“We don’t currently have a honeymoon, but we already have a kitchen,’’ says Robert, 27, a software developer.
His fiancée, a 28-year-old wedding photographer, adds: “It sounds cheesy, but for us, things are not as important as experiences are.’’
By asking their guests to buy them experiences rather than utensils, the couple is joining a growing number of betrothed who are turning away from the traditional in-store gift registries in favor of an online registry for help paying for a honeymoon, buying a home, or even contributing to a charitable cause or a future child’s college fund. According to a survey of 12,000 couples married last year, conducted by WeddingChannel.com and TheKnot.com, 11 percent opted for a honeymoon gift registry.
With couples living together longer before marriage and marrying at a later age — the median age is 28 for men, 26 for women — the need for new household items has dwindled. And these young adults are fully wired, so an online registry seems natural, with the entire transaction taking a giver a minute or two. The registry service transfers the donations directly into the couple’s bank account.
In addition to the honeymoon section, some registries offer a home section, where couples ask for help with everything from a down payment on a house to a swimming pool. One online registry crows: “Use your wedding registry to help purchase a honeymoon, for a house deposit, a car, or set up a child’s college fund early.’’
“They’re looking for an experience, or an opportunity to fulfill a dream as a couple, or maybe just looking for help,’’ says Jane Delser, North American director for zankyou.com, an international registry used by Roberts and Robert.
The founders of the site realized that there was a need for a less traditional approach for “today’s couples,’’ Delser adds.
Manners maven Peter Post, director of the Emily Post Institute in Burlington, Vt., says the online honeymoon requests are good for both donor and receiver.
