By the time you check the registry, the toaster's gone, the bedding's gone, and what's left is a gravy boat nobody actually wants to buy. This happens at almost every wedding with more than thirty guests. Here's what to do when it happens to you.
Give them the date, not the dishware
At Galaxiana, you can name a star after the day they got married — something that has nothing to do with what's already in their kitchen, and everything to do with the actual reason everyone's there. A message like "The night the two of you became one story" tends to mean more, longer, than another set of glasses. From $34.99.
Fund something they haven't thought of yet
Start an envelope toward their first anniversary trip, or their first proper holiday as a married couple. It's generous without being presumptuous, and gives them something to look forward to once the wedding chaos has settled.
Collect the recipes that raised them
Ask both families to write down the dishes that defined their childhoods — the ones that show up at every holiday, the ones that taste like home. Compile them into something the couple can cook from for the rest of their lives together.
None of this needs to outshine the wedding itself. It just needs to say: this isn't about the registry. It's about the two of you.