All around the world, the spending (and wasting) heavily on wedding celebrations is a reality. Lavish wedding celebrations are seen as a necessity in some Asians countries, especially India where parents work their whole life and save money for the marriage of their daughters. Marriage celebrations are considered incomplete unless every aspect of the wedding is perfect, and many families are buried up to neck in debts after they marry their daughters off. These might seem like an extreme example of overspending on wedding celebrations, but there are many Australian couples paying their wedding debts for many years after the event.

India sees mega-wedding celebrations that span a couple of weeks and some cost over $2.5 million. A fine example of this was Liz Hurley and Arun Nayar’s short lived wedding celebrations in 2007. The insanity of such celebrations, where over 15% of food went to waste has forced the Indian government to consider putting a limit on the amount of food that can be served at a wedding! A few decades ago, Asian and European weddings used to be communal affairs, where all the people from the village or community contributed. Earlier, Australian parents funded the marriages of their children, and the wedding expenses were divided among a lot of people. Today, wedding costs have gone through the roof, and the bulk of wedding expenses are borne by the couples themselves!

For most couples planning their weddings, it soon becomes clear that taking loans to meet the expenses of the wedding and the honeymoon is the only option. Many couples compromise for inexpensive options to try and keep the expenses in check however there are simple things that couples can do to help fund the perfect fantasy wedding.

Like many modern Australian couples, why not choose online cash gift registry services to turn wedding gifts into useable cash ‘before’ the wedding. There are some who cringe at the thought of advising guests that they prefer cash, however most guests are happy to be free from the burden of selecting the most useful wedding gift. You can use HONEYMOONFUND services to explain to your wedding guests why you prefer cash gifts, you can keep a track of all the gift payments and by the time your wedding celebrations are over, you are on your way to fund your dreams!

Why are we spending more and should we be spending more? We do know that wedding spend in general has risen and honeymoon spending has too therefore couples must be aware that when figures like these are released, they are often warning signs. Have we become a society used to and willing to spend above our means and deal with it later? 

Is easy credit to blame for targetting carefree couples at a time when spending is considered more of an investment for sentimental honeymoon memories rather than money that needs to be paid back? To re-iterate the point, last month we posted this horror story on our facebook page.  Article: My Wedding Debt Lasted Longer Than My Marriage

Unfortunately many couples fall victim to the thought of ‘you only get married once’  when it comes to spending. Weddings seem like a justifiable cause for over indulgence however many couples are left ‘paying for it’ years after that one big special day. If high spending cannot be compromised then couples must consider ways to avoid getting into huge debt during this time.  One popular method that many couples use to raise funds are ‘wishing wells’, either placing wishing wells or bird cages at the reception or utilising online wishing wells and cash registry services such as HONEYMOONFUND, couples are converting valuable wedding gifts into much needed cash, in fact many reputable global surveys have reported “money” as the number 1 most wanted wedding gift.

A key trend at the moment and rising are Cash Gift Registries and Honeymoon Registries. In April 2010, UK’s Wedding Magazine released results of their annual survey of over 3,412 brides shows a staggering 72% of couples have moved away from the traditional gifts list registries and honeymoon registries are now equally popular to traditional gift list registries.

One thing we all would agree is that high wedding spending does not impact our happines or marital success so for love’s sake keep it real and in your back pocket.

HONEYMOONFUND – Wedding Cash Gift Registry

HONEYMOONFUND has worked hard to develop a mobile application that enables brides and grooms to quickly and easily keep track with their registry account activity while on the move. The application enables faster and easier view of account details from the iPhone as opposed to viewing from the Safari browser.

The features include; view fund total, view total charity funds raised, view guest messages and all gift payment and withdrawal transaction activities. The application is secured by personal password protection and does not allow fund withdrawal requests from the iPhone in case of phone loss.

The best feature is the application is free!

HONEYMOONFUND has invested in Apple’s iPhone platform because Apple has the majority market share, according to netmarketshare.com the iPhone has almost reached a 65% usage with the Android devices trailing second with only 8.42% market share.

Tien Stafidas is HONEYMOONFUND’s managing director and has spent the last six months working on the scope and design. “We are so pleased of the end result! Whilst this application was developed as a secondary environment for our customers, second only to our website itself, we recognise the utmost importance of providing mobility options for today’s brides and grooms. With our customers having so many tasks when organising a wedding, we want to lessen the stress and add more convenience features to our overall service”

Application Summary:

Features:
*Log in with password
*View fund total
*View charity donation total
*View guests’ messages
*View all gift payment transactions
*View all withdrawals and redemption transactions

Sample Screens:

These days, there is no doubt that modern bridal couples should and must  have a gift registry. Society began to slowly throw out the “stigma” attached to couples announcing a preference for certain gifts about ten years ago. We all now agree on the huge benefits that a good wedding gift registry can provide for a to-be-wed couple, perhaps because we have all either experienced its benefits ourselves, know someone who has or we simply understand the adverse effects of ‘waste’ on the environment and our homes.  However like every thriving growth industry, our traditional gift registry needs are ‘evolving’ and mainly due to two reasons:

• The primary need of the bridal couple is no longer considered as the sole purpose of the wedding gift regisitry, now it is equally important to consider the needs, thoughts and behaviours of everyone,  especially “the wedding guests”.
• The primary needs of the bridal couple have also changed as couples are getting married older, more de-facto living, increase in cost of living and even technology. 

Whilst our consumer behaviour and therefore demands are changing, we still remain true to what is fundamentally good wedding ethics.  Whilst we are an internet, mobile and social network loving society, we are also environmentally conscious, humanitarians, polite and generous people. Where weddings are concerned and as guests we do want to give a gift when we go to a wedding, in fact to not give a gift would be shamely inappropriate. For wedding guests, gift registries take the guess work out of gift giving, saving wedding guests a lot of time, money and more importantly the assurance that the gift will be remembered and treasured by the couple.

So now that is clear, the decision is not “if” a gift registry is required but “which” gift registry should a couple choose. Here are a five reasons we believe that HONEYMOONFUND and cash gift registries are better than a store gift registry.

1) WE KNOW THAT WITH RESPECT, YOU PREFER CASH!

Lets face it, we do prefer cash. It is for this reason that this point tops the list. HONEYMOONFUND offers a way for couples to announce a preference for cash respectfully. Whilst western society is fast evolving from goods to cash gift registries due to economic, employment climate and trends, other cultures in Asia, Europe and Arabia have been cash gifting for centuries. With the world getting “smaller”, it is inevitable that the cultural gap contrasting some gift practises is fast closing in.  We are already seeing the rise and rise of cash gift registries in the western society bridal industry as they meet the needs of a choice demanding generation.

Cash provides flexibility and freedom which is even more desired during a couple’s marriage planning period. With so many other decisions that have to be made for the marriage such as wedding planning, honeymoon plannning, after-the-wedding planning, work leave planning and financial planning, couples are now realising the huge benefits that come with deciding on a good “Cash” gift registry as opposed to a store registry.   

2) RECOGNISE GIFT VALUE AND REDUCE STRESS

In store registries require couples to choose hundreds of items, at different price points, in several categories and within two hours ( presuming a couples tolerance level for any one store is a maximum of two hours before tiredness kicks in) . Have you ever considered the total value of all the gift items on the list and how much time is spent deviding it up into so called “useful” items? 

If on average the total wedding gift registry value is  worth $12,000 (120 guests @ $100 each) then a couple is required to choose $12,000 worth of items while at the store, with a fiance who doesn’t like to shop, in a matter of 2 hours and while planning the other details of the wedding! For larger weddings usually in metro areas, this figure can be doubled to $24,000. It’s no wonder that most couples end up stressed from choosing hundreds of items that seemed great, useful and trendy at the time but will eventually become regifted, returned or just sitting in dusty cupboards.

Recognise the value of your potential gifts, consider your time, needs and capabilities, this will help you choose which gift registry is more appropriate to set up. If you think you will get $20,000 worth of gifts and you are currently under-taking a major renovation to make room for a new baby then obviously departmental store goods are not going to make your dreams come true.

3) CASH IS “IN” – WASTE IS “SIN”

Avoid wasting wedding guests’ hard earned money. Allow their generous gifts to work harder for you, after all guests would much prefer to know their money has contributed to something memorable and not easily forgotten because the couple chose an item under pressure.

If the total net value of gifts are between $12,000 to $24,000 then think about “money wastage”. How much of this amount will never provide  a benefit to the couple and the couple may not even remember who gave it!  Therefore its a waste to couples and guests. In store registries require couples to think under pressure and therefore it is inevitable some gifts will be regifted, returned or unused. What about the net value of wasted gifts? Is it 10%, 25% or even 50% of the total gift value ? This is a significant amount that could have been better spent when you were less stressed, had more time and in a better position to make “good” decisions.

4) REDUCE GUESSING PAINS

 When has anyone had to choose between $12,000 to $24,000 worth of goods for the home in less than two hours?  Probably never unless you were setting up a store gift registry.  Some people may argue that a couple would already know what is needed in the home and that a list can be made prior however its not as simple as this. Here a few points that we believe store registries require couples to make a lot of stressful ”guesses”.

• Acceptance Guessing: Most Couples end up trying to balance what they really want with what is deemed as an “appropriate gift” that guests will accept. Is a $1,000 couch more appropriate than a $5,000 couch and why?
• Pressure Guessing: Can you really make the right consumer decisions under pressure? : A list may contain items like a blender, television, dining sets e.t.c but think of how much detail is required to ensure the ’right’ blender or television is chosen, this may be simple for one or two items but if a couple needs to have 200 items chosen on the registry within less than 2 hours, mistakes are going to happen!
• Trend Guessing: Retail stores tend to stock one season’s items at any one time, so a couple will need to guess which items will stand the test of time. There is risk that most items chosen from one season’s stock will date and date fast. What if you really need a television but the later model is coming out in six months time? Should you wait and buy it yourself or settle for the older model?
• Spontaneous Guessing: It is probably true that towards the second half of gift choosing the couples energy and excitement is fading. This is when bad spontaneous decisions are made. What a shame if half of the items on the registry were chosen in haste and not really thought out.

 5) CHOICE AND CONTROL – Changes In Consumer Buying Behaviour

We are consumers and so are brides and grooms, these days we can make “informed” buying decisions fairly quickly and easily. Our affection with the internet, mobility devices and social networks have changed the way we buy. More importantly it has changed the way we think when we buy. We want unlimited “Choice” and “Control” when we buy and the traditional store gift registry process is limiting our choice and control. Do we really want a seasonal limited range  with less than two hours to choose?

HONEYMOONFUND allows couples the “choice” on what and where to spend and even more desired is the ”control” to spend whenever and at a time that is more suitable and less stressful, such as after the wedding.  There is no need to decide  how specifically the funds will be spent when an account is created. We encourage couples to let guests have a general idea of what will make dreams come true, for example ” We would really love to raise enough funds to go on an overseas honeymoon” or “We are trying to save some money to furnish our house where we will begin our beautiful married life together”. There is no need for specifics, just let family and friends have the opportunity to contribute to your ”true happiness” in a respecful and convenient way, don’t forget the important thank you cards and remember everyone wants to contribute to a happy marriage and not just items.

Any comments or feedback please contact us admin@honeymoonfund.com.au

A consolidation of tips as published on our monthly eNewsletter. If you would like to subscribe please send us your email address to admin@honeymoonfund.com.au

TIPS:

 1) Send your wedding invitations out early  so you can add your registry details to your invitations early. This will give your guests plenty of notice that you prefer cash to achieve your wishes. Although the norm is to send out wedding invitations 3 months before the wedding, you may send out your HONEYMOONFUND registry invitation emails prior. We suggest 12 months prior to the wedding day to allow your guests with more opportunity throughout the year to send you money. Then confirm your registry details by adding your registry number on the actual wedding invitations when they go out.

2) Use HONEYMOONFUND’s “Email Invitations” function in conjunction with your physical wedding invitations. Doing both physical and email notifications will make it easier for guests to locate your registry when they need to.

3) Send the wedding invitations and HONEYMOONFUND registry email invitations out on the same week. You want your wedding to be “top of mind” during that week.

4) Re-send Email Invitations. Most people leave gift buying until last minute. Use HONEYMOONFUND’s “Email Invitations” again 2 weeks before your wedding day - Log in and print out a list of guests that have already sent you a gift, so that you only email the ones that havn’t sent you a gift.

5) Finalise your personal registry page as soon as possible. Don’t procrastinate, the more time you give your guests to send you money the better. Throughout the year certain events or months can mean different spending patterns such as christmas and anniversaries, we suggest enabling your registry to be available at least 12 months prior to the wedding day (if possible), to allow more opporortunity for your guests to send you money.

 6) Stick with one registry only. We have heard of couples setting up multiple registries, for example having a department store registry, a cash registry and a honeymoon registry with a travel agent at the same time. The intent here is to allow guests the option to give what ever they like. We think this is a bad idea and defeats the whole purpose of having a registry, here are the reasons why:

        (i) Having multiple registries will show guests that you don’t really have a ‘preference’ for anything, therefore guests will likely deviate from using a registry all together. The whole purpose of a registry is to guide your guests to understanding what would really make your dreams come true so they don’t waste valueable dollars buying you something you really don’t need. So really think about why you want a registry and go from there.

        (ii) Messy and confusing. With so much other details being provided on your wedding invitations, the last thing your guests need are 3 or 4 different registries with different website addressess, registry numbers, urls, not to mention your time in setting them all up.

        (iii) You will not likely get what you really want due to too many options. For example, you really wanted that honeymoon but most of your guests purchased off your department store registry list.

Keep in mind that HONEYMOONFUND is an online wedding wishing well service that allows you to spend your gift dollars on anything, therefore we can cater to any wedding gift you like, there is no need to set up multiple wedding registries.

 7. Create your wedding registry page with ‘effort’. Displaying a nice registry for your guests to view and read is so important. It shows that you have made effort and spent the time to create something especially ‘for your guests’. This will encourage them to help you out to raise funds for what you really want. Ensure the pictures are good quality, your story and messages are personal and polite. Humour always works well too.

www.honeymoonfund.com.au

Spare a thought for Mothers of Brides and Grooms, who else would be trusted with keeping wedding gift money safe? When everybody is distracted, wedding gifts are at risk! 

Wedding day functions have become increasingly attractive targets for theft and sly misconduct for gatecrashers, rogue guests and opportunistic function staff. Most modern day weddings receive a significant percentage of their presents as cash gifts in envelopes with ethnic weddings in particular, expecting hundreds of cash filled envelopes on the big day. If considering an average wedding of 150 guests, presents are likely valued at $100 per person. That’s $15,000 worth of gifts that need to be protected on the day. This figure can be doubled when considering Asian, European, Mediterranean or any ethnic background Australian wedding.

 It is now common for cash filled envelopes to be “dropped off” into bird cages, wishing wells or red boxes, placed conveniently at the front of the function rooms or just give the envelopes to Mothers of the Bride and Groom. Many couples still rely on immediate family to safe guard the gifts. Mothers are often the chosen ones to multitask, collecting and safe guarding the envelopes but often the responsibilities include playing hostess and making sure guests are comfortable and the event runs smoothly.

 Playing security guard on such a busy day can be stressful and become a burden on immediate family rather than an honorary duty. Short of hiring professional security and adding more costs to an already expensive day, bridal couples are advised to plan ahead and look for better ways to ensure their gifts stay safe.

 Sadly many weddings have been compromised, statistics of how many weddings fall victim to gift theft are difficult to conclude since many couples choose not to report it, being embarrassed that they have lost hard earned cash from family and friends however there are growing reports of occurrences especially since cash gifting is on the rise.

 There are solutions and thankfully giving and receiving cash gifts has now become much safer for couples with the emergence of online Bridal Registries.  Australian business HONEYMOONFUND is giving couples and their mothers the freedom to enjoy the wedding reception, without worrying about the security of their cash or counting it for that matter.

HONEYMOONFUND is an online wedding cash gift registry or “wishing well” that provides a simple online payment system for guests to send cash gifts securely to the bridal couple. After making the payment the couple receives the funds into their registry account. HONEYMOONFUND sends a beautiful gift voucher receipt back to the guest and this can be handed to the couple. The voucher is of the actual amount sent, includes a personal message from the guest and is printable at any time. Printed vouchers are “cashless” and cannot be redeemed by criminals. Guests can put the voucher into an envelope and take it to the reception instead of cash. Bird cages, red box or wishing wells can still be physically placed at the reception if the couple desires for guests to place the vouchers. Mothers can now relax…and enjoy the wedding!

Here are a few recent horror stories;

Georgia, USA is reporting a growing trend in Wedding theft  Recently a newly married couple in China had their $15,057 in gift money stolen on their wedding day

So how does HONEYMOONFUND work?  

Create a bridal registry for any wedding registry requirement; honeymoon registry, wedding expenses, renovation fund, anything!

• Couples register and create a personalised wedding registry page with HONEYMOONFUND.
• Guests are then invited to view the registry page and send cash gift and personal messages to the couple online.
• Couple receives the funds instantly into their bridal registry account, including messages.
• Guests receive a beautiful gift voucher (of the gift amount) to take to the reception, if they choose. The voucher is cashless and if stolen, cannot be redeemed.
• Couple has a report of all gift amounts and personal messages from their bridal registry, printable at any time.

 HONEYMOONFUND Founder and creator, Tien Stafidas believes it is not uncommon for Australian weddings to receive $20,000 on the day and many ethnic background Australian weddings can even double this figure.“This is a significant amount which friends and family are happy and willing to contribute to assist couples in starting their lives together, we need to understand these customs will grow and continue into the modern era, it is for this reason that these customs require modern tools to keep them alive and SECURE” Tien said

-Ends-

www.honeymoonfund.com.au

Media Contact: Peta Ellis, City Publicity info@citypublicity.com.au,

References:

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2010-11/16/content_11556174.htm

http://www.wkyt.com/home/headlines/100273494.html

http://www.perthnow.com.au/entertainment/perth-confidential/thief-targets-bridal-party-and-escapes-with-5000-in-cash-jewellery/story-e6frg30l-1225957403610

http://www.clipsyndicate.com/video/playlist/4018/1713310?cpt=8&title=wedding_news&wpid=208

Finally a wedding gift registry for the modern couple with traditional values

With Respect….We Prefer Cash!  Ever really wanted to ask for cash instead of goods but there was never the right way to express your wishes? Most couples “cringe”  at having to find the right words or adding their own bank account details to their wedding invitations. Some common words used to describe this would be “tacky” or “awkward” but why should cash gifting be such an awkward process since so many cultures have been practising this for centuries? If family and friends are more than willing to contribute to making dreams come true then this is the reason that cash gifting if done properly will continue to rise and eclipse traditional department store gift registries. Newly launched HONEYMOONFUND, is harnessing the power of cash and putting valuable funds back into newlywed’s bank accounts. The tailor designed ‘wishing well’ concept fund for weddings is mainly FREE for the bridal couple and differentiates itself from competitors by focusing on weddings only and providing couples and  guests with a respectful experience throughout the whole gift registry process.   

HONEYMOONFUND is a wedding cash gift registry for anything!, Wedding expenses, Honeymoon, Renovations etc.   

HONEYMOONFUND offers everything that couples would expect from a great gift registry such as a personalised web page, management tools and a secure online payment system however unlike other gift cash registries in the market today, HONEYMOONFUND  focus’ on respect in offering guests the choice to uphold traditional envelope giving practises by providing a beautiful voucher that can be placed into envelopes (instead of unsecure cash), so bird cages, wishing wells and red boxes still have their place at wedding receptions.   

An even more impressive feature of the website is that the couple can avoid the daunting task of requesting cash themselves by opting for HONEYMOONFUND to request on their behalf.   

 We all know that weddings are expensive, with the latest ABS study reporting an average cost of a wedding is $30,000, HONEYMOONFUND’s aim is to enable couples to pay for the wedding of their dreams and have that luxury honeymoon, down payment on a house or just simply paying for the wedding, through converting valuable wedding gifts into cash.   

 According to Bridal website ”theknot” Nearly 40% of registry items are products a couple really wants but doesn’t necessarily need.” and according to UK’s Wedding Magazine study in 2010,  “Cash tops the wedding list” with 45%  prefer their guests to give them money, 27% want honeymoon vouchers and only 29% want item gifts.    

 Today’s modern couples are intelligent consumers with command over the internet, are conscious about value for money, want control, want choice, value family and are usually time poor. These traits exists across the generations whether it be first or third marriage. HONEYMOONFUND meets these demands by providing a RESPECTFUL, easy to use, convenient and secure wedding registry.   

 Couples are able to withdraw money at any time from their fund to assist paying the wedding day bills, honeymoon or leave the cash gifts to build up until after the big day.   

 HONEYMOONFUND Founder and Creator, Tien Stafidas believes the estimated total monetary value of gifts received at an average 150 guest wedding is around $20,000.“This is a significant amount which friends and family are happy and willing to contribute to assist couples in starting their lives together. It is this reason couples should be able to choose when, how and what they would like to use this gift money for,” Tien said   

 HONEYMOONFUND is also an official and proud supporter of ChildFund Australia donating 50cents for each gift payment made to the charity. Couples can also further contribute by redeeming their own gift amounts for donations to ChildFund Australia.   

 -Ends-   

  Media Contact: Peta Ellis, City Publicity info@citypublicity.com.au, ph: 0420 374 733   

 References:    

http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=99931&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1225627&highlight     

http://www.weddingmagazine.co.uk/articles/news/453136/cash-tops-wedding-wish-list.html

Did you ever want to get married but thought perhaps you were too young?, or its not the right time?, or everybody else does it in their 30′s now,  so lets wait?? . We all know that these days we are marrying much older. The average bride’s age in Australia is now 28 (it was 22 in 1989) and the average groom’s age in Australia is now 30 ( it was 25 in 1989).

In our late 20′s to early 30′s, most of us have at least one mortgage and moved out of home with our patners so why was it different in 1989? Why were  most of us getting married in our early 20′s only 20 years ago?

Is the economy to blame? , differences in house prices and average salaries or is it simply that we just want more time to choose our partners these days?. Why did we as a society choose to wait another 5 years to tie the knot?

I would really love to know your opinions on why we marry older these days, compared to in 1989. I will collate my research findings on future blogs.

To trigger your memories, here is a trip down memory lane:

• 1989 Bridal Fashion

1989 People magazine celebrity weddings

• In 1989, the top 5 songs of the year were

1. Look Away, Chicago
2. My Prerogative, Bobby Brown
3. Every Rose Has Its Thorn, Poison
4. Straight Up, Paula Abdul
5. Miss You Much, Janet Jackson

• George H.W. Bush succeeds Ronald Reagan as the 41st President of the USA
• Australian PM was Bob Hawk
• Exxon Valdez Oil Spill
• “Rain Man” won best picture at the Academy Awards
• Tiananmen Square students’ protest in Beijing
• Berlin Wall topples
• Newcastle Earthquake
• “Young Talent Time” is cancelled and “Acropolis Now” premiers
• The worst interest rate periods experienced by Australian, 15% in January 1989 and peaking at 17% by December.

What do you think has “socially” changed since 1989?