I get a lot of questions from bride’s – it comes with the job. When planning a budget wedding, many brides don’t even consider the option of a fancy honeymoon. Who can afford to spend $3000 on a honeymoon when that would almost double you wedding budget? I also have a lot of brides who want to know what to do when they already have everything and don’t really need the things a traditional registry includes. A honeymoon registry is the perfect solution – almost. The problem with most honeymoon registries is that they are impersonal, expensive and full of loop holes you have to jump through in order to use the travel money collected.
The solution? Traveler’s Joy! The FIRST thing that caught my eye with this site is how easy it is to use. I took me a matter of minutes to set up an account, and a honeymoon page. Not only that, but unlike most most travel registeries there is no set up fee. You do pay a small withdrawal fee when you take the money out later, but even that is less then other travel registeries! And, if no one uses your registery, you pay nothing!
After creating my sample page – which you can see there, I looked into some of the options. For example, as you can see on my page, you can list specific parts of the honeymoon, even specific meals or events, which guests can choose to purchase instead of just giving money for a more personal gift. You can include pictures, information on your honeymoon plans, and they even have built in tools you can use to let everyone know were you are registered!
When one of your guests visits your personal honeymoon page, they can use their credit card to purchase specifics parts of your honeymoon, or just give money towards the total cost – either way, you receive an email letting you know so that you can thank them. They also have the option of purchasing a gift card to go with their gift….Incidentally – stats show that guests will give more if they can use a credit card – so a registry like this may result in large gift amounts as well!
SO, so far this all looks great. My last question – and the one I’m sure you all are waiting for was: great – but were am I allowed to use the money? Most honeymoon registeries are affiliated with specific travel agencies or travel packages which limit your choices. Travelers Joy is completely different because it is not affiliate with anyone at all. At any time, you can withdraw the money that has been gifted so far and use it were ever and however you please! That means you can go ANYWHERE and use ANY AGENCY you please! That is a flexibility you won’t find at most honeymoon registeries.
To make the most out of your honeymoon registery – read this article on their website: Honeymoon Registries: A Guide to Asking for Your Honeymoon as a Wedding Gift
