The crock pot is a popular wedding gift. It is, however, hardly a vital component of a burgeoning marriage. While some wedding gifts are indeed very useful, many others will simply wind up collecting dust. You might think that breadmaker you gave the loving couple will play an active role in their day-to-day lives, but, in actuality, it is far more likely to be kept in the closet, if it’s kept at all. Why not give the lovebirds something they might actually need?

Let’s address something that quite a few young couples already have: debt. In some cases, plenty of it. This may range from credit card debt to automobile loans to the money owed to Paulie the bookie because the Patriots didn’t beat the spread last weekend. But for many young couples, the most significant source of debt comes in the form of student loans. By the time the diploma goes up on the wall, tens of thousands of dollars could be owed in educational debt. That’s quite a tremendous deficit to face when starting a new life.

This is a dilemma Jamie Hernandez has faced. In August 2006, she launched EducationRegistry.com, a service that allows family members and friends to contribute to the student loans of the bride and/or groom in lieu of purchasing a gift. The site also allows parents to set up an educational savings account for the future of their child.

When Hernandez and her husband, Marcus, were planning their wedding, they owed a cumulative total of around $100,000 in student loans. Having lived together for a few years prior to the wedding, the couple found that they did not require many household gifts. What they needed more than anything from their loved ones was assistance with that substantial debt.

“We had a lot of student loan debt that was going to hinder our future goals, such as purchasing a home and starting a family,” Hernandez said. “We were sure that our guests would be happy to help with our educational debt, so we looked for a website to create such a registry, but came up empty-handed.”

Feeling that theirs was a common problem for young couples, they decided to create their own.

To set up a registry with the site, couples are asked to create a website where they can upload photos and information about the wedding. To notify guests of the registry, users can either send out customized e-mails, or Hernandez will mail out announcement cards. There is also an option of linking the registry page directly to a wedding website, if the couple has one set up.

Guests can contribute to the account by credit card. The money will remain in the account until it is disbursed to the recipient in the form of a check. Registering with the website is free, but, as a service fee, a small percentage is deducted from the total amount contributed.

Due to a setback with the original web designer, Hernandez was not able to use the website for her own wedding last June. But she says that 16 customers have signed up since the site launched, a number she is proud of, given that it is a new concept and needs time to catch on.

Such a service could be very beneficial to college students who plan to get married. “Although I am one of the lucky ones that does not actually have student loans to pay off, the website seems like a great idea for those who do.” said Nina Goodfellow, a Sacramento State graduate student.

However, Goodfellow’s fiance, former Sac State student Mike Boyd, had a entirely different take on the matter than his betrothed. “This site just looks like a way for lazy college kids to sucker money out of someone,” Boyd said. Brandon Wolfe can be reached at [email protected]