DC Wedding Planning - 10 Best Nontraditional Registries
When planning your DC Wedding you learn quickly that there are a lot of tasks to complete and that some are fun and others not so fun. Today we talk about something the is always fun, spending other people’s money!
No, we are not talking about a dash for the cash and being gift grabby. What were are talking about is getting the items that you want and need. After your honeymoon, you don’t want to spend your time making returns.
In case you are new here, allow me to tell you a bit about us. We are a Wedding DJ in Washington DC that provides five stars rated DJ, photo booth, and lighting to couples in the DC Metro area. Our award-winning Maryland Wedding DJ team also serves Northern VA, Central PA, and the Frederick MD areas.
Our passion is helping couples have the best experience possible and to be an asset in all facets of wedding planning. This article is one in a series of articles intended to help not only the DC wedding couples we serve but to help anyone who is planning their dream wedding.
Is it ok to register for nontraditional items?
The quick answer is “Absolutely!
Not only will you appreciate receiving it, but your guests will take great comfort in knowing that they gifted something that you will not only use but that you won’t return.
While once a way to provide the necessities a young couple needed to run their households, a lot has changed and the needs of the couples have changed as well. By the time of their wedding many couples have set up housekeeping in several locations since they graduated high school. While a set of new dishes may be a nice gift to receive, it may not necessarily be what you really need.
This doesn’t mean that you should forego the registry, however. Your wedding guests are thrilled for you and are always looking for ways to shower you with gifts to mark this new chapter in your life. So, not only is it ok to register for nontraditional wedding registry items you should absolutely register for the items you want and need!
Looking for a few suggestions? Here are our ten favorite non-traditional wedding gifts.
1. Honeymoon
After a lengthy period of time spending every waking moment planning your wedding, you may understandably want (and even need) a relaxing honeymoon. However, the cold hard reality of paying for a honeymoon after spending so much on the wedding may prevent you from making plans.
Instead of registering for a bunch of formal china place settings that you’ll never use, consider registering for honeymoon funds.
Websites like Honeyfund and Traveler’s Joy are easy to set up and make it possible for your guests to contribute to the trip of a lifetime.
2. Travel
Does your love for travel know no bounds? Ours certainly does!
While Honeyfund and Traveler’s Joy is geared to creating a honeymoon experience, Wanderable encourages not only engaged couples but everyone to create bucket lists of experiences on the site to share with friends.
Engaged couples can turn these lists into sweet honeymoon registries so guests can contribute to what could be the most special trip of their lives or if you’ve already got the honeymoon covered, use the site to fund your next great adventure together!
While many newly engaged and newlywed couples can afford a mortgage, saving up for that down payment isn’t easy. Plus, many couples these days are waiting longer to get married and have already accumulated many of the gifts most young couples register for.
Feather the Nest is a tasteful site that allows your guests to contribute to your home sweet home fund.
4. Blueprint
Blueprint is a wedding registry and website in one place. Created and owned by David’s Bridal, this site allows couples to create a beautiful wedding website as well as a gift registry with gifts from any retailer.
Design your dream home with this registry, which creates a "Blueprint" of your house and its furnishing, home decor, and housewares needs based on your personal style. You can add your selections to layouts just to make sure they fit—or see if you have room for more!
5. Pay off School Loans or Other Debt
How awesome would it be to start off your lives together debt-free?
While you likely may not accomplish that you may very well be able to put a sizable dent moving that debt-free date a bit closer.
Money is the root cause of many marital issues. Dave Ramsey offers a variety of courses and information about how to eliminate debt for good and build wealth that will allow you to not only retire early but enjoy the lifestyle you want to live.
Time is your biggest ally and could be your biggest enemy!
Too many people wish they had gotten sound financial advice or started their journey to financial independence earlier in life. Your loved ones would love to see “you living the dream”! Put this on your wedding registry must-have list!
Raise money for anything that is important to you!
The Deposit a Gift registry offers a place to crowdfund for any cause you want—revamping a local animal shelter, paying a loved one's medical bills, or financing a future family reunion. This site also allows you to use social media to spread the word beyond your wedding guest list to raise more money for the causes that matter most to the two of you.
8. Etsy
Are you a fan of D.I.Y. and hand-crafted items? We certainly are!
If you are like-minded be sure to check out the Etsy wedding registry service. This is a fantastic way to register for just about everything handmade or vintage you can dream of.
9. Blue Apron
Imagine enjoying a great meal once a week that you didn’t have to plan or shop for while wearing your comfy clothes and enjoying a glass of wine!
Register for a food subscription-like Blue Apron, where all the ingredients and step-by-step instructions are delivered to your doorstep and imagine no more!
Formerly known as Newlywish, the Wedding Wire Registry is a one-stop registry shop that helps you register for gifts as well as experiences such as spa treatments, cooking classes, dancing lessons, interior design/organization, and events. Newlywish was the brainchild of an engaged couple who found existing registry services to be lacking in terms of features and options.
There you have it, our top 10 list of the best nontraditional wedding registry gifts!
Have a favorite or two of your own? We would love to hear about it! Leave a comment or a link below.
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A complete guide to weddings at Box Hill Mansion in York, Pennsylvania, featuring garden ceremonies and tented receptions.