I feel the same way about "registering" for gifts for a wedding or new baby. I guess I'm old school, but having the recipient say "get me this" kind of takes away from the "gift" aspect for me. There's no creativity, no feeling behind the gift, and it's usually stuff I wouldn't have chosen in the first place. Not to mention most registered items tend to be on the expensive side. "We're getting married so buy us this diamond crested gold platter set with matching ruby rimmed glasses." Oh, is that all...
When we got married we got two sets of ugly ceramic plates and we were thrilled to have them. Even though we didn't choose any of the gifts we were were given, we still use many of them today (32 years later). Yeah, some people gave us cash and we appreciated it, but those gifts didn't leave a lasting memory with us. And yes, we received several things we didn't like or had no use for (three toasters), but they still meant a lot to us.
Granted, we were just starting out and didn't really have anything. So any gift was good, even if we didn't like it. They served a purpose until we could afford to get something better later on. These days many couples are older and likely live together so they probably already have everything they need. However, I still don't see that as an excuse to ask for expensive items you've always wanted but couldn't afford on your own.
"Five of the eight linen napkins we registered for. So thoughtful, thank you."