5 Alternative Wedding Registries for Modern Couples

Traditional wedding registries are great for some brides and grooms. But if you’re looking for a modern twist to your wedding, you might like to consider some great gift registry ideas that differ from the usual lists of cutlery and toasters. Our generation wants to give and receive practical and enjoyable wedding gifts, and that's something that everyone can get excited about.

You can even have a wedding registry that gives back to your guests as much as they give to you. If you’re stumped for ideas, check out our list of the best alternative wedding registries. Here are our wedding registry ideas that are different from the traditional gift registry:

Charity wedding registries

Do you and your partner love to help others? Rather than cash gifts, maybe the friends and family members you’ve invited to your wedding are the charitable type too – in which case, a charity registry may be perfect for you. Couples provide a bucket or box for one or several charities that personally resonate with them. Guests can then choose which bucket to deposit their ‘wedding gift’ into.

Alternatively, you can do something even more personal. For example, why not extend the fun of the wedding party further by getting your guests to pitch in and rent a custom-printed gazebo for a short charity fun walk/run on your behalf? Guests could sign their names up at your wedding gazebo, with the proceeds going to your favourite charity or social cause.

Honeymoon registries

If you need some financial help getting to your dream honeymoon, asking your nearest and dearest to pitch in a little may make your post-wedding adventure possible. Your wedding guest will browse through your thoughtfully created and beautifully designed honeymoon registry. It doesn’t have to be towards the holiday in general, either: you might make up a list of specific adventures (like scuba diving, or swimming with dolphins) so that your guests can have fun selecting an activity they’d like to sponsor.

There are loads of platforms online on which you can host your honeymoon registry, so it’s well worth doing a bit of online research if you’re interested.

Ethically-aware wedding registries

Are you a fan of the basic concept and content of traditional registries (who knows, maybe you need some bath towels!), but want to make a statement about ethically-sourced and eco-conscious goods? You can create a registry that’s aligned with your ethics. Etsy is one neat option for supporting independent artists and getting some really unique versions of ‘traditional’ registry gifts, while sites like Seven Hopes United will ensure that artisans are appropriately remunerated for their work.

Gift card registries

If we were all honest, we’d have to confess that we preferred gift cards over any second-rate birthday or Christmas gifts we received as a kid. That preference still stands for many wedded couples. After all, gift cards allow the receiver to buy exactly what they want, without the faff of exchanging the unwanted gift in between.

Consider using an online gift card service that allows the couple to pick which store their card is for. Prezzee is one service that offers this: allowing the sender to add an e-card too.

A gift card registry can be really fun for your guests, too. Not only can they have fun choosing which gift card to buy you from the range you’ve put on your registry, but they’ll love seeing what you’ve gone on to buy with it (send them a photo – this will also help you remember who bought you which card!).

Homebuilding wedding registries

You may have all the stuff you need to fill a home, but what about the home itself? You can also forgo the registry idea altogether and simply tell your guests that you're going to be using your wedding gifts towards a down payment for a house.

For many couples, marriage is the threshold to building a first home, and your well-wishing wedding guests might be able to help you get ahead on that goal. Whether a small contribution towards your down payment or help with buying specific materials, your wedding guests can actually help you to construct your forever home – and we reckon that’s pretty special.

Registry sorted. Need help planning your actual wedding?! We can help you find a venue >>

This was a guest post by Harper Reid. A freelance writer, Harper regularly reads articles about event planning, travel and lifestyle topics. Writing is her happy place - she loves creating high-quality content for various websites and sharing nuggets of inspiration through her words. Follow her personal blog, Harper Reid.

 

Book your venues with VenueNow today!

Wedding planning may seem like a daunting task. But with a few alternative wedding registry options, it doesn’t have to be. Whether you choose to go the traditional route of asking for physical gifts, go for the online wedding registry or opt for something a bit different like a honeymoon registry or gift cards, these five alternatives offer modern couples lots of options when creating their wedding registries.

Finding the perfect wedding venue is also an important part of wedding planning. VenueNow offers a range of excellent venues for couples to choose from, making it easy to find the perfect spot for your special day. So why not take advantage of these alternative registry options and secure your dream venue today?

Explore VenueNow’s selection of amazing venues now, and make your wedding a truly memorable event.