Something new, old, borrowed, blue - and unusual.

Seven sets of wine glasses, six blenders, five cutlery sets, four crock pots, three cutting boards, two salad shooters and a partridge in a pear tree.

Fortunately for most people getting married these days, toasters have become the wedding gift equivalent of fruitcakes for Christmas. But still almost everyone gets too many of something.

So how to avoid giving the happy couple their eighth set of salad bowls?

Some turn to bridal registries -- but the problem there can be that the store selected may be inconvenient, or all the inexpensive gifts get purchased first, leaving only silverware and china that can run several hundred dollars per setting.

Smart wedding guests today, in search of the unusual yet functional gift, are turning to such things as art work, electronic equipment, cordless phones and camping gear -- prompting wholesalers and retailers of all sorts of home products to jump into the market, vying for a piece of the wedding pie (or, in this case, cake).

Lisa Burnett, director of bridal services for Macy's/Bullock's stores, said because people are marrying later in life, they often already have silverware and dishes, so they are signing up on bridal registries for compact disc players.

Also, the guests tend to be older, along with the couple, so the gifts are getting more expensive. The average guest today spends close to $100, Burnett said.

For those who want to stray from the registry and buy something truly one-of-a-kind, something old but beautiful is becoming a popular choice, said Ralph Blunt of Antiques on Melrose.

"Everything is unique, so you can't get five of them," said Blunt. "It's like an instant heirloom from grandma, but it's not."

Hand-painted art objects -- everything from fruit to nuts to coasters -- are also getting trendy.

The bride and groom themselves are buying small art objects, such as hand-painted eggs that open to reveal a surprise inside, as gifts for their bridesmaids and groomsmen.

"People are tired of commercial things," said Lynne Levin of H&L Levin, a Santa Monica wholesaler of art works. "People want to be real, to give something that will last, not something everyone else has.

"It's the newest trend. When they know what the individual involved (gift recipient) is like, they can pick something out that will last."

"Nouveau Art" available as wedding gifts also includes glassware, vases, lamps, bowls, decanters and (for those who want to spend less and who have Jewish friends) mezuzahs.

The latest art-in-flatware and art-in-tableware trend is called "Greco" and consists of a vertical line pattern on simple stainless steel, often decorated with colored acrylic handles that can withstand all sorts of temperatures, explained Deck Meng, principal of Mattahedah Inc., a kitchenware gift wholesaler with a showroom in the downtown L.A. Mart.

The trendiest kitchen stores also have modern-looking sculptured hollowware available that you can bake with, freeze with and even use on the stove top; just don't put it in the microwave.

Meng also sells a new sort of insulated wine bucket, with refreezable liquid in thin plastic flasks that slide along the sides of the bucket and keep wine cool longer than conventional ice, and with a lot less mess.

Another fad that's been around a few years but is still popular is the "country kitchen" line that features ducks, chickens and other farm themes, with a lot of blue, pink and (they're back!) earth tones.

The ultimate in functional art may just be a line of kitchen products designed by architect Michael Graves. The tea kettle retails for $175, but the original is in a museum.

Terri Ong, travel services counselor with American Express, said the latest trend in monetary gifts is her company's new "Checks for Two."

American Express travelers checks can now be made out in the names of two people, but they require the signature of only one to be cashed. So a guest can send the couple off on their honeymoon with some spending money that probably will be the first official document made out to both of them with her new married name.

"For people who think it's tacky to give money, this is the solution," said Ong.