How Do I Get Started With A Honeymoon Fund Registry?

Wedding Planning Tips // Honeymoon Planning Tips // Photographers Huntsville Alabama

Crowd-sourcing your honeymoon. Sound daring? It’s perfectly acceptable and can be customized to fit your comfort zone.

If you’ve never heard of a honeymoon fund registry, or maybe you’re interested but have no idea where to start, this post is for you! We’ll be looking at what exactly it is, how you can use it, and share lots of resources to get you started!

What is a honeymoon fund registry?

It’s like registering for a dinner cruise alongside the blender and bath towels! A honeymoon registry is a convenient online (and offline) opportunity for your guests to gift money toward your honeymoon.

You can register for a specific excursion, dinner, hotel and resort stays, airlines, and event tickets! It’s like giving your guests the chance to gift with an experience instead of another kitchen gadget.

Why would I want a honeymoon fund registry?

With more couples getting married a little later in life, not everyone needs all the traditional household items. You might have all the pots and pans you want. Instead of registering for things you don’t really need, you can enjoy the gift of experiences instead!

Maybe you’d like to create a memorable honeymoon experience – but funds are a little tight. Sure, you’ve budgeted for the plane tickets and hotel room. But what if there aren’t enough funds left for much more than budget meals and relaxing on the beach? A honeymoon fund registry will allow you to add a few once-in-a-lifetime experiences to your honeymoon memories.

Or maybe you just think it’s a really cool idea. Some guests (like us!), love to have the chance to give something that we value so much ourselves. We think very highly of taking them time to create experiences. Having the chance to gift our friends with an experience is an easy gift choice for us!

What are some of the most popular honeymoon fund websites?

The one I explored the most was Honeyfund. It’s one of the most popular fund registries at the moment. Plus it was first introduced on Shark Tank, which is really cool if you’re a Shark Tank fan like me. I signed up for an account and walked through the set up process. It was pretty straight forward to figure out. You can customize your gifts and even add a link to your specific activity. It also allows you to break down a larger item into smaller amounts.

One of my favorite parts of Honeyfund is that you can add it to your other gift registries, like Target. Honeyfund is partnered with a collection of major travel retailers. That means that a Honeyfund gift card (which eliminates money withdrawal fees), can be used at places you normally purchase from!

If you’re a big fan of TheKnot.com, they offer the Newlywed Fund option to your Knot.com wedding website. I recommend checking out Zola to see if they’ll be the right fit for you. Other popular sites I came across were Blueprint Registry and Wanderable.

{You can find links and more information about 7 popular honeymoon registries in this Brides.com article.}

The fine print:

One of the biggest things to make sure you’re clear on is what kind of fees your specific registry website charges. You’ll especially want to know what they’re charging your guests. They each vary a little, so dig into the FAQs to find out what it is.

Fees to keep an eye out for include an additional service fee charged to your guests. Some sites will give you the option of absorbing this yourself. Check into whether they charge you or your guests for the credit card processing fee. Every couple will feel differently about what extra fees they’re comfortable passing onto their guests, so just find what’s right for you!

Another important thing to make sure you’re clear on is how you’re able to get the funds. Options can range from sending funds to a PayPal or bank account, all the way to gift cards to specific businesses like Uber and Royal Caribbean Cruiseline.

To eliminate all the fees, give your guests an option to send cash or a check instead. Just include your address and let them know they’re welcome to choose that route if they prefer! Some sites automatically give that option to your guests. Registering for gift cards to travel retailers is also usually free.

Tips for making it appealing to your guests.

1. Add details. Don’t go for a very general “Give us money for our honeymoon! We’ll have fun!” giving opportunity. Create an image in their minds of the fun you’ll be having with their money. Even if the item is unimaginative – like your airline tickets – put a little joy into the description!

2. Register for very specific experiences. Dinner at a nice restaurant, a snorkeling excursion, or a sunset cruise. It’s way more fun to gift someone a specific experience than it is to just put some money toward a vague fund.

3. Offer different price options. A lot of sites (including Honeyfund) allow you to break apart bigger items into smaller portions. You can register for a $100 horseback riding excursion and break it into four $25 options. Just like registering for the $4 pot holders along with the $800 espresso machine, try to allow your guests to find an amount they’re comfortable with.

Add a little personalized sparkle:

Instead of the traditional thank you note, send your honeymoon fund contributing guests a thank you post card from your honeymoon destination! If you don’t want to take the time on your honeymoon to write out a few thank you notes, you can just buy postcards there and finish them up when you get home. Even better – use that airport layover to knock out your thank you postcards!

If a postcard thank you isn’t your thing, you can text them a picture of you enjoying whatever activity they contributed toward. Give them a little piece of the memory!

*hugs*

Amber

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