Bridal Blog: A Creative Way to Register for What You Need

Sometimes you just do not need another blender or another set of towels as wedding gifts. Perhaps you're simply just too busy to go to Macy's (or even to go to Macys.com) and register for all of the things you'd like to receive from your wedding guests. You might already own an impressive amount of home goods...

Or maybe you really would just prefer cash.

Well, we recently stumbled upon a new online-registry that allows you to ask for cash while still allowing your guests to gift you that cash in a more personal way.

Wedding Republic is basically an online wish list that couples can create and send to all of their guests, but instead of listing the specific products that they would like, it lists different items or expenses that the monetary donations are going towards. For example, "Our first dog" or "Our honeymoon" or even "The mortgage on our first home."

The site operates by having the couple select the price points for certain items (for instance, you may have your sights set on a brand new TV. If the TV costs $750, then you can split that gift into six parts of $125 each, three parts of $250 each, or even leave it as one whole piece of $750. It's completely up to you!). The items are then displayed as a puzzle with the pieces representing the amount needed to purchase the entire item. Once an item is completely paid for, it becomes locked. It's that easy!

It seemed too good to be true...and there are not a whole lot of reviews out there on Wedding Republic because it is so new, so I, Meaghan, decided to test out the site myself to see how simple it was and to figure out "what the catch" was. After creating a fictional account for my fake fiancé, Tom, and myself, I was happy to find that signing up for this site was a piece of cake (the really delicious vanilla-butter cream kind. You know what I'm talking about) and sending out the information to tell guests how to use the site to donate was even easier.

How It Works For Couples

1 Create Your Wishlist Set up your free registry in minutes! You can choose from our list of gift ideas or customize your registry by adding your own!

2 Share It With Guests Share your registry with friends and family through email, Facebook or by adding a custom link to your wedding website.

2 Share It With Guests Share your registry with friends and family through email, Facebook or by adding a custom link to your wedding website. 3 Watch As Guests Contribute Login to see who has contributed to your registry. Forgot something? No worries, you can edit your list anytime! 4 Collect Your Funds Congratulations, you're married! When you're ready to close your registry, simply login and collect your funds.

3 Watch As Guests Contribute Login to see who has contributed to your registry. Forgot something? No worries, you can edit your list anytime!
4 Collect Your Funds Congratulations, you're married! When you're ready to close your registry, simply login and collect your funds.

The only "catch" was that when guests choose which piece of your registry they'd like to purchase for you, the site does
add a 4.5% processing fee to their purchase...which if you think about it, is even cheaper that Michigan's sales tax.

All in all, this website seems like a wonderful way to allow a bride and groom to ask for cash only, but still allow guests to feel like they're giving more of a "gift." It also allows the couple to still thank their guests for specific items. Instead of "Thank you for your generous donation" they can write out a card saying "Thank you for helping us to purchase our future dog, Rover! I'll be sure to send pictures as soon as we adopt him so you can see how adorable he is!"

Asking your guests for "cash only" gifts has never been easier!

(Source for Pictures)