For a wedding shower, I used to fill a laundry basket with essentials such as a scrub brush, kitchen gloves, an apron, scouring powder, dish-washing sponges (now I'd make that scrubbies), a bottle of dishwashing soap, some kitchen towels, sturdy toilet plunger & toilet scrub brush and that sort of thing. The toilet plunger is something you don't know you need until you need it and don't have it, so it's a must for any new household in my opinion.
I love your idea of a 'couple of tools'. I particularly like a tool set that includes a mini hammer, and at least two types of screwdrivers. I prefer a feminine look to my tools because that prevents my husband from commandeering them and moving them into the garage, never to be found by me again. I don't know how many tools I came into this marriage with that he has commandeered to the garage the moment he laid eyes on them. So a woman's tool kit is the best option, IMO just because men seem to think they own the tools and the wife owns the cookware. (I know, not always, but more often than not.)
For the wedding, a set of huge bath towels & matching hand towels & wash cloths; most towels I ever received as gifts were always the smaller bath towels, so I make an effort to get the large ones as a wedding gift. If it's family, depending on how closely related, a down comforter, especially if they plan to live anywhere that gets really cold nights even if only in the winter; or high thread count good quality Egyptian Cotton sheets with matching pillow cases. Those are always my go-to wedding gifts. If I know they already have all of those, I may swing for a duvet cover of their choice (if on the registry), but I've only done that a couple of times.
The most used wedding gift I have ever received and still use 55 years later, came from my Auntie at my first wedding. She gave me a complete set (a huge set, maybe a combination of 2 or 3 sub-sets) of Farberware pots & pans plus an electric skillet as well, AND a whistling tea kettle. The tea kettle finally gave out about 5 years ago (maybe a bit less; maybe a bit more), but every other item is still in great shape and I use them all the time, except the electric skillet. I don't use it very often anymore since I stopped eating meat and don't make spare ribs anymore.
Good bed linens lasted a long time, too, but the cookware surpassed the longevity of almost everything I received as a wedding gift. And I always remembered my Auntie who gave them to me; I have no recollection of who gave me quality bed linens or even luxurous towels. So there is something to the type of gift and remembrance, if you want to think about how your gift honoring their marriage will be remembered.
