Honeymoon registry
Encyclopedia
A honeymoon registry is a service, typically on the Internet
, that assists engaged and married couples in financing their honeymoon
s.
. Some are still set up in this manner and require the wedding couple to use their travel agency to book their honeymoon. More recent honeymoon registries are not involved with the planning and booking of the honeymoon. Instead, they provide the couple with a customizable web page to share their honeymoon plans with others and accept gifts toward the honeymoon. As "non-traditional" registry options such as a honeymoon registry become more popular , large registry services have added this option to complement their "traditional" fare. In fact, in a recent survey, many would-be honeymooners have overwhelmingly stated that a honeymoon registry would be one of their registry offerings.
For example, a couple may list dinner at an elegant restaurant, scuba diving lessons, or portions of hotel and airfare. These activities are displayed in an organized and user-friendly inventory format on their customized registry page. As wedding guests browse the registry page, they can make a gift, typically using a credit card, of any of the listed activities or give a general monetary gift of any amount towards the honeymoon.
Other common features of honeymoon registries:
in a May, 2008 review of popular honeymoon registry services:
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
, that assists engaged and married couples in financing their honeymoon
Honeymoon
-History:One early reference to a honeymoon is in Deuteronomy 24:5 “When a man is newly wed, he need not go out on a military expedition, nor shall any public duty be imposed on him...
s.
History
Honeymoon registries began in the 1990s as an additional service provided by travel agents and agenciesTravel agency
A travel agency is a retail business that sells travel related products and services to customers on behalf of suppliers such as airlines, car rentals, cruise lines, hotels, railways, sightseeing tours and package holidays that combine several products...
. Some are still set up in this manner and require the wedding couple to use their travel agency to book their honeymoon. More recent honeymoon registries are not involved with the planning and booking of the honeymoon. Instead, they provide the couple with a customizable web page to share their honeymoon plans with others and accept gifts toward the honeymoon. As "non-traditional" registry options such as a honeymoon registry become more popular , large registry services have added this option to complement their "traditional" fare. In fact, in a recent survey, many would-be honeymooners have overwhelmingly stated that a honeymoon registry would be one of their registry offerings.
The typical honeymoon registry service
Most honeymoon registries allow a couple to create and customize a registry web page with photos and details of their upcoming wedding and honeymoon. Wedding guests are invited to visit the registry site so they may contribute a monetary gift to cover a portion of the honeymoon or a specific activity as detailed by the couple.For example, a couple may list dinner at an elegant restaurant, scuba diving lessons, or portions of hotel and airfare. These activities are displayed in an organized and user-friendly inventory format on their customized registry page. As wedding guests browse the registry page, they can make a gift, typically using a credit card, of any of the listed activities or give a general monetary gift of any amount towards the honeymoon.
Other common features of honeymoon registries:
- Messaging systems that allow wedding couples to email preformatted notices of their registry to wedding guests as well as print out invitationWedding invitationA wedding invitation is a letter asking the recipient to attend a wedding. It is typically written in formal, third-person language and mailed five to eight weeks before the wedding date....
inserts. Some services mail invitation inserts to the wedding couple, but usually charge a fee to do so. - Full tracking of gifts to assist couples in creating “Thank You” cards.
- Gift redemption is typically via mailed check, but some services provide wire services as an option.
Etiquette
As noted by The Wall Street JournalThe Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal is an American English-language international daily newspaper. It is published in New York City by Dow Jones & Company, a division of News Corporation, along with the Asian and European editions of the Journal....
in a May, 2008 review of popular honeymoon registry services:
"A honeymoon is a perfectly appropriate gift to request," says Peter Post, president of the Emily Post Institute, a Burlington, Vt., etiquette think tank. "There's no objection to it from an etiquette point of view."
Positive factors
- Wedding couples can register for gifts they may desire more than physical objects.
- Increased funds available for a honeymoon can open up activities that the couple may have otherwise been unable to afford.
- Gift giving process is simplified for wedding guests.
- Guests may feel their gift will help provide a lifelong memory. This may be more appealing to them than a typical houseware gift.
- The "Thank You" card process may be simplified for wedding couple.
- Honeymoon registries are particularly valuable to those who value experiences over possessions.
Negative factors
- Some wedding guests see a honeymoon registry as asking for money. This may be considered rude by some people. Many couples use a honeymoon registry in combination with more "traditional" offerings that list tangible items.
- Many, but not all honeymoon registry services place some sort of service charge on collected funds. Fees vary by service provider, though some sites may lower or eliminate fees if a certain amount of travel is booked through an associated agency. There are two services that eliminate service charges by allowing couples to accept cash, check or PayPalPayPalPayPal is an American-based global e-commerce business allowing payments and money transfers to be made through the Internet. Online money transfers serve as electronic alternatives to paying with traditional paper methods, such as checks and money orders....
payments directly from guests — one is funded through advertising, the other by a setup fee.