

When we received them in the mail, they looked just as new and unused as any brand new products would look. We were pretty happy with how much we got for our money. So even though we had to be “wined and dined” into making a purchase, we had a good experience with them and we believe we made the right decision on our purchase. 

Just for the record (if you can't tell), this is a joke. It was my mom's idea, if you must know. :P

Ideas for next entry:

-Food

-Invitations

-Venue

-Cake

-Your Suggestion

-Paige

P.S.

About Celebrity—there’s been a lot of talk on the Internet discussing whether or not this is a scam. I was also wary of it at first, but I did some research and we decided to go. Sure, I may not have been “randomly selected” from the drawing (heck, they could have contacted every single person who put in their information), but I don’t think this is a scam—after all, we received our free gifts, and before he started the demonstration, our sales rep told us we would receive them even if we didn’t end up buying anything. Everyone’s experiences differ, but I think a lot of it weighs on what kind of sales rep you end up with. Ours was kind and informative—he didn’t pressure us, he understood where we were coming from (but that is to be expected from any good salesman), and he didn’t present us with wrong information. We received our items, and they looked even better than he said they were supposed to look. Since we purchased used items, he said there might be a little browning from food residue, but there wasn’t on our products—they were very clean. My point is—it’s a good thing to be cautious and go with your gut, but don’t think it’s automatically a scam just because one person had a bad experience and is ranting about it on the Internet. Do your research, trust your gut, discuss it with your partner, and just use common sense.