What? You couldn’t even tell us beforehand?
CONGRATULATIONS!
Thank you everyone! But I swear that every gift I get from anyone is super appreciated. 
That was my mom’s opinion, and we ended up doing it partly for that reason, and partly because, though we were not fresh out of school at the time or anything and certainly had some basic housewares, we both had a fair amount of mismatched hand-me-downs that could use upgrading. (And yes, I did kind of want actual china, and everyday utensils that matched and were not half-handed down from 3 different sets from other people, plus the cheapo stuff I bought my freshman year of college at Walgreens.)
If you really don’t want any more stuff, you could do the kind of registry where people donate to charities you suggest. Or you could hint that you’d really prefer something consumable (do you like wine, for example? this would be a good thing to hint at).
For weddings, even small informal ones, gifts of some kind are pretty much inevitable, so they might as well not be duplicative or useless crap that you won’t use.
Congratulations Anaamika and spouse. Wishing you a lifetime of happiness together
There’s an argument to be made that for people in your situation - already have or can buy whatever you need - a registry is more useful than for a couple starting out who have nothing. Still, like you, I’ve never considered having one for myself.
When my friend got married she asked for a favourite family recipe from each guest and collated them into a cookbook for herself. No idea if she uses it or not, but I love the sentiment.
We didn’t have a registry, either. We were in our 30s when we got married, so we pretty much had everything we needed and I didn’t want any more shit in the house. Worked out fine. Then again, in my neck of the woods, it’s not unusual, as it’s a cash gift kind of area.
People make registries for big weddings , small weddings and even non-weddings. When my daughter moved out , I insisted that she set up a registry. Because I knew my family was going to buy her gifts and I also knew that some members of my family are gift challenged if they don’t have any guidance. When I got married, registries were not as common as they are now. They were mostly used for the sort of items where you would want a matching set but would be bought individually (like multiple people buying one place setting of china). They weren’t used for items that were bought in a set (like sheets) or that didn’t need to match anything (like a toaster). I ended up with a peach bedroom (sheets, comforter and curtains) because my own mother somehow didn’t know I hated that color.
And I'm sure you'll appreciate any gifts you get - but as the gift-giver, I'd rather give you something you actually want and need. Not the third toaster , or the baking dish that doesn't match the ones you already have.Champagne toast!!
A nephew is getting married in July (I’m the officiant). They are registered with a handful of small, obscure stores that they like. People are having fun with it.
I wouldn’t, but I do know people who are… how to say this…
Dad taught us that manners are intended to make life easier for everybody involved; they’re pre-approved solutions for everyday problems. For some people, manners are an excuse to twist themselves and anything anybody says or does into sailor’s knots.
If I had a large enough amount of people like that in my life, I would create an Amazon Wish List with my nonexistent husband and point the knotted ones to it. Thankfully the amount is equal to one and I’m allowed to tell her to piss off when she’s being a pain 
Congratulations!
I, too, am getting married, in July. We’re both in our 40s so it isn’t a huge affair, but not tiny either - 65 people. But at our age, we just don’t want anything, and as most people are having to travel, and stay in hotels, to come to us, we thought asking for gifts as well was a bit of a cheek.
We put on the bottom of our invitation:
‘Categorically no gifts. Your presence is all that we want’
Wow, you didn’t even invite the groom? That was a small wedding!
Personally, I’m not sure I see the big benefit to a registry. It’s crass for the people receiving the gifts to tell people about the registry, so word usually gets out from friends calling someone close to the couple (a mother or sibling, or maybe a best friend) to ask them about it. And if everyone knows who the appropriate someone-close is to call (they usually do), then that person can just tell people directly what you need. And a formal registry also constrains the gift-givers: If you need something, and I want to make one of those homemade for you, or splurge to give you a really high-quality one, or know where to get the exact same product for half the price, or whatever, my choices are either to get you the other one and leave the registry entry untouched (risking that someone else will get you a duplicate), or to settle for the one on the list.
Or, if it’s a close friend, you could do like I did once and tell the bride “hey, I found the china on your registry for half the price elsewhere. If I tell you which pieces I am getting you, could you just take those off your registry so you don’t end up with duplicates?” It worked great.
Agreed. So, my good friend got me a rolling penguin carrying case. A penguin case! It’s like two feet tall! It’s adorable! If I’d had a registry she would never have gotten me such a cute thing.
(It’s on my FB page for anyone who wants to see it).
If people insist on a gift idea, ask them for a copy of their favorite recipe. Or for their best piece of advice for a happy life. Or their favorite photo of you or whatever other relatively inexpensive idea that would satisfy the friend’s desire to give you something and satisfy your desire to not get 12 matching spoons.