Weddingbee Blog

I am not sure when you are “supposed” to register, but people keep asking us where we are registered. Through a process of faulty logic, I have decided that meant I should register ASAP!

If only it were that simple.

Unfortunately, we are planning on moving four or more times in the next year, so the prospect of starting a large collection of “things” isn’t that appealing, even though I LOVE household items. I could spend hours at Crate & Barrel or Ikea. Additionally, Mr. Pancakes and I have lived together for over three years, so we don’t need that many things. So, despite my love for gourmet goodies, I decided to start looking for nontraditional registry ideas.

The first website I found was Traveler’s Joy, and I thought it was a great place to start. If only I knew I had opened Pandora’s box. Shortly after that I found:

• Honeyfund
• Honeymoon Wishes
• Smart Honeymoon
• Deposit a Gift
• The Big Day
• HoneyLuna
• Send Us Off

The list goes on an on…

According to CNN, the main difference between one of these registries and a hotel-chain registry is that the couple can register for more items and usually has more control over the way the money is spent. Sounds good to me!

{Source}

After looking over each website, I decided to register at Traveler’s Joy and Deposit a Gift. Then, just to appease the traditionalist in the crowd, I started a small registry at My Registry, but that’s another story for another day!

{Traveler’s Joy}

Traveler’s Joy allows me to just set up a website with a counter and a destination. Guests are then invited to contribute to the trip. Simple, straightforward. On the other hand, Deposit a Gift allows me to create a sort of fake itemized registry. For example, we registered for things such as couples’ massages, private dinners on the beach, and surf lessons, but we don’t actually have to put the money toward those things. It’s mostly a way of giving the guests more information about what the money could go toward. At first I thought this was a little distasteful because it felt dishonest; however, I decided I could live with myself as long as we clearly explain the situation to the guests. Also, we do have every intention of spending the money on our honeymoon and will try to do our best to spend the money in the way the guests intended, so it’s not as if we’re being intentionally dishonest, right?

I know there is A LOT of debate on the ‘bee about the etiquette of honeymoon registries. To be honest, this was really a personal decision, and it’s what worked best for us—not just because we LOVE to travel, but also because we don’t need that much and aren’t in a position to accept that much.

If you’ve used one of these services, how did it work out? Which one did you choose and why??