It goes without saying that the build-up to your wedding is probably the most stressful time of your life. You want everything to be perfect on the day, so with that comes weeks and even months of careful planning.
One of the most important things to consider is your wedding registries or, more so, how you want to run the gift-giving part of the ceremony. Most people set up a honeymoon fund registry, which lists all the gifts you would like from your guests. It’s a great way to ensure you get everything you need for your dream honeymoon. However, knowing the best way to set this up can be tricky. There are a lot of questions about the way to go about asking guests for gifts.
In this article, we’ll provide an in-depth guide to getting more contributions for your honeymoon funds.
The Ways Of Doing Things
There are essentially three ways of running the gifts at your wedding. There is the traditional way with a wedding registry, asking directly for a cash gift, or the tasteful way of asking for contributions to your cash fund, using a modern honeymoon registry service.
The Traditional Wedding Registry
The first way, and up until recently, the most common, is to set up a wedding registry, which can be done in-store or online. The benefits of doing this include choosing from a wide range of items, including homewares, appliances, and electronics as wedding gifts. All traditional gifts will be physical gifts and usually be something to go towards your home.
However, what if you don’t need anything for your home? There are a few floors to doing things the traditional way. For example, you can get duplicate gifts, guests have to bring the gifts on the day, and you might not even need anything for your home. Not to mention the unnecessary carbon footprint you’ll be creating from all of your new items.
The Old-Fashioned Way of Asking For Cash
Many couples are now asking guests for cash instead of gifts these days. Money gifts have several benefits, the main one being that you can put it towards your honeymoon or something else that you need, for example, a down payment on your home.
But there are still a lot of drawbacks to this as some people might find this way a bit too direct or in bad taste to ask directly. With that can also come the headache of looking after the cash during the special day, not to mention your dodgy uncle might sneak some notes from the gift table after a few too many beers.
The Modern Honeymoon Fund Registry
So what’s the solution? The third and most modern way of doing things is using a honeymoon registry. You can ask for anything you want, whether cash or experiences, and your guests can contribute as much or as little as they wish. You also won’t have to worry about any awkward conversations about gifts because the honeymoon registry will take care of everything online.
Reasons Why To Use a Honeymoon Registry
- Get your own personal wedding website
- Guests can contribute on the go
- No chance of lost or duplicate items
- Choose what you really want/need
- The tasteful way of asking for cash
honeymoon registry services available
The best part is that there are now a lot of honeymoon registries to choose from, so you can pick one that fits your style and budget. We’ve put together a list of our favorites below:
- Honeyfund
- Hitchd
- Traveler’s Joy
- Zola
Overall we believe that Hitchd is the best honeymoon fund on the market. Here are the reasons you can use Hitchd to increase your wedding contributions by up to 65% more than any other gifting method, including other honeymoon registries.
Picking the Registry That Makes Sense for Your Wedding
Here are a few tips from the pros on picking a honeymoon registry site that fits your wedding planning.
One That Understands Etiquette and How to Tastefully Ask for Money
Getting your guests on board with cash gifts can be a battle in itself. But if you use a tasteful service like Hitchd, we understand the etiquette required to ask for cash without coming across as too forceful or rude. Hitchd prides itself on being the most user-friendly and elegant registry for couples getting married, and with that, we keep gift-giving etiquette at the forefront of your minds.
One That Won’t Show 3rd Party Ads for Vendors to Your Friends and Family
The last thing you want is for your friends and family to be marketed to while flicking through your honeymoon fund registry. Hitchd doesn’t show any 3rd party ads to your wedding guests. They want to feel welcome and not just a number while browsing, which is at the center of Hitchd’s philosophy.
One That Helps Create Multiple Gifts or Has Gift Templates Available
With Hitchd, you don’t have a limit on the number of gifts you can add to your registry. Spread your wings and go wild in your choices. Whereas Honeyfund, for example, only allows 100 items to be added.
Hitchd also offers a range of beautiful and easy-to-use templates that’ll get your registry looking sophisticated and stylish in no time. You’ll be made to look like a computer programming genius when you put the templates into action, and it’ll require little to no effort from your side.
One That Lets You Use Video Gifts
Unique and only available at Hitchd is our video feature that can be added to each gift. It’s a great way to show your guests a visual representation of what you’d like. You can also include a personal message to each guest, adding that extra special touch.
For example, if you’re asking for cash for a safari on your honeymoon, you could add a video of a safari vehicle roaming the plains of Africa. Or you could even add your very own curated video of the two of you discussing how excited you are about the gift.
One That Only Uses High-Quality Images
Low-quality images will make things look unprofessional. And with unprofessional comes the idea that this isn’t a serious registry. Images are vital in making things look good, so take some time to ensure they’re high-quality and a good size.
Hitchd has a range of beautiful stock images for you to use on your registry if you don’t have any of your own, but feel free to upload your own at any point.
One That Makes Guests Feel Like Giving a Gift Is Completely Optional
You want your friends and family to feel like they’re in control and that giving a present is an optional act of kindness. This way, no one feels forced into anything, and you won’t have awkward moments down the line.
One way Hitchd does this is by ensuring all our copy is worded in a way that puts the power back into your guests’ hands. We understand that small changes in wording can make a big difference.
One That Lets You Have a Warm Registry Intro
Your registry’s intro is the first thing guests will see when they visit, so you want to ensure it packs a punch. First impressions last, or so they say.
A great way to do this is by using Hitchd’s intro builder. This nifty little tool allows you to input all the essential information about your registry in one place and generate an elegantly worded intro for you to use.
One That Configures Your Gifts to Not Show Any Prices
By taking the price or monetary aspect away from your registry, showcasing you as a couple and the gifts people contribute to becomes the primary motivator. People are more likely to engage and contribute when they feel part of something, not just another number in a long line of impersonal gifts.
One That Gets The Description Right
People don’t remember what you say; they remember how you made them feel. If you incorporate this and only this into the gift descriptions, you’ll surely increase your contributions from guests.
When writing the description, think about how it will make you feel when you experience the gift. Articulate this in the description to get your friends and family excited about being able to contribute to something that will bring you joy and excitement.
One That Lets You Add a Physical Gift (or Two)
Some people might be a bit skeptical about contributing to an experience. They can’t quite get their head around intangible gifts, but that’s fine. Adding a physical gift or two to your list prevents certain guests from feeling isolated or unhappy about their options.
When you choose a physical gift, describe why this particular item makes an exception and how it’s important to you.
One With Multiple Price Points
It’s important to note that when setting up a registry, you should try and space out the gifts in terms of pricing. Guests may be discouraged from contributing if everything on the list is too expensive. Alternatively, if everything is too cheap, it might look like you’re not really interested in what you are being gifted.
Try to have a few different options at each price point. Let’s say you can have a lower, middle, and higher price bang. Then make sure to have a few gifts in each section. This way, everyone has options, and you’re not turning anyone away. You can do this by setting different contribution amounts on each gift on the registry.
One With Various Payment Options
The best way to ensure you receive the most contributions from your registry is by offering multiple payment options.
Hitchd offers many options to your guests, including credit card, PayPal, Venmo, Cash app, Revolut, direct bank transfer, or even cash or cheque on the day. It’s important that guests can contribute in a way that they feel comfortable doing.
One That Keeps It Personal
You are the centerpiece of your wedding, and it’s the one-day society allowed you to think solely about yourself and your fiance. So bear that in mind when creating your registry and make it all about the two of you.
Guests love to see photos of you both and read about your relationship. Also, include relevant pictures of where you plan to go so they can be taken along with you - even if only in their imaginations.
With Hitchd, you get your very own wedding website. You’ll have a home page with a quick introduction to you as a couple and a space to include location, times, and dates, and you can also add some lovely pictures of yourself. This website links directly to another page on the website, which will be your wedding registry for guests to contribute directly to each gift.
Other Tips On How to Set Up a Honeymoon Registry
Know the Number of Gift Items To Add
From our research, we have found that anything over seven items for guests to choose from in your registry is the sweet spot. We found that your average contribution to registries having 7+ gifts compared to just one gift on the registry caused an increase of 38.5%. That is an increase from an average of $93 per person to $130 per person, which is enormous!
Remember to give guests a good variety of gifts and experiences. People like to gift things that they would like to receive themselves, so if you have something that can resonate with everybody, then it’s likely your contributions will increase.
Don’t Over Face Guests
While taking the above info on board, it’s worth noting that too many gifts can be counterintuitive. Too many gifts on the registry can be pretty daunting for guests, who may not know where to start.
The key is to find a balance - around seven seems to be the perfect number. This number gives guests enough choice to feel like they’re contributing to something unique without being overwhelmed. We find the average registry to have between 10-20 gifts, and this seems like a good starting point for most, but don’t go below seven if you can help.
Don’t Be Shy, Share Your Link
If you want people to know about your registry, you must tell them! There’s no harm in sharing the link on social media or even sending it out in an email. Just be sure not to bombard people with too many requests - nobody likes a nag.
A great way to ensure maximum reach is by creating a wedding invite for all guests. Make sure to add your link to this. These can be done physically or electronically. For even better results, use both methods. You could even share the link at the event itself on dinner guests’ name tags, for example.
Always Launch Early
We have also found that the best registries are launched 4-6 months before their big day. This timeframe gives guests time to think about what they would like to contribute and time to save up if need be.
Even if you do start early, don’t expect gifts to begin rolling in straight off the bat. We found that most of the contributions to our registries happen within the final three days before the wedding. As if things weren’t stressful enough, right?
Hitchd
As you can see from the above, Hitchd is the most comprehensive registry software on the market today. We offer a wide range of features to help you get the most out of your registry, and our team is always on hand to help with any questions you may have. Hitchd is proven to help you increase contributions to your registry without the rudeness of directly asking guests for cash.
So what are you waiting for? Start your Hitchd registry today!
Fund memories, not things.
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