Better Than Table Linen The Ultimate Wedding Gift

For her wedding last June, Wendy Ray set up her bridal registry. No, she did not go to Tiffanys or Bed, Bath and Beyond for traditional items like china and linens. She contacted a luxe vacation agency and set up a registry for her 10 day stay in Paris. She asked her guests to help her pay for her lovely one bedroom designer Paris honeymoon apartment in the trendy Latin Quarter of Paris.

I know this might sound unconventional to some but Wendy has been living on her own for over ten years and is a proud thirty something bride. In all frankness, she even created a home for the past two years with her future husband to be so an iron, blender or even silverware was not even remotely close to being on her wish list.

The trendiest wedding present no longer comes in a box with a bow; instead, it is the gift of a once-in-a-lifetime adventure to be Parisian for a week. A honeymoon registry is similar to a traditional wedding registry, in which you sign up for the gifts you would like to receive for your wedding. With Traveler’s Joy, you build a registry with your honeymoon travel plans and guests contribute monetary gifts towards the honeymoon of your dreams. It is estimated that Americans spend $10 billion on honeymoon annually. The average cost of a honeymoon is $5,411.00 and the average contribution of guests to honeymoon is $150.00.

While most spend so much time planning every last detail of your wedding ceremony, the cake, the linen, the flowers, even what chairs to use the details of the most important trip of your life often get overlooked. Take some time off from planning the ceremony and fantasize and talk about the honeymoon of your dreams. A totally romantic relaxing honeymoon vacation or one with some activities and adventure? Then let your friends and family help you make your dreams come true.

According to Conde Nast Bridal Media, 10% of brides now register for honeymoons. Many do it because as Americans get married later in life, they are finding just like Wendy Ray that they already own the household items that the traditional registry was created for.

At the same time, restless consumers are spending money are experiences than things. For those with sophisticated tastes and a desire for luxury , there are amazing luxury vacation apartments available. For those with a taste for adventure consider specific honeymoon sites focusing on exotic locales. This phenomenon has created an ideal market for experiential wedding gifts and several websites such as Paris Honeymoon Rentals, Paris Luxe Apartments, New York Vacation Suites, and the tourism office of the government of Aruba.

People who give and receive honeymoon gifts are part of an emerging demographic who prize collecting experiences, discovering new things and living in the present. Buyers of gifts for all occasions, from birthdays to anniversaries are on the hunt for unique presents that fulfill lifelong dreams. Whether it is driving a stock car, a luxury vacation apartment, being a gourmet chef, these unforgettable experiences now mark milestone life situations.