(MONEY Magazine) – Forget about china and linens. The 2.4 million couples getting hitched this year can register for what they really want--stocks, funds and real estate. Here's how.

Securities. Mutual fund companies and brokerages are generally ill equipped to accept gifts on behalf of customers. Minimum-balance requirements and security concerns often present insurmountable logistical hurdles. But a company called Stockgift.com (www.stockgift.com), essentially an online discount brokerage-cum-wedding registry, makes asking for stocks and mutual funds as easy as registering for stemware and vases.

Couples choose as many as four securities, which can be no-load mutual funds from Vanguard, Janus or T. Rowe Price, as well as stocks. Family members and friends go to the site, navigate to the couple's personal wedding page and learn what stocks or mutual funds the duo has picked. But there's no meddling allowed: Guests can't direct their contributions toward a specific security. Gift contributions can be made through the mail by check or over the phone (877-786-5443) or online using a credit card--for a 2.95% fee.

The only charge for the registry and gift-collecting service is levied when the trades are ultimately executed. The couple pay $19.95 per security, or $79.80 for the four-security maximum. Until then, the bride and groom can change their choice of securities and their preset execution date. Stockgift.com accounts, which carry no minimum-balance requirements, can continue to accept gifts indefinitely but in other respects function as conventional discount brokerage accounts.

Real estate. Some people would like to put their wedding gifts toward a home but feel a bit squeamish about asking for cash. The Federal Housing Authority's bridal registry program makes it easy for couples to set up savings or money-market accounts so that they can receive gifts toward a down payment on a home. Not only do these accounts carry no minimum-balance requirements and charge no fees, but the lenders keep track of the documents certifying that all contributions are gifts and not informal loans, sparing the newlyweds from the arduous paperwork required by most lenders. Call 800-225-5342 or go to www.hud.gov for a list of the 35 participating financial institutions.

--LESLIE HAGGIN