Do you already own decorative hand towels, fancy party dishware, and comfortable linens? Are you looking for another way to guide generous wedding guests in their gift giving? If so, you may consider doing a “honey pot” when planning your wedding. Honey pots are an increasingly prevalent registry option that allows guests to chip in to honeymoon experiences like meals, lodging, and activities.
Several trends have contributed to the honey pot’s recent growth in popularity over the traditional registry. On average, couples are getting married later in life, and often cohabitate and build a home together well before their wedding date. The necessities are usually acquired during this period, negating the need for a registry. Millennials and younger generations are also putting a heavier premium on experiences and travel instead of tangible possessions, especially as living spaces shrink in size. Furthermore, many couples are now either partially or fully funding their weddings, leaving less room in the budget that would have gone toward the honeymoon.
While this is a registry alternative that younger and less-traditional guests are often enthusiastic about, it is important to recognize others may prefer to give material gifts. Only you and your partner will be able to judge how traditional your guest list is. To accommodate both sides of the aisle, etiquette experts recommend creating a hybrid-registry that includes a honey pot and normal registry.
Should you decide to make the honey pot commitment, be gracious and tactful when letting guests know about it. Emphasize on your wedding site or through invites that the presence of friends and family on your big day is enough of a gift, but if they would like to contribute to your new life together, a small cash gift would go toward your honey pot.
The cash or check gift is a common route for many, but often guests prefer to give gift cards so they know their money will be put to a specific use. Gift cards to airlines or hotel brands serve the same purpose. Creating a physical registry with a travel theme also allows guests who prefer to give tangible gifts the option to do so, and still sets you and your partner up for a better honeymoon experience. After all, most of us could use new luggage.
To avoid parties feeling that the honey pot is nothing more than a tacky, roundabout way for a “cash-grab,” and to ensure gift-givers don’t think they donated money to some arbitrary corner of your utilities bills, be creative in how you thank them. For instance, turn a photo of the specific honey pot-funded meal, activity or adventure into a postcard, instead of using regular thank-you cards. When posting photos on social media of your romantic meal spread, be sure to tag and thank the person responsible.
The honey pot is one of the fastest-growing niches in the wedding industry. With dozens of registry sites to sift through, it’s important to research which option is best for you. Most will take a percentage of gifts given (Honeyfund, the most popular honey pot platform, takes 2.8% of gifts made through its site). For those navigating moral nuances, some sites, such as MyRegistry.com, allow couples to pick a charity to receive a percentage of the gifts, while the rest is gone into the honey pot.
If executed correctly, the right honey pot can make your friends and family feel like they contributed to once-in-a-lifetime experiences for you and your partner – and save you cabinet space from that second blender you don’t really need. ♥