The Experts Answer: Are Knives Bad Luck as a Wedding Gift?

Are knives bad luck as a wedding gift? That's a question most of us haven't even considered. We eagerly add fancy steak knives and razor-sharp chef's knives to our registry, along with tomato knives, butter knives and everything in between. We don't think twice about gifting a bread knife or a utility knife.

But cultural traditions across the world have centuries-old wedding gift superstitions about gifting knives, and it might make you think twice about asking for or giving a knife. From ancient Viking superstitions to Eastern European lore to Filipino wedding traditions and beyond, people from every corner of the globe believe that by gifting a knife, you could be setting the stage to sever the relationship, whether that's your relationship with the person…or even their marriage. Luckily, assuming ending the relationship isn't your goal, there's an easy antidote that allows you to give or receive a knife while also keeping all friendships and marriages intact.

Curious about this gifting tradition? Before you start your registry on The Knot, here's what the etiquette experts say you need to know about giving knives as a wedding gift, registering for knives and the incredibly inexpensive superstition that can counteract all of the bad vibes around giving a knife as a gift.

In this article:

• Is It Bad Luck to Register for Knives?
• Why Do You Give a Penny With a Knife?
• Registering for Knives Etiquette

Is It Bad Luck to Register for Knives?

One of the oldest wedding traditions and superstitions is the idea that giving a knife is bad luck. There's a record of this superstition going back thousands of years, and it seems to cross cultures. You can find the origins of this tradition across both Europe and Asia.

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"This is a superstition, particularly in certain European countries. Registering, or gifting, knives is seen as a bad omen for one's marriage," says etiquette expert Jo Hayes. She notes that knives are often associated with tense or volatile situations, and that can bring negativity into a gift.

Knives are also seen as a representation of cutting or severing a tie, and that tie is the relationship either between the gift giver and the gift recipient or the married couple themselves. It's not exactly the message most people want to send as they're wishing a couple well or deciding what they want to receive for their own wedding.

Even if you hadn't heard of this tradition previously, there's a good chance you'll have a great aunt sifting through your registry who will raise an eyebrow at the chef's knife sitting on the first page. And, from wedding cake-cutting sets to steak knives, it's worth considering how knives will sit with your friends and family before sharing your registry with guests

Why Do You Give a Penny With a Knife?

Today, good knives are seen as one of the best wedding registry items and, while many people will gift them without a second thought, there's also a longstanding tradition to counteract the knife superstition.

"Every good superstition needs an antidote, so the solution here is to not make it a gift at all and instead have the recipient 'buy' the knife from you," says Nick Leighton, etiquette expert, and host and producer of the etiquette podcast Were You Raised By Wolves? Leighton explains that by including a penny with the knife, the recipient can give the penny back to the gift giver and "pay" for the knife.

When the knife is a purchase rather than a gift, there's no need to worry about the superstition of severing the relationship. Those bad vibes completely fly out the window when it's simply a business transaction. Leighton adds that, despite it no longer being technically a gift, that doesn't mean you can skip the thank you note. "It's still polite to send a thank you note, even if we're using a technicality about this not being a gift. Include that penny with your hand-written thank you note," Leighton says.

Registering for Knives Etiquette

You may have purchased knives for friends in the past thinking that you picked a high-end gift they'll use day in and day out. You might have been incredibly excited to register for new steak knives for your next dinner party. And, as Hayes says, "Most people wouldn't bat an eye at seeing knives on a registry."

But, if you want to stick to tradition, she suggests registering for gift cards or cash funds (both are available on The Knot Registry Store—find tips for using our registry store here!). These can be used at a department store or specialty kitchen store that sells quality knives, and you don't have to worry about your Aunt Linda sending you a bad omen of the eventual tearing apart of your marriage.

Beyond adding gift cards to your registry, Leighton also suggests opting for something that's knife-adjacent rather than a knife if you want to avoid knives completely. "Consider giving a whetstone, a knife block or a beautiful cutting board."