Asking for Money Instead of Wedding Gifts

If you are getting married and are looking for a way to ask for money instead of wedding gifts, this post is for you. Below are some considerations and tips to ditch the traditional registry list and request what you really want and need.

Understand your guests' culture. How sensitive are your guests to money requests? Being a Costa Rican with Nicaraguan family, I was very aware that our guests from these countries would be comfortable receiving a wedding invite that included a gift registry card explicitly asking for money. However, since I was engaged to an American and lived in Atlanta, I knew that our American guests would likely find a request for money "tacky." Our solution... send our American guests a gift registry card that had information about our Bed Bath & Beyond and Crate & Barrel registries, and send a different gift registry card to the rest of our guests asking for money.

Share the reason why you are requesting cash. Hopefully, your guests will know enough about you to understand why a traditional registry is simply not for you. From moving to another country or state, to saving for a house or a honeymoon, share on your wedding website or even on the gift registry card in the wedding invitation why you are requesting money. Also between you and your parents spread the word. When guests know what they are contributing to, they will likely be more open to the idea.

Leverage the non-traditional online registries. Websites like Zola.com, HoneyFund.com, and HatchMyHouse.com, allow you to request money in a less direct way that lets your guests know exactly what their gift is. From tours and massages for your honeymoon, to contributions for a down payment, this is by far the most smooth and acceptable way to ask for money. Learn about more unique registries here.

Don't forget the envelope box. At the wedding, always include on your gift table some type of box for guests to put their cards and envelopes. I recommend for this to be a sealed box to avoid any envelopes getting lost.