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Column:Couples register for cash, honeymoons online
New York, June 21: Can`t bear to put your name alongside one more salad spinner or blender in a gift registry for an upcoming wedding?
New York, June 21: Can't bear to put your name alongside one more salad spinner or blender in a gift registry for an upcoming wedding?
Now you can get the happy couple snake-charming lessons in India or help them with the down payment on their dream house thanks to a group of Web sites specializing in nontraditional wedding gifts.
Several Web sites have popped up -- often created by couples such as the ones who founded Greenwish.com (http://www.greenwish.com), and Honeyluna.com (http://www.honeyluna.com) -- who had epiphanies while scanning products at stores for their own registries, which let couples pre-select gifts to help guests give them something they need.
"When we first launched, we thought the service would appeal to those getting married later in life," said Michael Cottam, president of TheBigDay.com. "But we are surprised to find our demographics match those across board -- it appeals to younger people as much as older couples."
In contrast to prior generations, many couples today have already amassed most household items found on traditional wedding registries, either by living independently or together.
"We had been living together for a number of years, so we pretty much had everything we needed for our home. Who wants an extra toaster, really? What we didn't have was the budget for a honeymoon," Ady Campos said in an e-mail interview. "Most of the money was being spent on the wedding."
Couples hit by the economic downturn may prefer cash to toasters, but they are aware that asking for it straight out may offend many guests.
"Specifying a preference for cash gifts is perfectly acceptable if guests ask about gift giving suggestions, but again, the couple should never directly request this on, or with, the wedding invitations," Linda Kevich, a wedding consultant and editor of SuperWeddings.com, said via an e-mail interview.
Campos and her husband turned to TheBigDay.com, (http://www.thebigday.com/), one of the many sites where couples can register for their honeymoon -- from airfare and hotels to more exotic gifts.
"It's a way to ask for cash for the honeymoon but to associate it with a specific piece of the trip -- like snake charming lessons in India." Cottam said.
Greg Marshall said he and his wife registered for a trip to Stonehenge and high tea served near Buckingham Palace on TheBigDay.com.
Honeyluna.com, launched in 1995, offers a similar service with couples registering for everything from African safaris and a breakfast in the bush to hot-air ballooning.
The one downside is that nothing is ever free. Many of these sites charge guests a fee, taking as much as 9 percent of the total gift, or charge couples money to set up their site.
Bureau Report
Now you can get the happy couple snake-charming lessons in India or help them with the down payment on their dream house thanks to a group of Web sites specializing in nontraditional wedding gifts.
Several Web sites have popped up -- often created by couples such as the ones who founded Greenwish.com (http://www.greenwish.com), and Honeyluna.com (http://www.honeyluna.com) -- who had epiphanies while scanning products at stores for their own registries, which let couples pre-select gifts to help guests give them something they need.
"When we first launched, we thought the service would appeal to those getting married later in life," said Michael Cottam, president of TheBigDay.com. "But we are surprised to find our demographics match those across board -- it appeals to younger people as much as older couples."
In contrast to prior generations, many couples today have already amassed most household items found on traditional wedding registries, either by living independently or together.
"We had been living together for a number of years, so we pretty much had everything we needed for our home. Who wants an extra toaster, really? What we didn't have was the budget for a honeymoon," Ady Campos said in an e-mail interview. "Most of the money was being spent on the wedding."
Couples hit by the economic downturn may prefer cash to toasters, but they are aware that asking for it straight out may offend many guests.
"Specifying a preference for cash gifts is perfectly acceptable if guests ask about gift giving suggestions, but again, the couple should never directly request this on, or with, the wedding invitations," Linda Kevich, a wedding consultant and editor of SuperWeddings.com, said via an e-mail interview.
Campos and her husband turned to TheBigDay.com, (http://www.thebigday.com/), one of the many sites where couples can register for their honeymoon -- from airfare and hotels to more exotic gifts.
"It's a way to ask for cash for the honeymoon but to associate it with a specific piece of the trip -- like snake charming lessons in India." Cottam said.
Greg Marshall said he and his wife registered for a trip to Stonehenge and high tea served near Buckingham Palace on TheBigDay.com.
Honeyluna.com, launched in 1995, offers a similar service with couples registering for everything from African safaris and a breakfast in the bush to hot-air ballooning.
The one downside is that nothing is ever free. Many of these sites charge guests a fee, taking as much as 9 percent of the total gift, or charge couples money to set up their site.
Bureau Report