The Polite Way of Asking For Honeymoon Vouchers
A quick search on the internet will show you that most brides are anxious about asking for honeymoon vouchers due to a preconceived notion that the very idea of telling your guests what to buy you is a little rude, however help is at hand with our guide.
The truth is that asking for honeymoon vouchers is no more inappropriate than preparing a wedding gift list at a high street chain. Your guests will all understand that you and your fiancé are not getting married because you're looking forward to getting lots of wedding gifts, but rather because you love each other and want to spend the rest of your lives together. Your wedding guests will naturally be flattered that you've chosen to spend the happiest day of your lives with them and a result will often want to buy you a memento of the occasion.
Without a honeymoon gift list you will find yourselves inundated with presents that you don't really want or already have, since you may have been living with your fiancé for some time now and have all the cutlery and crockery that you need. Guests will find the lack of a gift list equally distressing since the majority would rather buy you something that they know you want, and will appreciate, rather than an item which will sit at the back of your store cupboard gathering dust.
Setting up a honeymoon gift registry is an excellent idea as guests are given the option of either contributing towards the total cost of your honeymoon or buying you an excursion or experience once you are out there. So if you and your new husband are planning on spending your honeymoon in Bali your guests could choose to purchase champagne, or an upgrade whilst on your flight, or a romantic meal in a treetop restaurant once you arrive, and lets be honest, hardly any guests are actually going to prefer to buy you a sandwich toaster over surfing lessons in Bali are they?
As with all wedding gift lists adopting the correct etiquette is the hardest part and your honeymoon gift list is of no exception. It used to be considered rude to insert your gift list in with your wedding invite, as it meant that your guests presence was dependent on their presents, thankfully this is no longer the case but it has still prompted many couples to add phrases such as 'we want your presence, not your presents' to their invitation so that guests don't feel obligated to buy you anything.
Some couples still don't feel entirely comfortable including a honeymoon gift list or request for honeymoon vouchers in with their wedding invites and this is entirely your own decision, another option would be to include a link to your list on your website and some honeymoon gift registries will even provide you with your own website where you can insert plenty of details and directions, whilst at the same time integrating your honeymoon gift list into the site.
Likewise, many people don't include honeymoon gift list details into invitations sent out to their evening guests, so having a wedding website is a great way for them to find out about your honeymoon gift registry.
Asking for a honeymoon gift list, rather than honeymoon vouchers or a traditional wedding gift list also gives you the opportunity to be more creative with your thank you letters. If a relative forked out for you and your husband to enjoy a champagne helicopter ride over the Kintamani Volcano then send them pictures with your thank you letters of you and your husband enjoying this excursion together. We guarantee that they'll treasure it much more than a picture of you and your husband making cheese toasties using that new sandwich toaster that they brought you from Argos.
About the Author:
Roger Diski is founder of Honeymiles, a specialist company offering Honeymoon gift lists that allow guests to contribute towards your dream holiday through W&O Travel.