Cash Registry

Not sure what to ask for on your wedding registry? Worried you might register then change you mind about certain items? Don't want to deal with transporting gifts from your shower to your home? We found a solution to all of your concerns, Cash Registry!

Cash registry is an online gift registry that allows guests to contribute whatever amount they feel comfortable with towards a specific gift. For example, if you want a new couch that costs $2,000, multiple guests can contribute $100 to help pay for that one gift.

The positives to Cash Registry are truly endless:

Couples can ask for pricier items than on a typical registry. Such as, their honeymoon, living room set, dining room set, etc. 

Guests are able to contribute however much they feel comfortable.

Guests know they are helping give the new couple something they will absolutely use and love!

Couples can change their mind about their registry. If they register for a specific couch, but find another one they want, they can change it! Or if they decide they don't want a couch at all, they can just remove the couch from the registry and all the money already put towards the couch can be put towards a different gift or taken simply as cash.

Couples do not necessarily have to register for "stuff", you can register for your honeymoon, your favorite charity, gift cards, etc.

This essentially allows couples to ask for cash without directly stating they would like cash gifts.

Couples who do a cash registry still have the option to have a wedding shower, if they would like. Instead of taking hours to open all of your gifts at the shower, you have more opportunity to play games and mingle with their friends.

Seem too good to be true? Registration on most of these sites is free, however they do receive a portion of each gift given (they believe it is no more than the tax each guest would pay on a purchase)

If you are interested in doing a cash registry, try one of these sites for more information: ourwishingwell.com or depositagift.com

Or any others you find, there are plenty companies that do Cash Registry!

Registry for Cohabiting Couples

To all of you couples who already live together with all the essentials for your house and have no idea what to put on your wedding registry, this article is for you!

Wedding showers used to be a time for family and friends to give new couples the essentials for their first home together. However, now, it is so common for couples to live together prior to their wedding that they already have the essentials for their home and question what in the world they can register for. Don't fret! We can help!

Upgrade what you have!

Already have dishes, silverware, towels, sheets, and everything in between? Maybe it's time to upgrade! Register for nice sheets that you would never splurge on for yourself, but secretly want. Or register for new pots and pans, yours are bound to need replacing sooner or later; be prepared with new ones when the time comes.

Remodel!

So maybe you have been living together for years, so you have all the essentials. But maybe you have been dying to remodel your bathroom, but just haven't been able to afford it. Now you can! Want a fancy new shower head? Register for it! New towels? Register! For pricer things in your remodel, ask for money specifically for it in your registry.

Registering for gifts isn't always about physical objects, it can be about a trip, an experience, or about a good cause.

Experience!

What better way to jump into your marriage than to spend time with your husband than experiencing new and fun things together. Register for tickets to your favorite bands concert, or your favorite sports teams game. Or register for a cooking class or dance lessons. Think of the things you and your future husband want to experience together, and register for those. Your guests want to give you gifts you will love, but it's up to you to register for them!

Honeymoon!

You've been dreaming of a honeymoon in Hawaii, but you just can't afford it yet. Ask for it! Include in your wedding registry your trip and ask for financial help with it. To make it more fun for your guests, specify different aspects of your trip that they can pay directly for. Ask for one individual to pay for your surfing lessons, and another to pay for your couples massage on the beach. This lets guests pick something specific they are paying for and have fun with it, rather than just writing you a check and not knowing where it is going.

Give back!

Instead of asking for things you don't need or want, ask for things other people need. Find a charity you are passionate about and ask for guests to make a donation to that charity. If you are passionate about a local shelter for abandoned children? Ask for every guest of your shower to bring in children's clothes, games, school supplies, etc and donate them all to the shelter of your choice.

Money!

So many couples feel uncomfortable asking for money for their wedding, but if that is really all you need, what else can you do? If money is all you need, explain in your registry what the money will be going towards. Like previously stated in "Experience!" and "Honeymoon!", saying exactly what the money will be going towards makes guests feel like their gift is more meaningful than just a check. 

Registering can be a stressful time for many couples, but try to have fun with it. Register for things that you know you will enjoy together, rather than registering for things that you think you are "supposed" to ask for, like china, and punch bowls. If you have zero interest in having china, don't register for it!

Considering Cash Register for your wedding? Check out our next article on what Cash Register really is and what is so great about it!

No-Look First Look

Like we talked about in our last post, some couples are doing a "first look" before their ceremony now; in that post we talked about the reasons for choosing to see each other before the ceremony. However, for those couples who don't want to break tradition and see each other before, there are plenty of other ways to spend a special moment with your groom before you say "I do".

If you are okay seeing eachother the day of the wedding; but don't want your man to see you getting ready or in your dress before the ceremony, there are options for you as well.

Sleepover!

Some couples choose not to spend the night before their wedding day together. However, deciding to spend the night together allows you to enjoy your last "single" night together.

Morning Coffee Date

Start your day off having coffee with your fiance before all the wedding day festivities start. This lets you spend time together to talk about the excitement of your big day, without ruining the moment when your groom first sees you in your dress.

Still set on not seeing your fiance before your ceremony, don't worry you can still spend a special moment together the day of your wedding before your walk down the aisle.

Text

Send cute texts to the other throughout the day, leading up to your walk down the aisle. Say things such as, "I can't wait to call you my husband" or "You stole my heart, now I'm stealing your last name".

Letters

Don't want to text? Write love letters to each other and have it be the last thing you both do before the ceremony.

Photo Courtesy of Ideal Impressions Photography

Hold Hands

Hold each others hand around a corner. Then you can talk too!

Blindfold

Most of the time brides are more worried about their groom seeing them before the wedding, not them seeing their groom before the wedding. If you are okay with seeing him, be in the same space together but have him blindfolded. Or if you don't want to see him either, both be blindfolded. This allows you to spend a special moment together and hug or kiss, but doesn't ruin the moment of his "first look" when you walk down the aisle.

First look or no first look, your wedding day should be the most memorable and special day of your life, make it exactly what you want it to be.