How to register for your honeymoon in 5 simple steps

When you and your partner start wedding planning, it's easy to feel overwhelmed. Choosing a date and a venue may sound like the hardest part, but those decisions are just the tip of the iceberg. Beyond that, you two will need to decide on a caterer, menu, decorations, flowers, music, bridal party and seating arrangements — and all of those decisions come with hundreds of little questions that all need to be answered by the big day.

So when it comes to planning the honeymoon, you and your partner might feel like throwing up your hands and instead decide to go right back to work after you've tied the knot.

But a honeymoon represents a special time for the happy couple. It's a time to unwind after the hectic wedding planning, and it gives you both a chance to reconnect and focus on appreciating your relationship. It's a time for relaxation that all couples should be able to enjoy.

Although it might seem like more work, planning a honeymoon can be made easy when you have a honeymoon registry. This new type of registry functions just like a regular wedding registry from a department store, but instead of asking for serveware and new towels, you and your partner ask your guests to help pay for experiences on your honeymoon, such as tours, activities and even accommodations.

Setting up a honeymoon registry benefits the couple, and of all of the items on the wedding to-do checklist, it's probably the easiest — and maybe even the most fun — to complete. Here's why setting up a honeymoon can save you time and energy and how to do it in just a few simple steps.

Why set up a honeymoon registry

For many couples, setting up a honeymoon fund as opposed to a traditional registry may be one of the best things they do for themselves.

When wedding bills start piling up and budgets shift around, you and your partner might wonder how you're going to pay for your honeymoon when all is said and done. Even if you do your best to stick to your budget, you might encounter higher prices for decor or flowers that you didn't anticipate or a less expensive option might be out of stock.

Taking the time to set up a honeymoon registry helps your budget in two ways:

1. It forces you and your partner to talk open and honestly about where you want to go, what you can spend and what destination works best. Honeymoon planning is often forgotten in the wedding planning shuffle, but when you create your own honeymoon registry, you have to make some decisions and start planning. When you're ready to book flights, hotels and other activities, you can refer back to your honeymoon registry.
2. It helps you set a budget and think through how much your honeymoon will actually cost. You'll have time to shop around and look for hotels and other amenities that sound fun and fit your budget.

A honeymoon registry also serves as a great substitute for a traditional wedding registry, and it also provides some relief to couples. You two may have been dreading the registry because you already have what you need. Couples who live together or wait until later in life before getting hitched find that they already have all of their home essentials — nice towels, soft sheets, helpful kitchen appliances. If that's the case, then registering at a department store will feel useless.

Perhaps most importantly, a honeymoon registry will help you pay for all the fun things you want to do and see on your honeymoon. If you fear your wedding will suck up all your funds and leave nothing for the honeymoon, then a registry will ensure that you get some expenses paid for in advance. This will help you keep your credit card paid off and allow you to enjoy the honeymoon of your dreams.

How to set up a honeymoon registry in 5 simple steps

Creating a honeymoon registry from the ground up may sound time-consuming, but with Hitchd, the process feels rewarding and goes by quickly. Our platform offers a user-friendly interface, and we have plenty of templates if writing feels like a chore for you and your partner.

Ready to get started? Here's how to set up a honeymoon registry through Hitchd in just five simple steps.

Step 1: Sign up

All you need to sign up with Hitchd is an email address and a password. Simply enter in your name, partner's name and the date that you're tying the knot. If you haven't decided yet, that's okay. You can still sign up and enter in the final date later when you've decided.

You'll also be able to create a unique URL for your registry. This will help guests find the right registry. You can get creative and use a wedding hashtag as your URL or go with your first or last names to make it easy.

Hitchd operates on a one-time payment plan, which means couples using our platform pay a fee before they launch their site and then have access to their gift money whenever it is sent. We have several plan types, and you can choose the one that fits best once you've built your site. We want couples to test out our platform so that when they're ready to launch, they feel confident that they've chosen the right platform.

Step 2: Write your introduction

The introduction to your honeymoon registry will be displayed just under your names and the date of the wedding. This is a warm greeting meant to welcome guests to your site, thank them for coming to your wedding and explain a bit about the honeymoon.

All things considered, then introduction should be at least two sentences long — one to welcome and thank guests and another to state when you plan to honeymoon — but you can write more if you feel so inclined. Some registry introductions include:

• Information about where the wedding and reception will take place.
• A link to a separate wedding website where all the important wedding day-of information can be found.
• A few lines about the couple, how they met and where they live now.

Not sure what to write? Hitchd provides introduction templates to make it easy to decide what to say. You can use the template exactly as it is written or add your own flare to the text.

Step 3: Upload photos

You should upload at least one clear photo of the two of you to appear at the top of your honeymoon registry below to the introduction. Guests would like very clear confirmation that they've found the right honeymoon registry, and having a photo of you two prominently displayed will put guests' minds at ease.

Couples can also personalise the cover photo of the Hitchd honeymoon registry. You can choose another photo of you and your partner — or even a beloved pet — or you can choose any of the stock photography that Hitchd provides its customers. We have thousands of images that will set the tone of your honeymoon registry and tell guests right away where you plan to visit.

Step 4: Add your gifts

Now comes the fun part — designing and adding the gifts to your honeymoon registry. With Hitchd, the sky's the limit in terms of what you can and cannot ask for as a gift. Our platform gives you the flexibility to ask for experience gifts as well as physical gifts (such as luggage) or even set up a cash fund.

When setting up an experience or physical gift, follow these guidelines:

• Make your title clear: Titles can be something simple such as “Luggage for honeymoon” or “Dinner the Plaza.”
• Include a description: the gift description should be brief and concise. Tell your guests what their gift contribution will pay for and how excited you and your partner are to receive this particular gift. If you're having trouble writing something catchy, Hitchd's gift templates can help you decide what you want to say.
• Vary the prices: While some wedding guests may be very generous with gifts, others may not have a large budget for gift-giving. That's okay. You might have friends going through uni or with families to support. Make sure your gift prices vary from $25 and up. To create more less expensive gifts, take larger expenses, such as spa treatments, and divide them up into four or more separate gifts so more than one guest can contribute. You can also add small gifts such as “a round of drinks” or “morning coffee” for guests on a budget or co-workers who would like to give something small.
• Add links to gifts: One way to personalise your honeymoon registry gifts is to include links to the tour companies, shows and hotels that you'll be using on your big trip. This assures guests that you do plan to spend the gift money as intended and allows them a peak at the cool places and experiences.
• Don't forget photos: You don't have to collect photos specific to each and every gift on your registry. Use Hitchd's stock photo collection to make each gift pop.

A cash fund is another type of gift that users can create through Hitchd. These are open funds where guests can contribute any amount they would like with no minimum. Some couples use these funds to raise money for a specific purpose, such as a down payment on a house or a charity. If you decide to create a cash fund, follow the guidelines above so guests understand what your fund supports.

Because Hitchd has so many successful users, we've been able to view the different registries and draw some conclusions from the data about what makes a registry successful. Our data shows that the average contribution amount to a honeymoon registry increases by 38.5% for registries that have a varied number of gifts and experiences compared to registries that had just a single honeymoon fund gift. It's also notable that the average contribution size comes to USD $130 for registries with six or more gifts compared to USD $93 with less than six gifts.

Step 5: Finalise your account

Once you've designed the perfect honeymoon registry, you're ready to launch your site.

As mentioned, Hitchd users pay a one-time fee in order to use our site and access the funds. Unlike other honeymoon registries, we do not charge couples for withdrawing their money and we don't bar them from using their gift money until after the big day. Our partners at Stripe will help you set up an account where all of your gift money will be stored. The platform does charge a small transaction fee per contribution we simply can't avoid (1.4% + $0.30 - 2.9% + $0.30 depending on location), but you can choose whether to absorb this cost yourself or have your guests pay it when they give their gifts. You can also split that cost with them if that's easier.

Once your payment process, then your site will be ready to launch. As soon as the link goes live, share it with your bridal party and parents. They'll be the ones your guests will come to with gift questions. And of course, add the link to your wedding invitations so guests know exactly where to go.

Designing a honeymoon registry knocks out two tasks at the same time. It compels you and your partner to build your registry, which means you can cross it off your wedding checklist, and it also forces you to sit down and start planning your honeymoon earnestly.

A honeymoon represents a special time for you and your partner, but it can get overlooked when you're knee-deep in wedding planning. Help yourself along by creating a honeymoon registry through Hitchd. Ready to start building? Get started here.