When it comes to planning a wedding, everyone's got advice for the bride and groom to be: don't cram the cake into her face; keep the guest list tight; elope. My advice is a little less practical, but no less important — when it comes to registries, think outside the bread box. If I had a nickel for every linen napkin that has gone unused since our bridal shower, I'd have enough money to buy something infinitely more useful (like bottle opener or a roll of Lifesavers). So, my advice is to point your guests in the direction of gifts gifts that will actually get used. Need ideas? Try these:

1. Nintendo Wii

Before you dismiss this article as hopeless wish-listery, consider this fun fact. According to Amazon.com, everyone's favorite gaming console is the second most requested item on user's wedding registries. And why wouldn't it be? More fun than fondue, the Wii features party-centric games that will be the toast of any dinner party. And do you know what's better than owning one of the most in-demand gadgets in the world? Having someone else hunt it down for you, that's what. nintendo.com

2. Navigon 7100 GPS

You know that old cliché about men not asking for directions? Horsepucky! Men ask all the time — they'd just rather ask a GPS device than a real person. Luckily, the Navigon 7100 is full of answers. It's real life 3-D display shows road signs and off-ramps just like they look through the windshield, and it's subscription-free, real time traffic notifications mean this is one gift that won't cost the bride and groom in the future. It also integrates Zagat restaurant guides into it's interface, so they'll know if their anniversary restaurant is any good before they sit down at the table. navigon.com

3. Roomba

The geniuses at iRobot who created Roomba, the independent, little, vacuuming robot, should put out a wedding registry-oriented version called Referee, because this priceless device will be resolving a lot of disputes — at least about vacuuming. Descendent of land mine detecting technology, Roomba swivels, pivots, sweeps and sucks its way into your heart by collecting all the dirt, dust, and detritus on your floors. It zips under curtains and furniture too, so no one can get accused of cutting corners. irobot.com

4. Slanket

Once the whirlwind of the the wedding and honeymoon are over, nothing says relaxing like a quiet movie night on the couch. And nothing says movie night like cuddling up with a blanket, your honey, and some popcorn. Of course, anyone who has ever combined these three elements knows that freeing a hand to get to the popcorn means fidgeting and disrupting your honey, which is stressful, not relaxing. Lord knows why it took humanity more than 2000 years to come up with the slanket (a blanket with sleeves), but we should celebrate the development by giving it to every couple for their wedding. theslanket.com

5. Digital Picture Frame

I love watching old wedding videos — people dance, people talk, people laugh. What people don't do is constantly snap photos with their digital cameras. In that way, modern wedding receptions resemble one of Britney's trips to Starbucks. But if you're going to have that many flashes go off in your face, you might as well get the pictures in return. Two digital photo frames are worth telling friends and relatives about. At 15 inches, the Gigantor Digital Photo Frame is bigger than any other on the market, and is great for displaying all those amateur candids. Meanwhile, eStarling's 8” WiFi Photo Frame comes with something no other frame does — an email address, so people can send their favorite snapshots directly to your living room. thinkgeek.com