Honeymoon registry?

[NuggetBrain]

FH thinks its a great idea since we currently don''t need any more plates or silverware or towels or anything (we already live together in an apartment, and between that and the stuff still in my old bedroom at my mom''s house we won''t need a lot of stuff for our house). We''re going to Costa Rica and would be putting things like zip lining tours, river tours, dinners, upgrading the room, etc on there (we aren''t putting the cost for airfare or basic room costs). I have reservations - I''ve heard so many bad things about them from folks and I don''t want to appear

, but we really don''t need any more stuff. We''ll probably have a secondary minor registry at Crate & Barrel or Target, but what is your opinion on the honeymoon registry? Great? Tacky? No comment??

 

[Bex215]

Hey Nugget!

This is what my FI and I are doing. We own a house together and really don''t need anything. We thought the honeymoon registry would be a great way to kind of splurge on ourselves, since if we pay for it all on our own, we will be more likely to cut corners and be stingy.
For those who don''t want to do the honeymoon registry, we will offer them the option to send a donation to one of our favorite charities in our name. I don''t think a honeymoon registry is any tackier than going to a store, picking out what you want, knowing how much it costs, and having someone else buy it for you.

 

[doodle]

We had a honeymoon registry, too, and while I have no regrets about it at all, I do think it would''ve been better to have had a small registry at a traditional store, too, because some of my older relatives seemed confused by how the whole thing worked, but for the most part, it worked really well, and we had an amazing honeymoon in Italy. In our case, we wanted the people who contributed to know that we had actually used the exact gift they got us and not just taken the cash for whatever, so for each item that was purchased from the registry, we took a picture of ourselves (for example, some friends purchased us a day trip boat ride around the Cinque Terre, so we took a picture of us on the boat with all the houses built into the mountainside visible in the background). We printed the pictures off, attached them to cards, and everyone''s thank you card was of us enjoying the gift they got us. Our family and friends really enjoyed getting to see the pictures, and the gifts were a lot more personal for us--had we done a traditional registry, I can guarantee you I wouldn''t remember who purchased the bowl I eat my cereal out of, but I know exactly who to be grateful to when I look at the pictures of me and my husband at the Leaning Tower of Pisa! If you have a small, traditional registry set up, too, that kind of covers all your bases if someone is opposed to getting you a gift from the honeymoon registry.

 

[tropiqalkiwi]

I don''t think honeymoon registries are tacky, but I would make sure you are aware of what you are giving to whatever company you set it up through. I have heard about honeymoon registries that take a percentage of what your guests give you, or charge a fee. I haven''t looked into it or anything so maybe these are just extreme cases and most are free?

Either way, as others have pointed out, a small registry for older/more traditional guests might be a good idea as well.

 

[elrohwen]

I think they''re awesome, but I''m biased because it''s exactly what FI and I are doing. I suppose it''s a little bit more tacky than a regular registry, but at the end of the day, isn''t asking for any gifts kind of tacky? We (brides in general) only do it because we know people absolutely want to get us something and will be upset if there isn''t a registry (or will get us crazy stuff). If you don''t need any more regular registry items, nothing wrong with a honeymoon registry! No point in having people get you things that you know you''ll never use.

Mine is at Travelers Joy which I found to be the cheapest. All seem to take some % out of the gifts in order to run their site, and this one took less than the others.

 

[CNYHopeful]

I think it''s a great idea! FI and I are seriously considering a honeymoon registry, a small registry with Macy''s or Home Depot (for new bedroom & finished basement), and a charitable donation.

Between his house and my apartment, we basically have everything we need and more. We''d consider listing our two favorite charities - a scholarship for teens that I work with and Breast Cancer research (FMIL is a survivor).

 

[Haven]

I wouldn''t do one, but that''s just me.

I second the advice to make sure you do your research before you register, as we''ve heard many stories on here about dishonest registries of this sort.

 

[Blair138]

I wouldn''t do one personally, but it is becoming more accepted to do Honeymoon registries and register for other non-traditional things nowadays.

 

[honey22]

I think they are a fabulous idea, and as a guest, I love contributing to honeymoon registries. I am happy to think the money we spend on a gift is going towards something the couple really wants, and to have a fantastic honeymoon after the stresses of planning a wedding is the icing on the cake!

 

[jstarfireb]

I did one (honeyfund.com) and people are actually using it! My FI and I don't even live in the same city, and I live in a 400 square foot studio, so asking for more stuff just wasn't practical. What we really needed was a great honeymoon escape, and Honeyfund has been a godsend! Of course there's a lot of gentle encouragement on my website to make people feel comfortable with using it, and some of the older folks still want to buy gifts, so have regular registries too. But without the money I've already received for the honeymoon registry, I never would have been able to afford my hotel room and plane tix so far.

ETA: Honeyfund is 100% completely FREE. The reason is that your guests don't pay for the gifts online; they sign up to get something, which leads to a screen where they can print out a certificate, and then they give you the certificate and cash or a check at your wedding or in the mail.

 

[havernell]

Date: 3/24/2009 11:40:48 AM
Author:NuggetBrain
FH thinks its a great idea since we currently don''t need any more plates or silverware or towels or anything (we already live together in an apartment, and between that and the stuff still in my old bedroom at my mom''s house we won''t need a lot of stuff for our house).

Regardless of whether you decide to have a honeymoon registry or not, I would definitely have a regular registry as well. I know you said you have plates and stuff already but are they *nice* quality things that you picked out yourself or are they hand-me-downs/ cheap starter sets? If it''s the later, you can definitely use your registry to ask for nicer versions of what you already have. Get new, expensive towels to replace your current towels (check out Macy''s Hotel Collection towels!), treat yourself to higher end small kitchen appliances, get a really quality knife set, get some real lead crystal wine glasses, get some luxurious high thread-count sheets, etc... Basically, use your registry to treat yourselves to NICE new stuff, and then donate your current plates, silverware, etc to Goodwill (or to a younger relative or friend who is just starting out in their own apartment)!