Having just gotten married this past April, one of my challenges was figuring out what to do for a registry. Family and friends want to give gifts to the couple getting married that can benefit the couple. Decades ago, couples getting married did not already have a home established and usually needed items for a new home for the couple. This brought on the benefit of a registry that the couple could choose china patterns, silver, crystal, small appliances, etc. Guests would purchase items from these registries for the bridal, wedding, or Jack n Jill showers and in many cases wedding gifts.
Now a lot of couples that get married already have at least one home established. The couple may already be living together or they may have separate homes but they already have the toaster, blender, tableware, plates, etc. and they do not need these items. This opens up the opportunity for a new registry, honeymoon registries. There are many honeymoon registries that a couple can use. Here is the experience I had.
My husband and I chose to use the Disney honeymoon registry as our honeymoon was going to be at Walt Disney World. The registry was very easy to set up. We could choose activities that we wanted to do and choose different dollar amounts that our guests could choose. For instance, we added different dollar amounts towards our accommodations, dining options, park tickets, and some special activities. Our guests chose an item and purchased a specific quantity in that dollar amount.
The honeymoon registry allows you to make 3 withdrawals prior to your honeymoon and unlimited withdrawals during your honeymoon. We did have people still contributing during our honeymoon. There is a 7% fee that is charged on every donation for this service. One thing to consider when using this is the timing that your guests will purchase these items for you. In our experience, a lot of our guests purchased the items very close to the wedding. With payment being due 30 days before you check in, you need to prepare to pay that yourself and then pay yourself back when the funding comes in. Many of the items you choose may also require payment when you make the reservation such as special tours, fireworks cruises and some dining experiences.
When you request payment, the funds are either sent to you by check or deposited into your bank account. The funds take a couple of business days to be credited to the bank account. I chose the bank account option and that was very helpful, especially for those gifts given during the honeymoon. The couple is given the money for these items, payment is not made directly to Disney or any other venue. This is helpful in case the couple changes their mind about what they want to do or they do not receive enough to cover the cost of the item chosen. We only chose to have one honeymoon registry so I cannot advise about the other ones, but I would recommend that you read the FAQs for any that you are looking at and contact the registry directly with any questions that you do not get answered. Make sure that you read the terms and conditions as well.
For all the couple out there getting married, I wish you Congratulations and a Happy Honeymoon!