Paying for a wedding ceremony, reception, and honeymoon is challenging for many couples. While requesting cash from wedding guests was once taboo, it’s far more common today. As a result, some couples are using a honeymoon fund box or similar options to help offset their costs. If you’re wondering what a honeymoon fund box is, how it works, how you receive the money, and whether it could help you pay for your wedding, here’s what you need to know.
What Is a Honeymoon Fund Box?
A honeymoon fund box is a fundraising option that allows couples to gather cash gifts from wedding guests or others who want to support the couple’s honeymoon financially. They most commonly come in two forms.
First, there are physical honeymoon fund boxes. In most cases, these are containers placed on gift tables or close to guestbooks at weddings and serve as a place for guests to deposit cash, checks, or similar financial gifts. Some couples also use them at bridal showers, engagement parties, or similar celebrations before their weddings.
Second, there are online equivalents to honeymoon fund boxes. These online registries – such as Honeyfund or Zola – work similarly to other crowdfunding sites like GoFundMe. Couples can set them up in advance and give guests who want to provide cash gifts or cover outlined honeymoon-related expenses an easy way to provide that gift.
How Honeymoon Fund Boxes Work
A honeymoon fund box works by giving wedding guests a clear place to put or offer cash-based gifts. However, the simple presence of a box isn’t necessarily going to make a difference. Instead, couples need to express a preference for cash to support their honeymoon or cover specific expenses, essentially requesting money in lieu of traditional gifts.
With physical honeymoon fund boxes, attendees that wish to provide cash gifts simply place the money (or equivalents like checks) into the container during the event. After the shower, party, or wedding, the couple then takes the box and can use the money as they see fit. With checks, there is the extra step of cashing or depositing them, though the latter is reasonably simple for couples with banking apps that support remote check deposits.
Online Alternatives
With online alternatives, guests can head to the site at any time once the registry is created to initiate a transaction, using either banking or debit and credit card details to supply a specific amount of funds. How the couples access that money does vary depending on the platform. Additionally, how the gift giver provides the cash may play a role in withdrawals.
However, most of the online platforms either offer automated withdrawals to send the funds to the couple’s chosen account(s) after the payment clears or has a manual withdrawal procedure that couples need to use to transfer the money. The processes are potentially entirely electronic, may involve receiving mailed checks, or could include other options, depending on what the platform offers.
There are also typically short delays when using online platforms. The registry service has to ensure that the payment made by the gift giver clears before they make the money available to the couple. As a result, it usually takes at least a few business days before withdrawing a gifted sum is possible.
Additionally, if cash gifts are sent to the couple as physical checks, couples have to factor in mailing time. Depending on the couple’s physical location, the distance from the issuing office, and the speed of mail service at the time, those timelines may vary from a couple of business days to more than a week.
Can a Honeymoon Fund Box Help Pay for Your Wedding?
Traditionally, a honeymoon fund box focuses on covering the cost of the honeymoon itself. However, this can make paying for the rest of the wedding simpler, as couples don’t have to worry about funding their trip too. As a result, they may be able to support a larger wedding budget, making it easier to curate their ideal ceremony and reception.
With that said, some couples use the honeymoon fund box concept for other wedding expenses. Typically, this is easier if the couple is also receiving gifts through other events like bridal showers and engagement parties. In that case, money is collected before the wedding, allowing them to use it to handle ceremony and reception expenses.
When couples use online honeymoon fund boxes instead, using the cash for purposes other than the honeymoon is also an option. Withdrawals before the wedding date are allowed, so couples can access the money before they need to pay for every aspect of their wedding.
Don’t Assume The Honeymoon Box Will Cover All Expenses
However, it’s critical not to assume that a honeymoon fund box will cover any expense in its entirety. Couples won’t know how much gift-givers will provide until the transactions occur in online registries or after events where a physical honeymoon box is present.
As a result, it’s unwise to make plans based on theoretical gifts, particularly if the couple has to put down nonrefundable deposits to secure specific services or must pay for items in advance of their wedding. Instead, it’s better to move forward with the notion that covering all of the wedding expenses may fall solely on the couple’s shoulders until they actually receive a gift.
Should You Demand Cash in Lieu of Other Gifts?
While requesting cash isn’t deemed inappropriate in many cases, stating that it’s the only acceptable gift option is uncouth. Some gift-givers will be uncomfortable with handing couples money instead of presents, particularly those who adhere to more traditional views of gift-giving for such occasions.
Additionally, demanding money makes it seem like any other gift is wholly unappreciated. As a result, a guest that originally intended to give a present they found meaningful and appropriate may view the demand as an insult.
Finally, not all gift-givers may be able to offer cash due to their financial situation. Those with tighter gift budgets may also worry that a smaller monetary gift might lead to a backlash from the couple or may open them up to judgment from other guests.
As a result, it’s best to only request cash instead of outright stating it’s the only present you’re willing to accept. That allows gift-givers to move forward in a way that makes them feel comfortable, avoiding any negative reactions or hurt feelings that a demand for money could create.
How to Plan a Wedding If You’re Covering Costs with a Honeymoon Fund Box
As mentioned above, couples shouldn’t assume that they’ll receive any particular amount of cash through a honeymoon fund box. Since that’s the case, it’s better to plan your ceremony, reception, and honeymoon based on the idea you’re covering the costs yourself.
Then, use any received money to augment or elevate your wedding or honeymoon as it becomes available. For example, couples can initially plan a relatively low-cost reception. After that, they can use cash collected through a honeymoon fund box at an engagement party to upgrade the catering or décor beyond what they initially had in their budget. This strategy ensures that all of the originally planned expenses are manageable if no money is received while creating opportunities to adjust if cash gifts happen.
In many cases, this leaves the final plans for a ceremony, reception, and honeymoon in flux at the beginning. As a result, planning is more complex since an inherent degree of flexibility and agility is required. Still, for couples who have access to limited funds, this can make elevating their wedding an option, so it may be worth the effort.
Do you think a honeymoon fund box is a good idea if you need to offset the cost of your wedding? Did you have a honeymoon fund box and want to discuss your experience? Do you think that honeymoon fund boxes or other requests for cash are inappropriate? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Read More:
- Why You Should Never Use a Wedding Loan to Pay for Your Big Day?
- What Does the Groom’s Family Pay for in the Wedding?
- Can Go Fund Me Pay for Your Wedding?
