There’s no rule that says you have to register for expensive china, pots and pans or housewares. In fact, with so many couples living together before marriage these days, it seems to make sense that registries wouldn’t include these old standards. If you and your soon-to-be-husband or wife find yourself in this same predicament, don’t fret! There are many options out there for registries to suit your life and lifestyle together.
The Honeymoon Registry
Scraping together the pennies to pay for your big day is hard enough. Try financing a honeymoon! Instead of shelling out big bucks of your own, register for your special trip instead. Sites like HoneyFund.com offer couples the perfect venue to select elements of the honeymoon as items for their registry from paddle wheel tours to dinners at four star restaurants, massages to lift tickets and everything in between… Even your hotel and flight!
Take it one step further, and while planning your destination wedding at Lake Tahoe, make a nice long honeymoon out of the event too. Plan to spend a few extra days post-nuptials exploring the lake on a paddle wheeler, take a few runs on the slopes at one of our world famous mountain resorts or explore the high country along the Tahoe Rim Trail… Include these items in your registry and have your friends and family help contribute to the adventures and your first memories as a married couple.
The Wishing Well
Perhaps you have a mixed bag of things you’d love to have to start your new life together – cameras, furniture, appliances… These are all things that can be tossed into your wishing well. Sites like OurWishingWell.com provide registry venues that allow couples to assign dollar values to specific wish list items without necessarily registering for that specific product (i.e. Digital Camera for $400 instead of a brand name, specific camera or Refrigerator for $1000 instead of the actual appliance brand).
Give Back
Create a charitable fund for your wedding registry instead of the traditional laundry list of gifts and goodies. Organizations such as the I Do Foundation (IDoFoundation.com) offer couples the chance to give back to their community through charitable registries. When you register for gifts, you also select a charitable organization to give back to… And the foundation donates a percentage of your total registry value to the organization of your choice.
Other charitable registries are exactly that… Instead of registering for gifts, you ask guests to make a donation to your most cherished organization or cause.
The Bottom Line
Whether you’ve been living together for years or are going the old fashioned route and waiting until marriage, there are several options out there for your wedding registry. If you’ll be moving in together after the wedding, the traditional registry set up might work best for you. But, if you already live together and don’t need much, take our advice and check out some of these creative registry ideas… You’ll be glad you did!
