Here are 7 easy steps to building the perfect honeymoon registry

When you're planning a wedding, it seems like every task takes much longer than you ever anticipated. Suddenly, the hour that you blocked off to tour the venue or taste wedding cakes takes twice as long, and between the planning and your work and social calendars, you find yourself dreading weekends devoted to wedding tasks and can't wait for Monday morning.

If this is you, then the last thing you want to do when you finally have a quiet weekend without wedding appointments is build a honeymoon registry. But it doesn't have to take all day — or even half of the day — to complete.

A honeymoon registry functions like a traditional wedding registry, but instead of asking for blenders and towels, you ask guests to pay for honeymoon-related experiences and gifts. Some beach-bound couples ask for kayaking or snorkeling tours while those headed to major cities list cool sightseeing tours and show tickets on their registries. A honeymoon registry helps you fund your dream honeymoon, and it provides a more polite, tactful way to ask for money as a wedding present.

Building a honeymoon fund takes only about an hour — and it can be a lot of fun. Here are seven easy steps to building the perfect honeymoon registry for two.

Step 1: Create an account

No matter what honeymoon registry platform you use, you'll need to first create an account to get started. At Hitchd, all you need is your name, your partner's name, an email address and password to get started.

Like any other account, we recommend using a unique password that mixes upper and lowercase letters with numbers and special characters. This is a good philosophy no matter what site you're working with, as cyber security is becoming more and more important these days.

When signing up with Hitchd, you can also create a unique URL to help friends and family members remember your site. We'll provide you with suggestions such as “taylorandalex,” but you can get creative and personalise it however you like. If you have a wedding hashtag picked out, then you can use that instead (minus the hashtag). The URL won't go live until you launch the site, so you can always change the URL if you think of something better.

Many honeymoon registry sites, including Hitchd, will also allow you to sign up through a social media account, such as Facebook. If that works better for you, feel free to take advantage of this feature.

Once you've completed those steps, you're in! It's time to start designing your honeymoon registry.

Step 2: Add a gift

Now comes the fun part — creating the gifts. This is your time to list the items on your honeymoon registry that you really want, not just what a store can provide you. The sky is the limit, and Hitchd makes it easy to add as many gifts as you'd like.

Couples using Hitchd have three options when it comes to creating a gift:

• Experience: This type of gift funds some kind of activity or expense related to your honeymoon, such as hotel accommodations or a ziplining tour
• Physical: This is a physical gift that can be bought in a store, such as luggage. Some couples like to ask for one or two physical items that will either come in handy on their honeymoon, such as new suitcases, or will upgrade something in the home, such as a new coffee maker. If you list a physical item, the gift giver doesn't purchase the gift and send it to you. They send you the money so you can purchase it on your own. This gives you more flexibility to get exactly what you want.
• Cash fund: A cash fund raises money for a specific purpose. Anyone can contribute, and they can give any amount they'd like, from $5 to $500. Many couples add these funds to raise money for a downpayment on a house or to purchase new furniture.

You can mix and match these gifts to your liking. There's no law stating you have to have an even number of each, but if you're thinking of just creating one cash fund to raise money for the honeymoon, you may want to reconsider. Our research has found 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.

Some couples struggle with how many gifts to add to their honeymoon registries. At Hitchd, we've found that the average contribution size to the registry comes to USD $130 for registries with six or more gifts compared to USD $93 with less than six gifts.

When balancing your honeymoon registry, be sure to keep price in mind. You want multiple gifts at different price points because not everyone will be able to afford $100 or $150 gifts. Some of your friends might be finishing school and paying for their own weddings, and other guests may be on fixed incomes or have other expenses to pay. You should have multiple gifts ranging from at least $25 to $75 to accommodate everyone's budget.

Step 3: Design the gift

Now that you've chosen the gift, you will need to write a description, add a photo and select a price.

The description of the gift may be the most important part of the honeymoon registry because it's your opportunity to convince your wedding guests to fund the gift. You want to explain why the gift is important to you and your partner and help guests feel invested in the gift.

In general, all descriptions should have:

• About three to five sentences;
• Explanation of how the gift will be used or experience, and;
• Why the gift is meaningful to you and your partner.

Not sure what to write? Here's a sample description from a beach-loving couple that's headed to Costa Rica for their honeymoon and plans to go snorkeling:

“The one activity we can't wait to try once we get to Costa Rica is snorkeling. Taylor hopes to see sting rays and octopi while Alex is just hoping that a hungry shark doesn't swim by. We've chosen to go through Tour Guanacaste Costa Rica, which offers an amazing-sounding snorkeling safari. Once we get home, we'll tell you all about the cool marine life we saw on our trip.”

This description offers a few personal details about the couple, and it provides a link so guests can check out the tour the couple plans to take. Going the extra step to provide links and photos can make guests feel more comfortable about giving money as a wedding present. When they feel assured that their money won't go towards your grocery or utility bill, they'll want to help you have the perfect honeymoon.

For those that want to list a physical gift, here's a sample description for a coffee-guzzling couple:

“Everyone knows Alex is not a morning person — until the coffee has been made. Most days, Taylor makes the coffee while Alex feeds the cat, but it's been harder for us to keep this routine because our current coffee maker is old, slow and outdated. We want to upgrade our coffee maker to a Cuisinart Coffee Center because it can make one cup at a time — something Alex loves for mid-afternoon pick-me-ups — or a full pot.”

This description also offers something funny and personal about the couple. It shows how the gift will make a big difference in their morning routine, and it provides a link directly to the model the couple prefers.

Cash fund descriptions should tell guests what the money is being raised for and when, if possible, it will be spent. Here's a sample description for a couple raising money for a charity:

“In 2010, John Doe, Alex's grandfather, died of lung cancer. We would have loved to have Grandpa, who taught Alex to play chess, join us on our special day, but since he can't, we'd like to honor his memory by donating to the Lung Cancer Research Foundation. All of the money raised here will be donated to the foundation on June 18, the day after we return from our honeymoon.”

This description is both personal and accountable. It explains why this donation is meaningful to the couple, and it provides a date when the money will be donated, which helps assure guests that you won't keep the money. When you do complete your donation, screenshot the confirmation screen or email as proof and share the email with anyone who contributed.

If writing just isn't your strong suit, don't sweat it. You can use Hitchd's gift description generator to help you figure out what to say. You can use the descriptions we give or punch them up a little with a link to the experience or physical gift.

You will also need to add photos to your gifts. Some couples use screenshots of logos for the charities they want to support, but you can find a ton of free images through Pexels to make your honeymoon registry pop. Just type in the name of a place or topic and find great, free images to use that will illustrate all the cool things you plan to do. Some sites, like Hitchd, even have their own image libraries were you can find thousands of beautiful images.

You'll need to repeat Steps 2 and 3 as many times until your registry is complete.

Step 4: Set a cover image and upload photos

Now that the gifts have been set up, you can move on to setting your cover image and uploading photos of you and your partner.

The cover photo does not have to be of an exact location you plan to visit, but it should come from the general area. For example, if you're planning on going skiing in California, then you probably shouldn't use an image of the beach as your cover photo. With Pexels or sites like Hitchd, you can find great photos to use free of charge so you won't have to scramble to find photos that best describe where you'll be and what you'll be seeing.

You can also use a photo of you and your partner for the cover image. Some couples prefer this because it assures wedding guests that they've come to the right honeymoon registry when they see your faces.

You will, of course, need to add a photo of you and your partner for the circular spot that will appear just below your honeymoon registry description. This is a small section, so Hitchd recommends a tight shot of the two of you. If you have one of the two of you enjoying a favorite activity, that would be great, but if you don't have any recent close-ups, you can always take one with your phone.

Step 5: Set a registry introduction

Another important step, creating the registry introduction helps guests determine that they are at the right wedding registry, and it serves as a welcome.

All registry introductions should include the following:

• A welcome to all guests, friends and family that come to the registry;
• A gracious thank-you for visiting the site and for any contributions;
• Assurance that gifts are not expected — your guests' presence on the big day is a gift in and of itself, and;
• Where you plan to go for your honeymoon and when you plan to leave.

The registry introduction does not need to be long — about three to four sentences max — but if you're struggling to come up with a good introduction, then use one from Hitchd's wedding description generator. You can use them as is or or as a base to which you will add your own details.

Step 6: Add your bank details

You're almost done — now it's on to the easy steps.

Before you launch your site, you will need to add your bank account details, which will allow you to withdraw your gift money whenever you need it. As many couples pay for both the wedding and the honeymoon, having this money easily available can make booking flights, hotels and activities much easier. You won't have to be concerned about missing out because you waited too long to book that snorkeling trip or hotel room.

Adding your bank details also allows guests to pay for gifts with their credit cards, which can be a major bonus for them. Using a credit card stops guests from having to enter in their own bank account numbers — something they might not feel comfortable doing — and it delivers an easier and faster user experience for them.

There will be a small credit card fee, usually between 1.4% and 2.7% depending on the country, but we recommend couples absorb this cost.

Step 7: Launch your registry and share your unique registry URL

That's it — you're done! You can now launch your honeymoon registry and share the URL with guests, friends and family.

Once it's up, here's what you should do with the link:

• Add it to your wedding invitations and save-the-date cards so guests can check it out and consider what they might fund.
• Send it to your parents and the bridal party. If anyone should ask about giving a gift — maybe an old family friend or a friend from uni or a friend of a friend — your parents and bridal party members can just share the link.
• Add it to your official wedding website. Guests will be coming here as the big day approaches for addresses and directions to the venue.

At Hitchd, we've found that most honeymoon registries received the most contributions in the three days before the wedding, so don't worry if no one contributes immediately. Most couples launch their honeymoon registries about six months before the wedding date so that the link can be included on invitations and save-the-dates, but you probably won't see too many contributions until the wedding shower, if there is one, or the day of the wedding itself.

Creating a honeymoon registry through Hitchd or any other platform might sound like a long process, but not only is it fun, it also helps you get a jumpstart on your honeymoon planning — something many couples scramble to do as the wedding day approaches.

To make building a honeymoon registry easier, decide on a location ahead of time and talk about what activities and meals you want to prioritize. When you're catching up on your favourite TV program, start researching hotels in the area or spas you want to visit. Bookmark these pages so when it comes time to build your honeymoon registry, you will have already done some work.

Ready to start building the honeymoon registry of your dreams? Get started with a free trial here and use the easy steps above to guide you through the process.