Not every engaged couple is going to want fine china, crystal, and a new blender. Many a couple these days don’t spend much time in the kitchen, and even less time actually cooking. Why make a list of gifts that will probably end up collecting dust in the pantry? If a gift registry is not your (nor your fiance’s) thing, then what options do you have? Aside from asking for money (not a bad idea once you know how to phrase it well), there are more creative options out there.
1. Ask Them to Chip in for Honeymoon Expenses
The whole wedding is pricey, and so is the honeymoon. Why not let them help pay for the romantic getaway of your dreams? With website like Buy Our Honeymoon, you easily can make a list of experiences, accommodations and more. Then your family and friends can select what they want to pay for, which saves you more money in the long run.
2. Have Them Donate to a Meaningful Charity
Perhaps you and your fiance are involved in a charity that means a lot to both of you. Why not politely ask guests to donate money to your preferred charity in your honor? This is truly a gift that keeps on giving, plus they can donate a little or a lot. The I Do Foundation is just one website specializing in charity registries.
3. Ask Them to Purchase the Big Picture
If what you really want is a new couch, who says that a new piece of furniture or maybe a new kitchen appliance doesn’t make a great gift? Now, since these are probably the most expensive and largest of gift idea, you might ask for everyone to pitch in together to purchase that big screen television or new china hutch.
4. Money Is Always Welcome
If you really need financial assistance or just would like to start a saving account, then make sure the word gets out that you would like financial gifts. One method includes mentioning this on your wedding website, but word of mouth is always best!
We registered with myregistry.com because we wanted to put not so traditional things on our registry. We ended up setting up a honeymoon fund, and registering for stuff we need to renovate the house we just bought (it needs a lot of tlc!). This website lets you make cash gift funds that you can label whatever you want, and it also lets you register for stuff from any store you can find, so between these two options you can really ask for anything.
My fiance and I definetely didn’t need more china. We shopped around at different cash registries and honeymoon registries, but found that they were too blatant in asking for “money money money”… we didn’t want to offend guests.
We recently signed up for a Wish registry at UponOurStar.com. Instead of asking for cash, we were able to ask for our most meaningful wishes to be granted — we asked for our dream home and our future child’s education fund, as well as some fun things like Date Nights once we’re married to keep the romance going. We received rave reviews from friends who say they love the idea of giving meaningful gifts instead of giving us stuff they know we probably don’t need…. and we really love the fact that we get cash in our bank account without being blatant about it!