When you are getting married on a tight budget, a honeymoon is often one of the things you have to sacrifice. With all of the other wedding expenses to take care of, a romantic trip after the wedding can seem like an unnecessary expense. However, you could ask your guests to pay!

It is becoming increasingly more common for couples to ask for cash donations, cheques or travel vouchers instead of the more traditional gift registry, especially as many couples have already lived together and probably have little need for household appliances, china or linens. Although many brides fear they will appear rude or greedy by asking for money, it is becoming fairly common and if handled tastefully your guests will be happy to contribute. T

here are a number of ways in which you can handle asking for money as a gift at your wedding and it is important for you to choose whichever one you feel suits you.

If you already have a clear idea of where you want to go, then go ahead and book your honeymoon with a travel agent and simply give your reference number to your guests, who will then be able to visit the travel agent and pay something towards your holiday on your behalf.

However, there are drawbacks to this method. Firstly, if you do not get enough guests participating you will be left to cover the cost of the honeymoon. Secondly, every guest who contributes will be given a receipt with your personal details on it along with details of your honeymoon which you may wish to keep private.

Last of all, payment will need to be made several weeks prior to the honeymoon, and many guest will prefer to give a gift at the wedding reception. Due to these drawbacks, this method is perhaps best recommended for your close family only. Perhaps your parents or siblings have already said they will contribute a set amount?

If so you could work out how much you will be able to spend on a holiday. A popular alternative is to set up a “Wishing Well” or “Honey Pot” at your wedding reception which will allow your guests to drop in cards, donations, or vouchers. You can then gather up the gifts after your wedding and book a honeymoon based on your budget.

In order to avoid offending guests, many couples will include a poem with their invite explaining that since they do not require household gifts they are not including a registry, but that cash our vouchers are welcome.

Guests will often be more than happy to give a cash alternative as it removes the need for a stressful shopping trip! Just be sure to inform guests that a present is not required in order to attend!

Thanks for reading my blog post and I hope you enjoy our wedding tips. If you are looking for wedding ideas this is the place to be!

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