Every Christmas, Easter and Thanksgiving, my parents pull out their beautiful bone-handled flatware, carving set and special china that we inherited from my dad’s mum when she passed away a few decades ago. The use of these dining room items have become synonymous with special occasions, big life events and family holidays. However, though we use these items only a few times a year, my dad’s parents used this dining ware every week when cutting their roasts for Sunday dinner. This difference in dining traditions give a good picture of how family patterns have changed throughout the generations. Many families rarely eat full meals together anymore and when they do it’s rarely with fine china! These changes to how families eat also have an effect on what couples ask for when they get married.
Though family dining patterns may have changed, I still think that good quality flatware and knives are a wedding registry must-have! Think about how many times you turn on your dishwasher that’s stuffed with cutlery and knives each week, you need good-quality items that are going to withstand this sort of heavy use—and if someone can get them for you as a wedding gift even better!
However choosing what knives and flatware to put on your wedding registry are very couple specific: it depends what kind of food you like to cook. A nice cutlery set is something basically everyone can use, but the size of the set you may want will vary depending on if you like to host dinner parties or how many people tend to sit down for dinner. The standard flatware set is 20 pieces, but if you do like to host or have a lot of people around the dinner table, you may want to ask for a larger, 45 piece set. Check out Best Buy’s flatware selection to see what options are available.
In terms of knives, a standard knife set is a kitchen must-have and it’s the perfect thing to ask for on your registry. A standard knife set is normally 7 to 8 pieces and includes all the cutting essentials like a steak knife, bread knife and paring knife. Depending on what you need in your kitchen, you can also ask for an extended knife set that includes perhaps a specialty knife and a set of steak knives. Here’s Best Buy’s selection of knife sets.
In addition to a flatware and knife set, you can also ask for extra add-ons depending on what you like to cook. As I mentioned above, a carving set was a traditional wedding gift in my parent’s and grandparent’s generation, but it’s probably not the first thing people think of when creating their registry. Though it may only be used a few times a year for roasts at bigger family dinners, I think that it’s a great item to have in your cupboard for when you need it. Depending on what you cook you ca
n also ask for other good-quality specialty knives like a peeling knife or Santoku knife.
When my parents and grandparents were married, formal flatware and knife sets were staples on wedding registry lists. Over the years though, family dining habits have changed: meals have become less formal and dining styles simpler. However, even though styles have changed, flatware and silverware are still wedding registry must-haves! Ensure you choose good-quality, timeless cutlery and knives that will withstand frequent washings in your dishwasher and will last for years to come!
Check out Best Buy’s knife buying guide to learn more about which knife to use when.
