How To Get Your Guests To Pay For Your Honeymoon

Honeymoon registries are an increasingly popular trend as more and more couples wait to get married. At thirty, you just don't need that toaster, blender, and tableware you needed when you first set up housekeeping. A honeymoon registry lets your guests contribute to a fund to pay for your honeymoon instead of buying you a gift you don't need.

How Does it Work?
A honeymoon registry is similar to bridal registries at department stores and specialty retailers. You work with a registry company or travel agency to select the travel elements for your honeymoon – airfare, hotel, sightseeing, a cruise, and/or limousine transportation. Your guests, family, and friends then buy pieces of your honeymoon. You receive an acknowledgement card for each present (although the amount is usually omitted.) Near to the wedding date, your travel or registry planner will give you an accounting of the gifts you've received and you pay the difference (or, if you have very generous friends, upgrade your travel plans to use the extra funds.)

Where to Find a Honeymoon Registry?
Honeymoon registries are offered by a growing number of travel agencies and travel companies. In addition, several online companies have sprung up which deal exclusively with honeymoon registries. One of the advantages of an online registry is that it is easily accessible to guests from all over the country – and the world. Among the best of these are:

• Giftpile (http://www.giftpile.com) – Carries a one-time set-up fee but no percentage. Giftpile is not affiliated with any travel company. Couples pick their travel elements and can customize the descriptions and requests.

• The Honeymoon (http://www.thehoneymoon.com) – Featured in http://Brides.com and the Washington Post, this was one of the first online travel companies to offer a registry. Registering is free, but they charge a percentage of all gifts.

• The Big Day (http://www.thebigday.com) – This online honeymoon registry has no set-up fee but charges between 3.5 and 9% of the total gifts, depending on how much you spend on travel with them. The site is attractive and they offer several extras, such as free e-mail thank you notes, a free wedding web page, and use of an e-mail account on their site.

• Marriott Bridal Registry (http://www.marriottregistry.com) – No fee for registering. Couples receive a Marriott gift card for the total amount of the registry gifts. Gift cards are redeemable for Marriott hotel accommodations, food and beverage service, spa treatments, and activities at Marriott Resorts.

• Honeymoon Cruise Registry (http://www.honeymoonvoyages.com) -- Sponsored by Cruises, Inc., one of the world's largest online cruise agencies, the honeymoon cruise registry lets guests purchase "voyage cards" in increments of $25, $50, and $100, which are applied to the cost of your cruise booked with Cruises, Inc. No set-up or service fee.

Only you can know if a honeymoon registry is right for you, but the concept does offer an appealing alternative to multiple fondue pots and toasters.