Friends are hard to shop for. I try to give gifts that people both need and want. But fifty percent of the time, what they need greatly differs from what they actually want.

Case in point, the dinnerware set of 2009. Nice ceramic plates that bachelorette friend needs. So we can stop the indignities of eating from paper plates. But what she wanted was a sterling silver headband.

That is why I love wish lists and registries. That is where GiftVault.com comes in.

GiftVault.com fuses social media with luxury gifts by allowing users to search for their friends, see their wish list and buy exactly what they want.

When a gift is purchased on GiftVault.com, the item grays out and the “wisher” receives an email notifying them that someone has bought something from their wish list. This feature will be most helpful when it comes to items that come in multiple sizes or sizes.

GiftVault’s owners are Lee Greenberg, a formerly Beijing-based new media fundraising and venture capital specialist, and Violetta Gruosi, a luxury expert with degrees in business, gemmology and international management, and the daughter and step-daughter of the heads of Geneva-based jewellery brands De Grisogono and Chopard.

“At GiftVault we treat every gift with the same love and care as if it were for our own special occasion. Our social gifting network massively ups your chances of buying your friends a gift they’ll really adore,” says founder Lee Greenberg.

GiftVault.com is not an average online retailer site like Overstock.com. You won’t find Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, or Liz Clairborne on this site. Items tend to be more exclusive and unique. Brands such as Armand de Brignac, Carolina Bucci, and Christofle. Gifts tend to be pricey, so it would be an ideal Christmas, birthday, anniversary, wedding, or other special occasion gift site.

A bridal registry is an important service for soon-to-be married couples.

A bridal or wedding registry that is provided by either a website or retail store helps engaged couples by communicating their particular gift preferences to wedding guests.

Newly wedded couples only need so much china and probably wouldn’t want more than one food processor, which is why gift registries were invented.

As with so many other things, however, today’s wedding registries have evolved with the Internet. Couples can now pour over their computer screens to select desired gifts, rather than roaming through multiple stores.

Online bridal registries also allow couples to make more considered decisions and, perhaps, more unique choices. Forget toasters and linens, modern couples want gift cards, houses and an opportunity to help make our world a better place.

Read on for the most unique wedding registry websites now available, and how they’re changing our gift-giving ways.

1. Honeymoon Registry
Prince William and Duchess Katherine postponed their honeymoon, perhaps because they spent all that money on the wedding, but you shouldn’t have to. As with Card Avenue, HoneyFund.com allows you to ask for money without really asking for money. The site allows you to request cash for everything from airfare to a special breakfast.

2. Home Savings Registry
You’ll never lay an egg with HatchMyHouse.com. The cash registry allows couples to put money towards a future home or perhaps just furniture and home improvements.

3. Gift Card Registry
Asking directly for money can be extremely uncomfortable and is frowned upon by Dear Abby and Emily Post. Happily, there’s a new way around this delicate situation. CardAvenue.com allows couples to register for gift cards from select stores and let friends know about their choices via email. It’s as simple as 1-2-3 and doesn’t require a purchase or setup and transaction fees. Card Avenue also offers guests a resource for buying fully-priced or discount gift cards.

4. Donation Registries
More modern couples are shunning actual gifts and asking friends and family to donate to their favorite charities. Through the I DO Foundation, guests can donate directly to a couple’s chosen charitable cause via a secure system. Charities are grouped into six focus areas including health, environment, social justice, community development, education and children, youth and families.

5. Lingerie Registry
If there ever was a gift designed for the groom, this is it. BedroomIsBoutique.com (pronounced “bedroom eyes boutique”) carries trendy and classic “Just Married” pieces suitable for brides of every age and style. Brides (and grooms) can register online, but they’ll have to tell their friends as there’s no email-notification function on the site.

6. Wine Registry
Create a wish list at the popular WineEnthusiast.com and fill it with everything from stemware, corkscrews and accessories to selections from the The Wine Enthusiast Catalog’s wine cellars. Most items are available gift wrapped. Wine Enthusiast also offers a toll-free number to assist gift givers.

7. Universal Registry
Why bother with multiple bridal registries when you can add all your favorite items from any store in the world to one massive list. MyRegistry.com also provides smartphone apps that allow couples to scan products for the best prices.