Last year my sister-in-laws brother finally got married to his longtime partner. They’ve had a house together for at least 20 years, but could only recently get married. They asked to help fund a honeymoon instead of gifts and while I might normally think it tacky it made perfect sense really.
That said, all my favorite wedding gifts were not the things I had on our registry, but instead the ones that my friends gave to me because they liked them and thought I would do. My SIL gave me a set of chef’s knives which I have used every day for 31 years, my best friend from architecture school gave me a bud vase which lives in my kitchen and frequently has a flower in it, another friend gave me a 1950s complete coffee set which is so ugly it’s great, a friend of my parents gave me a tiny vase that is wonderful for little wildflowers or herbs, and hd’s boss gave us a wonderful tray with inlaid leather.