There’s no such thing as having too much cutlery. Overtime, you’ll find that some of it disappears into thin air just like other items lying around your house, but even with that being said, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t indulge in well crafted cutlery that will last, even if some of it does go missing. When choosing cutlery for your wedding, there are so many different choices and styles that it can become overwhelming, but as long as you know the fundamentals of flatware, it becomes less daunting.

Sterling Silver Flatware

Sterling silver is an heirloom material, meaning that if your cutlery is crafted from this metal, it’s something you can hand down for the years to come. Sterling silver is 92.5 percent silver and 7.5 percent copper. Silver in its purest form is relatively soft and easily damaged so the copper is added to make it more durable. Sterling silver is a great metal and it lasts forever! Overtime the cutlery will form a soft glow which is only something you can get with sterling silver.

Stainless Steel Cutlery

Thanks to the crafters in the twenty first century, stainless steel comes in hundreds of different designs so you’ll have fun choosing from all the different patterns and molds. For daily dining, I recommend choosing stainless level of at least 18/8. If you’re not sure where to look for that, the person at the bridal registry should be able to help you. As long as you pick a good grade of stainless and style that you enjoy, you’ll be using it every day.

What’s Recommended for the Big Day?

• Dinner Knife
• Dinner Fork
• Salad Fork
• Teaspoon
• Tablespoon

Don’t feel obligated to match the knives and other cutlery with the set of China that you added to your registry. Overtime, you’ll buy new dinnerware sets, but the family sterling is something you’ll have forever so choose a pattern because you truly love it, not just because it matches. Family heirlooms mean something, whether it’s sterling silverware, baseball cards, handcrafted knives, or old vinyl records, as long as the collection is kept in good condition, it’s something future generations will look forward to receiving.

If you happen to be attending a wedding and there’s no registry, don’t be afraid to get creative and get them a family heirloom that they can pass down to their kids. Of course, you can get them flatware and cutlery, but let the grandparents do that. Get them something cool.