Got Guts? Get Green ($) Wedding Gifts!
We've heard the warning for years when it comes to asking for monetary wedding gifts - tacky, tacky, tacky! Even though a simple check saves time because it eliminates the need to shop for a wedding gift and wrap it, most people don't like being told in a wedding invitation that the happy couple prefers the cash - primarily because family and friends don't want the happy couple to know the exact dollar amount they're spending on the wedding gift. Aunt Geraldine and Uncle Horton aren't going to give you $50 when that spiffy vase Auntie found at a yard sale for $3 will look expensive in elegant gift wrap that probably cost more than the wedding gift.
Even in the age of wedding gift registries where couples can identify items they like and need, cash is still the most highly prized wedding gift. Why?
- Cash helps pay for the wedding - everything from the wedding gown to wedding favors - Cash helps pay for the honeymoon - Cash can be used to buy a new home - Cash can help buy furniture - Cash can help pay for home repairs - Cash pays for items they want without having to create four or five wedding registries - Cash pays for romantic dinners and weekend getaways - Cash can be saved in anticipation of new, little additions to the family
Well, here is some good news for cash-craving couples! Apparently asking for good, old green is not the horrifying no-no it once was. In fact, there are a number of online wedding registries that make gifts of money an attractive alternative for your wedding guests. The following web sites are all about the trendy acquisition of connubial cash flow:
- www.registrypalace.com - www.aperfectweddinggift.com - www.weddinggreen.com - www.ourwishingwell.com - www.thebigday.com - www.thehoneymoon.com
Be sure to research each wedding registry before you decide which one to use. Some are more focused than others, asking for money specifically for wedding or honeymoon needs. They'll actually list a specific item, like "wedding cake" or "airline tickets", with the cost for each item and a place for you to enter the dollar amount you'd like to "donate" toward that particular item. In one wedding registry, you create your list of items, but it does have a "Miscellaneous" category, which gives you an opportunity to receive some discretionary money. Ourwishingwell.com lets you ask for pure cash or a list of items like a digital camera, furniture, a TV or a honeymoon, providing no styles or brands but only a dollar amount.
There's a bit of psychology at work here. The gift giver is satisfied, believing he or she has given you money toward a new home, your wedding cake, your gown, your honeymoon hotel or your digital camera, but in truth, you can spend the money any way you'd like.
Keep in mind that Miss Manners, Martha Stewart and some conventional family and friends may be appalled by your unabashed determination to buck wedding tradition and go for the green. You may be the talk of the town for a short while. Then again, you may be the trendsetter those faint-of-heart engaged couples have been waiting for.
Susan Hawkins is a writer for My Wedding Favors located at http://www.myweddingfavors.com. Visit them online for a wide selection of wedding favors, wedding gifts ideas, groomsmen gifts,bridesmaid gifts and more great articles like these.