Honeyfund Solves Registry Woes – A Side-By-Side Honeymoon Registry Comparison

I am one of those people who have always felt that traditional wedding registries are BOR-ing. It’s always the same three to five stores with the same types of exceedingly practical items. It all just seems so dull. Recently, over a plate of hummus, falafel and pita bread, I caught up with a friend who is getting married in a few months. I was ravenous for food so as soon as the appetizers arrived, I began eating. My friend is a planner extraordinaire so naturally, I asked how the wedding planning was coming along. Unfortunately, that question resulted in something akin to opening Pandora’s box as she exhaled deeply,

“I’m stressed. This wedding planning is so crazy, I had no idea.”

Not thinking, I put another bit of falafel into my mouth and casually asked, “Why don’t you take a vacation this summer? A little break could help.” Pandora’s Box opened wider as I received the following retort.

“Are you kidding me? Alllllll my money is going to the wedding and the big vacation at the end, the honeymoon.”

Okay. Wrong question to ask, I thought. Wanting to shut Pandora for the remainder of dinner, I offered another, more practical solution. “Well why don’t you do a honeymoon registry and get your honeymoon paid for instead of making all your guests go to….it’s Crate and Barrel, right?”

She got thoughtful, “I looked into that but I got overwhelmed…there are so many sites, and they all charge a huge fee.”

Being a good friend and an internet research extraordinaire, I offered to do some homework for her and review the honeymoon registry sites out there.

Instantly, Pandora’s box closed.

Here’s my research and findings, in all their glory:

Honeyfund.com

Setup Fee No

Transaction Fee No*

Travel booking required? No

How does the couple get the money? Directly from gift giver via cash, check or credit card/PayPal

Extras? Sample registries, video demos, e-registry cards, wedding details page, gift and thank-you tracking, personal URL, customizable payment instructions

*If you choose to accept credit card payments, PayPal charges ~3% per transaction

Honeyluna.com Full Service

Setup Fee $150

Transaction Fee 15% to gift giver

Travel booking required? No, but discount on setup fee if you do

How does the couple get the money? Check 10 days prior to wedding and again after the honeymoon

Extras? Honeymoon consultation, unlimited registry setup assistance, toll-free #, registry postcards, sample registries

Honeyluna.com Free

Setup Fee No

Transaction Fee 9% to gift giver

Travel booking required? No

How does the couple get the money? Check 10 days prior to wedding and again after the honeymoon

Extras? 1 registry setup call, toll-free #, sample registries

Honeymoonwishes.com

Setup Fee No

Transaction Fee 7% to gift giver or couple plus 3% credit card fee to gift giver

Travel booking required? No

How does the couple get the money? Check, direct deposit or PayPal upon request

Extras? e-registry cards, wedding website, sample registries

Thebigday.com

Setup Fee No

Transaction Fee 9% to couple

Travel booking required? No, but discount on transaction fee

How does the couple get the money? Check or direct deposit at 3 wks prior, day of and 2 wks after your wedding

Extras? Personal “@thebigday.com” e-mail address, wedding webpage, registry cards, thank-you tracking, toll-free #, sample registries

Thehoneymoon.com

Setup Fee No

Transaction Fee 5.85-8.85% to gift giver based on gift amount

Travel booking required? No

How does the couple get the money? Check 5 days prior and 30 days after your wedding

Extras? Sample registries, registry cards, toll-free #

Travelersjoy.com

Setup Fee No

Transaction Fee 7.5%

Travel booking required? No

How does the couple get the money? Check upon request

Extras? sample registries, personal URL, e-registry cards, thank-you tracking, toll-free #

Travel agent & resort honeymoon registries

Setup Fee Varies

Transaction Fee Varies

Travel booking required? Yes

How does the couple get the money? Funds applied directly to your travel booking

Extras? Varies

The above chart lists all of the major honeymoon registry web sites. Yes, there are several of them with similar offerings and services. In the end I recommended Honeyfund.com to my friend for these main reasons:

• Great value for both parties since the registry page is free and there are no additional service charges placed on you or the buyers (your guests) for purchases. This results in significant savings and is the biggest differentiator between Honeyfund.com and everyone else.
• Fantastic customer service–prompt and personal for everyone involved.
• Couples have complete flexibility in making their own travel arrangements.
• The registry itself is completely customizable so couples aren’t limited to travel-only items.
• All funds go directly to the couple via cash/check or PayPal. There is no waiting period for the couples to be sent the money from a third party.
• The site allows couples to customize payment instructions and tell their guests exactly how they’d like them to pay (i.e., via a travel agent or cruise operator, a check wrapped in origami, whatever!).
• Happy, satisfied couple testimonials.

Now I know you must be thinking, “If it’s free, there must be a catch?” Well yes, Honeyfund.com makes money from advertising, so you’ll see ads on their site and you might get an occasional offer in your e-mail. But my friend thought that was worth saving up to 9% in fees! (She already has enough kitchen gadgets anyway.)