Honeymoon Registries

[neebelung]

Are any of you ladies using/setting up a honeymoon fund?

I'm running across this more and more talking with other couples, and other brides on forums.... At first, I wasn't keen on the idea, however talking to more people (those NOT in the midst of planning weddings), I've gotten a lot of interesting feedback, i.e. "I'd love to give toward making someone's honeymoon really special, to get them something they really want, rather than just buying them towels they might not have even given thought to placing on a registry."

I ran across a cool site (that DOESN'T charge fees; some of them charge as much as 8-10% for the 'service' of letting you set up a registry with them) - www.honeyfund.com (http://www.honeyfund.com). They pay out via PayPal or other methods of your choosing.

FH and I discussed it at length, and while I didn't like the idea of having people pay for our actual honeymoon (afterall, we've already PAID for it anyway), the idea of putting excursions, show tickets, and restuarants on there is pretty cool (besides, then thank yous can be given for specific things, i.e. "thank you for the couples massage... we really enjoyed it..." etc....)

So have any of you done something like this?

[bichonlvr]

People say it is tacky..here is what I think....IF people want to pay into it they can...if people want to buy you a gift they can!

It is people's choices...you are not forcing them to give you money!!!

[Hope75]

We are doing this as well using TravelersJoy.com.

Unfortunately they do charge, I think it is 6%. Wish I knew about the free one before!

My sister did it last year when they got married and they got about 1500$ towards it.

I think it's nice to add special items, like "dinner for two at X restaurant", and "massage atX spa", "drinks at X bar" etc. Be specific, so it feels like they are not just throwing money at you for the honeymoon.

My sister and her hubby registered for a carriage ride among other things, and when people gave them the money, they actually did the things their friends paid for, and then shared the stories/pictures with them when they returned. She said it was great!

[snowflakebride]

I personally don't like the idea of using a honeymoon registry to fund the entire honeymoon, but I love the idea of what you're doing. I think a lot of people will go for it since it's a "fun" gift! Plus, you may be able to do things that you wouldn't have been able to do otherwise.

[Hope75]

I personally don't like the idea of using a honeymoon registry to fund the entire honeymoon, but I love the idea of what you're doing. I think a lot of people will go for it since it's a "fun" gift! Plus, you may be able to do things that you wouldn't have been able to do otherwise.

Exactly, IMO it should be more about fun things to do on the honeymoon, things you might otherwise not do because you can't afford it.

We're registering for sushi at a great place for 2, a horseback ride on the beach for two, a luau, pina coladas at a seaside bar, kayaks for two along the Napali coast (Hawaii), couples massage for 1 hour at the hotal spa, etc.

[neebelung]

I personally don't like the idea of using a honeymoon registry to fund the entire honeymoon, but I love the idea of what you're doing. I think a lot of people will go for it since it's a "fun" gift! Plus, you may be able to do things that you wouldn't have been able to do otherwise.

that's my thinking, too... I was kinda iffy about it at first, but FH has talked me into it. :)

[neebelung]

We're registering for sushi at a great place for 2, a horseback ride on the beach for two, a luau, pina coladas at a seaside bar, kayaks for two along the Napali coast (Hawaii), couples massage for 1 hour at the hotal spa, etc.

Yup, we did a couples massage, a few different dinners for 2, a horseback riding excursion, and show tickets (but then we broke it down into "affordable" increments).

[SerendipityCrafts]

Hmmmm paying for little honeymoon extras seem "different" somehow than paying into a honeymoon registry (which, I don't agree with) but ...... I might be inclined to buy a couple a dinner or a massage or a "go swim with the dolphins" type thing. That is kind of neat :)

With that said, I would rather hear about it via word of mouth LOL

[lesliek0211]

I don't really feel one way or the other about the idea, however I do think around here it would be a very foreign idea... I don't know that people would think it was bad manners, because people around here send registry info in formal wedding invitations, but I don't think many people would actually do it.

[acidcookie]

We are not registering for gifts so IF people want to get us something, we will have a honeymoon fund. We need to work out the best way to present this. I don't think it's tacky AT ALL. Considering we have every household item we need I think it's tackier for us to register somewhere just to get "new" stuff. We can work with what we have. We don't need to make a list that says "well, but we want this and this and this so buy it." We are not asking anyone to get us anything. But people will want to, so they can help make our honeymoon special, especially since we are working hard to save up for our wedding.

[neebelung]

With that said, I would rather hear about it via word of mouth LOL

True, true... but when my family is scattered all about the country (as are many of our friends at this point), that's easier said than done.

[neebelung]

I don't really feel one way or the other about the idea, however I do think around here it would be a very foreign idea... I don't know that people would think it was bad manners, because people around here send registry info in formal wedding invitations, but I don't think many people would actually do it.

See, now that's funny, because around here NO one puts registry info in formal wedding invites (typically the MoH and Mom's spread the word, and the MoH might include registry info in shower invites).

But either way, times, they are a-changin. :)

[tawni8806]

I wouldnt think it would be a good idea either to put "We are registered at...." into formal invites, with that said I sent them in with the invites.

My Mother and FMIL said the best way to get stuff that we are going to use, or need is to do it that way. I agree. Plus, I dont think there is a CERTAIN way that anyone should have to do anything for a wedding.

People have alreasdy used my registry for my bridal shower. As for the honeymoon idea...I think it's an ok idea if people were to participate in it.

I know that my family or FH's wouldnt feel comfortable paying most of the high prices that those adventures cost. I know I wouldn't do the same for someone elese either.

Good idea if you have the family that will do that for you though.

[neebelung]

Plus, I dont think there is a CERTAIN way that anyone should have to do anything for a wedding.


I agree 100%. We're lucky (all of us) in that we're getting married at a time where breaking tradition is more the norm than tradition itself. :)

I know that my family or FH's wouldnt feel comfortable paying most of the high prices that those adventures cost. I know I wouldn't do the same for someone elese either.

Good idea if you have the family that will do that for you though.

Ohhhh no, heck no I don't want any ONE person spending that amount on us either. I broke things down into smaller amounts (i.e. at the hotel we're at, the couples massage is like $310 - so I broke it down into 10 increments of $31... I'd fall over dead if one person bought something like that for us!!!!!!!)

[smiller]

Are any of you ladies using/setting up a honeymoon fund?

I'm running across this more and more talking with other couples, and other brides on forums.... At first, I wasn't keen on the idea, however talking to more people (those NOT in the midst of planning weddings), I've gotten a lot of interesting feedback, i.e. "I'd love to give toward making someone's honeymoon really special, to get them something they really want, rather than just buying them towels they might not have even given thought to placing on a registry."

I ran across a cool site (that DOESN'T charge fees; some of them charge as much as 8-10% for the 'service' of letting you set up a registry with them) - www.honeyfund.com (http://www.honeyfund.com). They pay out via PayPal or other methods of your choosing.

FH and I discussed it at length, and while I didn't like the idea of having people pay for our actual honeymoon (afterall, we've already PAID for it anyway), the idea of putting excursions, show tickets, and restuarants on there is pretty cool (besides, then thank yous can be given for specific things, i.e. "thank you for the couples massage... we really enjoyed it..." etc....)

So have any of you done something like this?

I love this! I completely agree with this because you really don;t need a bunch of **** like towels, gravy boats, etc. We won't have a problem with this either way beacuse in our culture the guests give bring cash or checks as gifts. I hope that either set of parents decides to give us a honeymoon:D

[Hope75]

Yup, we did a couples massage, a few different dinners for 2, a horseback riding excursion, and show tickets (but then we broke it down into "affordable" increments).

That is what we did too... 25$, 50$ 75$, etc. Some of those activities get kind of expensive!

[Hope75]

I love this! I completely agree with this because you really don;t need a bunch of **** like towels, gravy boats, etc. We won't have a problem with this either way beacuse in our culture the guests give bring cash or checks as gifts. I hope that either set of parents decides to give us a honeymoon:D

We didn't put registry info on the formal invites- I find that tacky. The only place the registry info is, is on the bridal shower invites (and on our wedding website).

We have lived together for almost 6 years, own a house together, and have all the 'necessities' to start a home together so we don't need things like towels, pots and pans, blender, etc. We registered at Target for a few things, but in all honesty adding more would be a waste because we just don't need it or want it.

That's the trouble with these modern couples these days...:worm: (<< like the worm!)

[dhigs4506]

This is an interesting topic. Im having a hard time convincing my man to register for standard things like knives and sheets etc because we have lived together for a while and are pretty established.

This is a fun new way of people adding some FUN to your special time, but Im not sure other people would think if it were tacky or not. After spending so much on the wedding you have to remember to put some $$ away to go on a honeymoon! This would definately take some stress away from that!

[Whitewater]

Well, we're going to be trendsetters over here in my neck of the woods -- we're registering our Disneyland Honeymoon with *their* honeymoon registry service, and they break the money down into $10 increments. So, two tickets to Circue de Soleil (which we REALLY want to go see!) cost about $100, which would be ten DisneyBucks increments, etc.

We'd like to do the luau thing, and a couples massage, a carriage ride, a fancy dinner, the Cirque tickets, etc -- stuff that you just wouldn't normally do at DisneyWorld, but that seems appropriate for a honeymoon. Disney has a TON of things that you can click on, via their website, so that people know what you want, then, they can pay for it *specifically* (so that they're not just donating money), which I like. I'd rather our friends and family pay towards our Polynesian Luau or Romantic River Trip rather than just donating $50 to our honeymoon.

Disney does, however, have a button you can click for 'General DisneyBucks' where if you click on that option, you can just give however much and it will go into a general 'Fun Fund'. That money can be used for anything at Disney (including hotel rooms!) and if people don't want to give for a specific thing, they can use this option.

What I like about Disney's way of doing things is that when you get to your hotel, they'll give you a credit card that has all of the DisneyBucks on it that people gave you, and you only have to use that -- you don't have to worry about carrying cash or redeeming coupons or whatever, it's all on one card.

And they keep track of who gave you what, so thank you notes and pictures and so on (at least, I hope!) will be really easy. I plan on taking a LOT of pictures and then sending a picture along with the thank-you, so if we get Cirque tickets, we'll take a picture of us at the Cirque show and send that along with the thank you to whoever gives us the Cirque tickets.

Etc.

I have a feeling I'll be answering a LOT of questions about this -- like I said, I'm the first one in my family or extended family or friends who has ever done this. But it's like everybody else said:

We're an established couple. He has more kitchen gadgets than anybody in their right mind would want, we have enough towels and linens to feed an army, why on earth would we register for MORE STUFF????

But neither of us have taken a vacation in 15 years, not since we became adults and had to earn our own livings. Oh, sure, we've had weekends working RenFaire or days off here and there, but a real vacation? Not since we were kids.

If people want to give us a gift celebrating our marriage, what we really need is our first vacation in 15 years!!!!


Whitewater

[acidcookie]

Obviously the new married couple has largely shifted from one that is living away from family for the first time to one that has already started their life together. So the needs have to change too. And soon these other types of "registries" will be just as normal. It only makes sense not to keep up with old ways that don't suit the new lifestyle.

[neebelung]

That is what we did too... 25$, 50$ 75$, etc. Some of those activities get kind of expensive!
Jeebus, I know! lol.... but at the same time, we've decided to just "go for it" with regard to the fun things on the honeymoon. We're only going to do this once, so we might as well do it right, right? :)

[neebelung]

This is an interesting topic. Im having a hard time convincing my man to register for standard things like knives and sheets etc because we have lived together for a while and are pretty established.

This is a fun new way of people adding some FUN to your special time, but Im not sure other people would think if it were tacky or not. After spending so much on the wedding you have to remember to put some $$ away to go on a honeymoon! This would definately take some stress away from that!
If it makes you feel any better, I literally "polled" three different groups of people on other (non wedding related) forums I'm on. Overwhelmingly (about 80-85%) people thought it was a good idea, and liked the idea of contributing to the memories a couple makes on their honeymoon versus buying them place settings or towels.

But more importantly, mull it over with your FH and decide what YOU two are comfortable with... it's your wedding, so make it what you want!!!

And we did still do "normal" wedding registries (we just pared them WAYYYYYYY down... took off the silly stuff we registered for just cus we went hogwild with the little scanner gun) for older family members and friends who aren't keen on the honeymoon idea.

[neebelung]

Well, we're going to be trendsetters over here in my neck of the woods -- we're registering our Disneyland Honeymoon with *their* honeymoon registry service, and they break the money down into $10 increments. So, two tickets to Circue de Soleil (which we REALLY want to go see!) cost about $100, which would be ten DisneyBucks increments, etc.

We'd like to do the luau thing, and a couples massage, a carriage ride, a fancy dinner, the Cirque tickets, etc -- stuff that you just wouldn't normally do at DisneyWorld, but that seems appropriate for a honeymoon. Disney has a TON of things that you can click on, via their website, so that people know what you want, then, they can pay for it *specifically* (so that they're not just donating money), which I like. I'd rather our friends and family pay towards our Polynesian Luau or Romantic River Trip rather than just donating $50 to our honeymoon.

Disney does, however, have a button you can click for 'General DisneyBucks' where if you click on that option, you can just give however much and it will go into a general 'Fun Fund'. That money can be used for anything at Disney (including hotel rooms!) and if people don't want to give for a specific thing, they can use this option.

What I like about Disney's way of doing things is that when you get to your hotel, they'll give you a credit card that has all of the DisneyBucks on it that people gave you, and you only have to use that -- you don't have to worry about carrying cash or redeeming coupons or whatever, it's all on one card.

And they keep track of who gave you what, so thank you notes and pictures and so on (at least, I hope!) will be really easy. I plan on taking a LOT of pictures and then sending a picture along with the thank-you, so if we get Cirque tickets, we'll take a picture of us at the Cirque show and send that along with the thank you to whoever gives us the Cirque tickets.

Etc.

I have a feeling I'll be answering a LOT of questions about this -- like I said, I'm the first one in my family or extended family or friends who has ever done this. But it's like everybody else said:

We're an established couple. He has more kitchen gadgets than anybody in their right mind would want, we have enough towels and linens to feed an army, why on earth would we register for MORE STUFF????

But neither of us have taken a vacation in 15 years, not since we became adults and had to earn our own livings. Oh, sure, we've had weekends working RenFaire or days off here and there, but a real vacation? Not since we were kids.

If people want to give us a gift celebrating our marriage, what we really need is our first vacation in 15 years!!!!


Whitewater
That's soooo cool!!! :D We actually almost decided to honeymoon at Disney(world)... I forgot they have a honeymoon registry!!

I've also seen people provide their travel agent's information on the wedding websites, so that people can pay the travel agent for special "add ons" for the couple's honeymoon.

[Nekochanpurr]

We were going to do this.. But we forgot to register till last minute!! LOL Needless to say.. We are still slowly adding to it.. And slightly mourning the loss of a honeymoon.. =/ We'll still get one, but its certainly not what i dreamed it would be.

[firespirit]

So I used honeyfund.com and our guests are using it. We aren't getting a ton, but a lot of the younger guests think it's a really cool idea and aren't offended at all.

[Jacobs_Girl]

I think its a good idea, at least you will really know that the bride and groom would love it and use it than say a gravy bowl lol :grinhappy:

[acidcookie]

For those of you using honeymoon registries, which website do you like? Which should I stay away from? Ideally one that doesn't charge fees would be nice.

Also, how much of our honeymoon do we have to have setup already? And how specific do we have to get (e.g. chipping in for meal money vs. admission to such-and-such place on such-and-such date)?

Thanks!

[WebLady]

LOL - I have no experience with this sort of thing, but just wanted to say watch out for spam here; I can see it now ;)

EDIT: Here is another recent thread with a couple sites mentioned -
http://forums.onewed.com/showthread.php?t=17874 I merged this with that one since it is the same topic :)

[memorialbride]

Is anybody a part of one of these? I never even thought of them before, but when i was searching a couple of honeymoon options it came up. I think they're a pretty cool idea, but I'm a little weary because it seems like they're done online , or over the phone with a representative. Do travel agencies offer this too? I was just interested. Something like that I would almost prefer to do in person, since it's not like a regular registry where the person would go out and physically buy an item. Any thoughts and/or info would be appreciated. Thanks

Christine

[memorialbride]

wow, I have no idea how that got posted there, but rely if you want, lol

[WebLady]

wow, I have no idea how that got posted there, but rely if you want, lol
There were 3 or 4 threads on the same topic (yours was one of them), so they were all merged ;)

[WebLady]

For you guys interested, I found these sites in a web search you might check out:

www.thehoneymoon.com

www.travelersjoy.com

www.honeyluna.com

www.thebigday.com

www.honeyfund.com

www.honeymoonwishes.com

www.forthemoon.com

www.giftpile.com

www.thehoneymoongift.com

www.sendusoff.com

You can also check local travel agencies; they sometimes offer honeymoon registries too.

Anyone used any of these sites?

[neebelung]

We're using Honeyfund. It came highly recommended by about 40 other brides (on another site) that have used/are using it.

The thing to be cautious of is that many sites charge a fee for use, as much as 8 to 10%!!!! :bbeek: Honeyfund charges no fees, and you can receive payout via PayPal (which for us, is very convenient, since we can just transfer that to the checking account linked to that PayPal account).

Just be sure to research whatever site you use!!

Also, many honeymoon destinations (like Sandals) offer registries... contact the resort directly, or provide guests with your Travel Agent's contact info.

[WebLady]

We're using Honeyfund. It came highly recommended by about 40 other brides (on another site) that have used/are using it.

The thing to be cautious of is that many sites charge a fee for use, as much as 8 to 10%!!!! :bbeek: Honeyfund charges no fees, and you can receive payout via PayPal (which for us, is very convenient, since we can just transfer that to the checking account linked to that PayPal account).

Just be sure to research whatever site you use!!

Also, many honeymoon destinations (like Sandals) offer registries... contact the resort directly, or provide guests with your Travel Agent's contact info.Good reminder about the fees! I figure as with any business most of these places would charge a fee, but 8-10% sounds high to me! I like the PayPal option too!

Good idea to check with the resorts too; I wouldn't have thought of that. Maybe local travel agents would know what other resorts offer such things too :)

I think some cruise lines have something like this too. But of course researching all the options is aways the best way to go.

If I had it to do over again, we would probably to a honeymoon registry :)

[firespirit]

We did this. Our guests that used it really liked the idea a lot!

[Nekochanpurr]

Disney World has a honeymoon registry too, if you are going there!

[FutureKelley]

We are using honeyfund. ;)

[tk93]

We had a honeymoon registry through our website and linked it to PayPal for no additional fees. (Good call on using honeyfund.. so many of these sites charge insane fees!)

We did a 2 week / 3 country / 10 flight honeymoon, so there was a lot that we could list on our registry - like horseback riding up the volcano, zip-lining in the rain forrest, guided tour of Machu Picchu, mountain biking in Ecuador, sunset dinner cruise in Costa Rica, etc. Of course, we paid for the entire trip out of pocket months in advance, but our guests loved the registry! We broke down the items to range from $25 to $200 and also had a "Surprise us!" option, where guests could designate how much and what to use it for - like bunjee jumping or rafting.

Also, as an extension of this, we created our thank you cards using a collage of pictures from the honeymoon. It gave us so much to write about on the cards!

[ksherlin]

I ran across a cool site (that DOESN'T charge fees; some of them charge as much as 8-10% for the 'service' of letting you set up a registry with them) - www.honeyfund.com (http://www.honeyfund.com). They pay out via PayPal or other methods of your choosing.


Thank you so much! I was set up on another site that charges a 7% fee! I am definitely looking onto this. I think registries are great! Especially if you have a lot of guests. There are only so many kitchen utensils that you need! I ma excited about a honeymoon fund. Plus people know where the money is going which is always a plus for some people who don't want to just give checks.

Thanks again!

[cpatterson19]

I say this to warn people. DO NOT....I repeat DO NOT pay to use a registry. There are tons of registries out there for couples to use. Do your research. I actually manage couple's registries on their behalf for free as well.

You already have an over head with the wedding why continue paying with the registry. I took a look at the honeymoon fund and it looks like a very good site. The site I use is http://www.thehoneymoon.com/registries/25218?e=1&pid=9133919. So far they have worked great and its customizable.

When it comes to the registry the key I find to gaining results is making sure your guests and family know. Makes no sense having it if they don't know. I had a couple offer to pay me to run the registry not knowing I do it for free as part of my gift to them. They had the registry for a year and 3 months before the wedding still didnt have it all sold. I requested emails of the guests and networked with them and had it sold out in 2 months. Also most guests buy as the wedding is approaching so DONT BE DISCOURAGED.:yesnod:

Corwyn Patterson

[Bridetobe10025]

I don't think it is any more tacky than normal registries. Asking for towels is just as tacky. At least this way you get something you and FH can enjoy together

[bright_eyes]

We are doing this! We registered at honeyfund.com and honestly I don'r CARE if someone thinks it's tacky. Heck, certain people will always find a reason to complain or they will see a breach of etiquett in every little detail. The way I look at it is: it's our wedding and I don't need or want anything but cash/money towards honeymoon. So I am not going to pretend I need it and register for "regular" stuff just so I can return it for money. To me that's just as tacky. So if someone is not happy with the honeymoon registry that's their problem IMO.
I won't put it on invites but it is on our wedding website and it'll be spread by word of mouth. We are not registering anywhere other then the honeymoon fund.

[WeddingAdvice]

Smart girl! This was my view on it as well. My husband and I did a honeymoon registry. The wedding is about you and him and your guests should just respect your wishes. I didn't want fine china or a blender, I wanted a romantic getaway with my husband, a trip that we will both never forget.

One of my mom's friends was actually rude about the whole thing and basically refused to give to the registry. People are nuts!!!
We are doing this! We registered at honeyfund.com and honestly I don'r CARE if someone thinks it's tacky. Heck, certain people will always find a reason to complain or they will see a breach of etiquett in every little detail.

[bright_eyes]

Did you have success with yours? Did people actually contribute? How far out before the wedding people began contributing? I am hoping for this money but we need it before the wedding (obviously) to start booking stuff. I hope someone uses it!

Smart girl! This was my view on it as well. My husband and I did a honeymoon registry. The wedding is about you and him and your guests should just respect your wishes. I didn't want fine china or a blender, I wanted a romantic getaway with my husband, a trip that we will both never forget.

One of my mom's friends was actually rude about the whole thing and basically refused to give to the registry. People are nuts!!!

[WeddingAdvice]

Yes, and we were really stupid about it. We didn't do it far enough in advance, we didn't alert people on the invitations, but we did include it on our wedding website. I was so back and forth on doing one because of all the mixed feedback I was getting that by the time I decided to move forward with it, it was a big mess.

For as messy as it was, it was a great success! Some people contributed a month or two before the wedding but one thing you should keep in mind is that people have a whole year after you get married to contribute (which is really annoying IMHO).

We used a site called Buy our Honeymoon. I did a lot of research on the ones that people have listed on this thread and I hate to break it to you but it seems like people didn't do their homework. There are hidden fees on most of these and they are substantial. Buy our Honeymoon is a no-frills site but there aren't any surprises either! One time $64 fee and you can either put the money towards you honeymoon or anything you want.

That is the freedom of a registry. Your guests shouldn't tell you what you want or call it tacky, in fact, I think it is the other way around. For crying out loud, they are going to spend money on a gift, why not a gift that you actually want? WHAT A CONCEPT!!!!

I can't guarantee you that your guests will come through for you, some of our friends didn't contribute a cent (really crappy I know), but it is definitely the better way to go if you don't want china and appliances.

Did you have success with yours? Did people actually contribute? How far out before the wedding people began contributing? I am hoping for this money but we need it before the wedding (obviously) to start booking stuff. I hope someone uses it!

[carrollove]

its so nice wedding and wonderful.

[JillyBride]

I personally don't like the idea of using a honeymoon registry to fund the entire honeymoon, but I love the idea of what you're doing. I think a lot of people will go for it since it's a "fun" gift! Plus, you may be able to do things that you wouldn't have been able to do otherwise.

agreed. That is why I like our registry- it has both honeymoon and more traditional stuff on it. www.uponourstar.com

[muguet]

I need to set up our honeymoon registry and include a link to it on our wedding website, because we are about to send out the Save the Date cards, which will have our wedding website address and password on the back. Anyway...I like SmartHoneymoon.com, but can't find any reviews for it somehow. Anyone ever used them? Other than that I know that everyone seems to use HoneyFund, TravelersJoy, or BuyOurHoneymoon. The thing is that they seem to all be spidered by Google, while SmartHoneymoon is not.

And as I think has already been mentioned on this thread, tThe protocol for a honeymoon registry seems to be that it's all right to put a link to it on your website, and/or include the information on wedding shower invites, but that information should NEVER be any part of the invitation.

Thanks in advance for any help anyone can give me.:flower4u: