Top 10 reasons to use a honeymoon fund instead of a registry

Engaged couples face an onslaught of choices these days. Where should they have the ceremony? The reception? How big is the budget? How many flower arrangements need to be ordered? Does the caterer have table clothes that will match the rest of the wedding colors?

A lot of choices go into planning a wedding, and few couples don't want to face another important choice: honeymoon fund or wedding registry?

But the truth is, the choice between a honeymoon fund or a wedding registry is a big and important one, one that can be the difference between an amazing honeymoon taken immediately after the wedding or one taken a year later on a budget.

For many couples, a wedding registry seems like the obvious choice, but as honeymoon funds become more popular and widespread, more and more people are seeing the many benefits of using a honeymoon fund over a wedding registry. After all, where else can you ask wedding guests to help send you off on a romantic honeymoon of a lifetime? Can't find that at Crate & Barrel.

But honeymoon funds offer something for every guest, and once couples build their honeymoon funds, they often find themselves getting more and more excited for their honeymoons — and that excitement usually transfers to their guests. The flexibility a honeymoon fund offers is unmatched by a traditional wedding registry, and couples can imagine their registries just as they want them.

Still not convinced? Here are the top 10 reasons why couples should choose a honeymoon fund over a wedding registry.

1. You'll take the honeymoon of a lifetime

When couples start setting up Hitchd honeymoon registries, it's easy to see the excitement building up in their gift descriptions. The process of setting up a honeymoon fund forces couples to sit down and research the places and activities they want to see on their honeymoon. The more research they do, the more excited they become about their dream honeymoon.

With a honeymoon fund, the sky is the limit when it comes to asking for gifts. Want to spend a day getting pampered with your spouse at a spa? Put it on the list. Found a cool, unique tour that you're dying to take? Add it to the honeymoon fund. All of the minor expenses of a honeymoon, such as car rental or taxi cab rides, can be included on a honeymoon fund, which is great for couples on a budget.

Setting up a honeymoon fund gets couples excited about taking their honeymoon, and it helps them start planning the magic. This process can help couples decide where they want to go and what they want to do. It can even help with budgeting expenses as well as time off from work. When wedding planning monopolizes so much time and energy, building a honeymoon fund lets couples refocus for a moment and get excited about some post-wedding activities.

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2: You'll feel less stressed about money as you plan your honeymoon

These days, more and more couples are paying for their own weddings, and that can make it difficult for them to budget for their honeymoons. While some wedding costs may be fixed, others can fluctuate, and there's always a chance that couples may need to squeeze in extra guests or pay a little more to have a dress or suit tailored.

With all of these more immediate expenses, it's easy for the honeymoon budget to be pushed aside. That's why a honeymoon fund has become such a lifesaver for many couples. A honeymoon fund can help couples build a cash reserve to be saved for their honeymoon.

Honeymoon funds like Hitchd allow couples to keep their funds in one place until they're ready to use them. The money can be withdrawn at any time, and it goes right to the couple's preferred bank account. For couples budgeting a wedding and honeymoon simultaneously, it can be comforting to know that money for the honeymoon is kept separately from the money that needs to go to the florist or DJ.

3: You'll have price points for all types of guests

Perhaps one of the best things about using a honeymoon fund over a wedding registry is the variety and control when it comes to price points.

Think about the variety of people who will be invited to a wedding. Parents and grandparents often give generously, as do some aunts and uncles who have been close with the couple. Many guests, such as cousins and friends, may not be in a position to buy expensive gifts for a wedding. They may be finishing school, trying to pay for a wedding of their own or focusing on starting a family. Some coworkers and other casual acquaintances will even go in on a gift for couples, but they are usually bound by how much each person is willing to contribute.

This is why having a variety of price points is vital — and why it's easier to pull off with a honeymoon fund than a wedding registry.

When couples build a wedding registry, they tend to fill it with higher-priced items such as expensive stand mixers, vacuums and sheet sets. While it's good to go for quality over quantity when it comes to home goods, it can be limiting for some wedding guests. Not every guest can afford to spend $100 or more on a wedding gift, and couples often end up adding extra towels, spatulas and other knick-knacks that they don't want but feel obligated to include because they cost less.

With a honeymoon fund, the couple sets all the prices and can set up a good variety. Dinners, drinks and taxi rides can be priced at $25 or $50 — ideal for friends saving for their own dreams — while tours and activities can run between $75 and $100. Couples can even break down bigger expenses, such as a $300 spa day or even plane tickets, into smaller gift amounts. This is a great way to create more gift options for guests if you find your guest list to be growing.

Not sure you have enough price points for all guests? Couples can easily add a cash fund as a gift, which serves as a catch-all for funds. Guests can contribute whatever amount they like, and there's no pressure to give a certain amount. Whether guests want to throw in $20 or $200, all will feel welcome.

4: You'll have more thoughtful thank-you cards for your wedding guests

As with traditional wedding registry gifts, couples will need to send thank-you cards to their guests who contribute to their honeymoon funds — but those thank-yous tend to be more personal and thoughtful.

Here's why:

• Honeymoon funds like Hitchd keep track of who contributed to which gift so the couple can easily check back after the honeymoon to start writing thank-yous.
• The couple can tell the wedding guests exactly how their gifts were spent and experienced, whether that gift was having drinks at a gorgeous hotel bar or snorkeling with sea turtles.
• Since couples often take plenty of honeymoon photos, they can include a few in their thank-yous to show guests just how much they loved their gifts. This makes wedding guests feel especially appreciated.

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5: You won't have to return unneeded gifts

Ask any couple, and they will tell you that there is always a guest or two that insists on ignoring the wedding registry and giving what they perceive to be thoughtful or more useful. While these guests may be well-intended, their gifts aren't always what the couple actually wants or needs. Now the couple is saddled with extra cookware that they don't have room for or small appliances they'll never use.

Returning gifts isn't always easy either. Some guests forget to include a gift receipt, and some stores will only allow exchanges instead of refunds. Then the couple is forced to choose something else that they may not want or need. Couples that don't live near the store they registered at or have access to a car can also face challenges returning the unneeded gift.

With a honeymoon fund instead of a wedding registry, no physical gifts will be given, which means couples won't have to worry about returns or exchanges. Whatever the honeymoon fund gift may be, it will be enjoyed and appreciated.

6: You can be flexible and include a few wedding registry gifts

Okay, not every couple is exactly the same and has the same needs. For instance:

• Some couples want their dream honeymoon — but there are just one or two home goods that they could really use, such as a new vacuum or coffee maker.
• Before they can leave, other couples will need new luggage to take on planes and trains.
• Home goods may not be needed by some couples, but they really want to add a special piece of artwork to their homes.
• No two wedding guests are exactly alike either, and some do prefer to send physical gifts rather than money for an experience gift.

For these reasons and many others, some couples do include a few physical or traditional wedding registry gifts on their honeymoon funds. Some will just ask for the funds to buy the gift, while others will provide the store link where the gift can be purchased. Both options work, but if couples use the latter, they will need to take the gift down once it's been purchased to avoid duplicates. This can be a hassle, so it's better to just ask for the funds instead.

The beauty of a honeymoon fund is in its flexibility. It allows for couples to focus on what they really want versus what's available at a store. Fewer unneeded gifts are given, and all gifts are appreciated.

7: You'll have a more eco-friendly wedding with a honeymoon fund over a wedding registry

As the drastic effects of climate change become more and more apparent, many couples look to make a smaller carbon footprint when planning their weddings. They opt for caterers that use locally sourced ingredients and venues that prioritize recycling.

A honeymoon fund is about as eco-friendly as possible when it comes to wedding gifts. Since all of the gift money is transferred electronically, there's no packaging, plastic wrap or cardboard needed. None of the gifts need to be shipped, which cuts down on carbon emissions, and couples can spend the gifts on the eco-friendly adventures of their choosing.

Couples have a lot on their minds when planning a wedding, but that doesn't mean the cost to the environment doesn't matter. For couples passionate about minimizing their impact on the environment, a honeymoon fund beats a wedding registry every time.

8: You'll cut down on waste for your home

Almost everyone knows a friend or relative who can easily be described as a packrat. Their closets appear to be overflowing, just ready to overwhelm anyone unlucky enough to open the door. On every bookshelf and surface, there are candles, trinkets and other decorative accessories that look to be about 30 to 40 years old. It's even hard to sit at the friend or relative's kitchen table because it's covered in old magazines and junk mail.

After a wedding, the couple's home often resembles that of a packrat. All of the opened boxes need to be taken out to be recycled, and as many newly married couples live in small apartments while they wait to buy their first homes, there isn't enough room to accommodate all the new gifts plus the couple's newly combined possessions, assuming they haven't been living together already. This overcrowded home can be difficult to live in, and if the couple won't be buying a home for another year or two, it can be unpleasant in the long term.

For couples planning to buy their first home after their wedding, having fewer physical gifts allows the couple to decorate when they actually have the space to do so. After all, why ask for towels or small furniture that won't fit the space or decor of a new home? Many couples feel it's better to wait and see what their new home will look like before buying home goods for it.

9: You won't have to pack and move so many gifts

No matter how much planning is done and how many precautions are taken, moving rarely ever goes 100% according to plan. Some couples end up moving during the summer months, the busy season for movers, so it can be hard to find movers with the right availability and a reasonable price. Others have trouble finding extra boxes and packing supplies, or they can't get to a second-hand store to donate clothes and other unwanted goods.

A wedding registry can only exacerbate this problem for newlyweds. All of those gifts will have to be repacked, and many large gifts, such as stand mixers and vacuums, can be difficult to move. Even if couples have just a few large pieces of furniture and a lot of boxers, it will be difficult to do the move alone and expensive to hire movers. Either way, the couple will be in for a stressful couple of days.

More and more couples are finding that it is less of a hassle in the long term to ask for experiences over physical gifts. Experiences never have to be moved, and once couples are settled in their new spaces, they can decide what they want and need right away — instead of being stuck with what they thought they'd need a year ago.

10: You'll have memories that last a lifetime — rather than gifts that might last only a few years

When couples look back at their wedding and honeymoon, few remember who gave them their toaster oven or sheet set. They remember dancing at their wedding, saying their vows and celebrating with their loved ones. Oh their honeymoon, they remember the joy of spending so much time together and the fun, excitement and relaxation they had along the way. Those are the memories that matter to couples — not physical gifts.

Memories last forever and are told and retold at holidays, birthdays and anniversaries. A new toaster oven will last only a few years. Many more couples opt for a honeymoon fund over a wedding registry because they want those memories instead of physical gifts. When guests see how exciting the honeymoon will be, they will likely get into the spirit of it all.

Nothing will ever be able to take away the memories of a beautiful honeymoon, and given the option, more couples would rather have a dream honeymoon than fine china.

When it comes to the debate between a honeymoon fund and a wedding registry, there's only one obvious winner.

A honeymoon fund, like one made through Hitchd, offers everything a couple could need to plan the perfect honeymoon — great design, user-friendly controls and flexibility — and allows couples to pick and choose exactly what they need and want for the perfect honeymoon. While a wedding registry may be great for couples who've never lived together, a honeymoon fund lets adventurous couples chart their own course for their honeymoon.

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