With two-thirds of marriages today preceded by cohabitation, things certainly aren’t what they used to be. In the 1950s and 1960s the vast majority of marrying couples hadn’t lived together before their nuptials. Back then, buying wedding gifts for the happy couple was much easier, with most guests opting for gifts that set the happy couple up in their new home. These days, couples already have everything they need to decorate or furnish their humble abodes, which means a number of guests are stumped about what to get them.
Gift registries work wonders for pointing wedding guests in the right direction. With weddings on the expensive side and a honeymoon to pay for, cash gifts reign supreme on the wedding scene. More and more wedding gift companies are making it easier for couples to get cash gifts from their guests. Guests are now able to buy honeymoon essentials and activities through registries. Would you ask your wedding guests to buy your honeymoon? Here we reveal the pros and cons of doing just that, as well as share a few ways to ask for cash in the politest way possible.
Who traditionally pays for the honeymoon?
Back in the day it was one set of parents, or both, who footed the bill for a couple’s honeymoon. As parents increasingly take a backseat in wedding preparations and finance, it is now couples who pay for the honeymoon themselves. Another option is to set up a honeymoon registry, often referred to as a honeyfund, so everyone can contribute to its cost. Honeymoon registries make it easy for guests to donate cash to the cause, as well as pay for specific items like activities, meals and excursions.
You could simply forgo the honeymoon registry and ask for cash to put towards your honeymoon fund. With this option. however, you have to leave honeymoon planning until after the wedding as you won’t know what your budget is until those wedding cards have been opened and their kind donations have been counted.
What are the best honeymoon registry sites?
Using a honeymoon registry will ensure you can set a date, book your honeymoon and start packing before your wedding day. There are a number of wedding registry websites available, many of which specialise in crowd funding your honeymoon and associated travel essentials.
Honeyfund, Blueprint Registry and Honeymoon Wishes are all popular portals for honeymoon planning and funding. It’s easy to create a registry as a couple or find one as a guest, leaving you to plan your trip of a lifetime. Most honeymoon registries are free to use. All you have to do is select a destination, register for experiences (such as room upgrades, romantic packages and outdoor excursions) and share your registry with your nearest and dearest.
How can you ask your guests that big question?
Asking for cash isn’t the taboo it used to be. Most add a little snippet to their wedding invites or save the dates, often in poem form. You can also share your wedding registry with your guests via email. Creating a bespoke honeymoon registry has become the way to make guests feel a part of your trip as luxury destination wedding planner Suzanne Reinhard explains:
“Taking the time to craft your Honeyfund to be specific about the experiences you would like to participate in on your honeymoon, versus just asking for cash, is a classier way of handling the fund. Your guests would rather buy your dinner at the resort’s Italian restaurant than send money. It’s the similar preference many people have in purchasing a gift card instead of giving cash.”
