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One of the perks of tying the knot -- other than all eyes focused adoringly on you and the free reign of the cake table -- is the ability to register for things you need (or just really want) and then having them magically appear on your doorstep or on your gift table at no charge to you. But if you aren't careful and you don't put a little thought into what you're asking for, you may get a coffee pot when you don't drink coffee or three full sets of red wine glasses because they were all too pretty to pass up (I may have some personal experience with that last one).

Here are a few tips to consider when you set out to put together the perfect wedding registry:

We simply love birds! As a design element, they add a touch of romance and playfulness to anything they touch (we've shown you weddings and cakes so far) and they're so cute to look at. What's not to love?

We've just come across Lenox's "Chirp" china pattern (part of their Simply Fine collection) and we just fell in love all over again. The delicate watercolor-like bird and flowers illustrations contrast nicely with the bold teal accent border; the result is modern sophistication rather than grandmotherly kitsch.

You'll always have something pretty to look at - both the interior and exterior of cups and bowls are decorated with birds and blooming branches. Your daily cup of coffee and bowl of cereal will be elevated to new heights!

Best of all, this Bone china set is meant for daily use: All pieces are chip-resistant and dishwasher/oven/microwave/freezer safe.

Available at Macy's

Gallery: Lenox Chirp China

With the summer season just underway, it's fitting to add summer-suited gifts to your registry. At Bed, Bath and Beyond, there's a gift item perfect for the summer months and for the sports-loving couple. These sports-themed grills are something fun to add for the football or baseball fans who can't get enough of outdoor cooking and tailgating. These grills have locking handles for easy transport, so you can schlep one to a friend's backyard or to a stadium parking lot. Both styles have 170 inches of grilling space, making them big enough for all the hot dogs and hamburgers you can cook up! Request this from your guests or pick it up for that #1 couple in your life. Both the football and baseball grills costs $39.99, a bargain for all sports nuts. (You can even throw in these sports-themed corn holders as an extra treat!)

The Man Registry website can make a responsible, prepared groom out of your common everyday man. The site, designed specifically to make sure your man shows up on time and looking right, includes advice for the groom-to-be on everything from that critical bachelor party debate "to strip or not to strip" to surviving marriage prep classes (and some less tongue-in-cheek and more truly helpful suggestions). It even includes a down-loadable wedding day checklist for the "beauty" and the "beast." The website throws in an extra bonus by letting him create a gift registry for manly man gifts (like the 5-liter Kegerator) as well as some cool household items that you just might like too. Nothing's been overlooked as they dispense their final piece of advice to grooms: tie your shoes tight.

Sometimes the best gifts really do come in the smallest packages. Take, for instance, these hard-to-compete-with pop-up sponges from Williams-Sonoma: when packaged, they resemble little more than a small piece of paper. But when they are held under any amount of water, they begin to rise and turn into the best and most absorbent cleaning device your kitchen has ever been introduced to.

They come in sets of twelve and in two sizes: regular and large. Also, choose between the more natural yellow color of the funkier pink shade. Regardless of size or color, these sponges really are like no other -- compact for easy storing and durable when expanded, they are the best of both worlds.

Add these to your registry and you may even enjoy cleaning spills in your kitchen. Maybe.

Wednesday Wedding Wrap-up is a weekly roundup of highlights from the past week, covering wedding blogs and websites, reality TV, even particularly hot scoop right here at AisleDash. Think we missed something? Leave your favorite highlight in the comments!

Bridalwave gives us the scoop on the $10,000 proposal.

Polka Dot Bride has us drooling over the idea of customizing our own bubbly. Cheers to that!

We love the Capiz Party Garlands at Hostess with the Mostess. But who needs a party? We want to decorate our house with them!

Wedding Bee's Miss Toucan discusses her hesitation toward registering for big ticket items. If you don't register for them, you have no chance of getting them, but you don't want your guests to think you're greedy ... what do you think?

Stop thinking of champagne flutes as just one more thing you need for your wedding. While you certainly can go out and spend a pretty penny on them, you can also find something completely appropriate well within your budget. And, whether you decide to toast with Waterford or Wal-mart brand, rest assured that your champagne flutes can be another example of your personal style.

Think about it -- why buy boring glasses that will just get shoved to the back of your cupboard? Pick something you love, something you will want to use long after the wedding -- believe us, if you have gorgeous glasses and a bottle of champagne around, you'll find a reason to celebrate!

Not sure what we mean by "fun" glasses? Look for unique colors and designs, maybe hand-blown or etched. When you see it, you'll know. To get some ideas, check out the gallery!

When two become one, the laundry doesn't just double, it seems to explode, doesn't it? Just ask any newly-wedding couple: when they move in together the laundry becomes -- without warning -- overwhelming. So, if you can add something to your registry that will spruce up your house in addition to helping with the mountains of laundry that literally popped up overnight, wouldn't you jump at the chance?

At Bed, Bath and Beyond you'll find more than just your average laundry hamper, you'll find either a single or double embroidered and stylish laundry sorter. For the single, throw all your laundry in one sack. In the double, separate by darks and lights. Either way, your laundry room will look snazzier and your closets will breathe a sigh of relief. And $29.99 (for the single) and $39.99 (the double) are small prices to pay for a little peace and harmony, in love and laundry.

On your registry, you will probably have a few high-dollar items that you've been coveting, which will be helpful around your home. One such item is likely to be a vacuum of some sort. We've already told you about the Roomba robotic vacuum, which cleans your floors while you sit on your bum.

A vacuum that does all the work for you is definitely a plus, but if you want the best of the best, you're going to have to push it around the room yourself, and it's going to be a Dyson. These vacuums are amazing, and they work so well that vacuuming isn't really the chore it normally can be with a lesser machine.

Dysons don't use bags, and they are certified as asthma friendly by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. The vacuums come with a 5-year warranty, and Dyson's website even has games -- what's not to love? (Yeah, we think it's weird, too... but also cool.)

For every bride who wishes she could have added those blank patent-leather heels from Banana Republic or a few Stila eyeshadows from Sephora to her wedding registry, myregistry.com was created for you. This one-stop registry shop allows all brides- and grooms-to-be to hand pick what they want on their registry -- not just what they want from one store but what they want ... period.

You can begin adding items to one comprehensive registry from all your favorite retail stores for no cost. Not only can you add items from every store imaginable, but you can use the resources on myregistry.com to find the perfect must-have and must-buy items for you and yours.

Myregistry.com has an extensive FAQ page to walk you through growing your perfect wedding registry in one specific and easy-to-access Web site, and you can also peruse a "Gift Idea" section (gifts to ask, gifts to give) and a "Sample Registry" section at myregistry.com.

Just pass the word to friends/family through an e-mail, a note on your wedding Web site or an add-on in your wedding invitation. Then sit back and let the perfect products come to you!

When you get married and merge your life with your partner's, you also tend to merge a lot of stuff, as well. You merge your high-thread-count sheets with his on-clearance ones, your candles with his video games and your embellished wine glasses with his chipped pilsner mugs.

One must-have item you'll both want to add to your wedding registry is a set of classic wine glasses. These glasses will come in handy in a variety of ways: at housewarming parties, at dinner parties, on anniversaries, unwinding after an exceptionally long day. But, more importantly, they will last for years making them truly timeless.

Most retail stores will sell -- in addition to their funky seasonal glasses -- white and red wine glasses that fit nicely under the "classic" description, and Target is no exception. In fact, Target's classic glasses are exceptional. You can purchase four glasses (red or white) for $29.99. Add both sets to your registry and start your marriage off with a beautiful, classic set for both red and white wines.

In addition to the kitchen staples and household must-haves you should absolutely fill your registry with, this cupcake carrier from Crate & Barrel is a fun, break-from-the-norm choice. A 24-cup carrier for cupcakes of all flavors is the perfect way to transport cupcakes for your best friend's baby shower, your office holiday dessert or one of your favorite kid's at-school birthday parties. The bottom non-stick bake pan makes a dozen cupcakes at a time and the plastic top shelf snaps into place to secure all 24 cupcakes make it to your final destination with all their frosting and sprinkles in tact. And, the best part? Each part of this particularly fun kitchen accessory -- the plastic cover, the black plastic side snaps and the two cupcake trays -- are dishwasher safe.

You'll never have to balance a plate of warm and gooey cupcakes precariously on your lap while breaking gently at red lights. From now on, you'll have the best -- and most stylish! -- way to transport your favorite treats.

Recent rumors from Wall Street indicate that popular (but not popular enough) home furnishings retailer Linens 'n Things may file for bankruptcy as early as next week. The retailer has been struggling with debt and the current economic slowdown hasn't helped anyone in the sector. If you are considering where you register, you may want to try stores that are likely to remain in business.

Linens 'n Things' biggest competitor, Bed Bath and Beyond, has a similar inventory and a much stronger balance sheet, so it may be a better place for your registry. However, if Linens 'n Things does fold, maybe its stores will host giant going-out-of-business sales for you to take advantage of -- or the stores may just quietly close their doors. Either way, we'll keep an eye on the news for the next couple of weeks to see what the future holds for this chain.

If you really don't need any more bed linens or kitchenware, you can always specify "no gifts, please" on your wedding invitations -- but you know people are going to bring gifts anyway. If you don't need or want anything for yourself, use your registry as an opportunity to give to those who are in need.

Changing The Present is a charitable gift website where you can create a registry of various donations to the causes of your choice. Gifts are divided into categories like disaster relief, global warming, cancer, and dozens more so that you can more easily select the causes that interest you.

What a wonderful way to make the happiest day of your life a great day for so many others, too.

Oprah has a new show on right now called Big Give, and it's all about ... you guessed it: Giving. It's really a very inspirational show -- contestants compete by giving away money to make the biggest difference possible in the lives of strangers in need of help. Oprah's desire in creating the show was to allow everyday people to experience the joy of changing a complete stranger's life.

Ryan Glidden and Melissa Love of San Diego are engaged and in the throes of wedding planning. They're also big fans of Big Give, and after watching it one night, they turned it off and began to ask themselves how they could make a difference.