Why is it rude to have a cash registry? i genuinely don’t understand.

The reason it's rude to ask for cash is that the purpose of a registry is to tell guests who want to give you a gift what you'd like--not to tell people to give you gifts. And since everyone already knows you'd like cash, a registry is not needed if what you want is cash. Thus, putting cash on your registry implies that you are trying to tell people to give you gifts.

You can just have a small registry (or none if you aren't having a shower). If people ask you what you want, you can say that you don't really need household items, but are just saving up for your trip.

I'm with you girl! I don't see how throwing a $600 robo-vacuum on your registry is any less "tacky" than saying hey, cash is the best way to help us start our lives together... that being said we did put together a small registry for some "old school" family who genuinely enjoys the whole going out and shopping for gifts. We are getting married at the beginning of November and with Black Friday around the corner I can get some nice stuff for WAY cheaper and put the extra money into savings, or house projects, or a new "family" car (I have mini cooper... not a baby friendly auto)...So, even though I may get some flack... this is what we have on our site.

The honor of your company is really the only thing we need.

However, we understand registries are appreciated. Because we have been on our own for a few years now, we have a lot of the typical household items a newly married couple would register for. Monetary gifts are appreciated, as we have quite a few home projects we would like to tackle, but if you would prefer to help us start this next chapter in our lives together with a few upgrades, we are register at the following retailers.

If you would like to contribute to our wedding album, please visit our photographers website:

In that case a cash registry is still tacky. If money is the only socially acceptable gift, you do not need to tell people to give you money. They will do so because it's the only socially acceptable gift, and they'll do it by putting cash or a check in a card.

I'm looking into a cash only gift myself. My FH already have everything we need. What we really need is cash for the honeymoon. We are wanting to honeymoon in Japan which is not very conservative financially but it's what we really want. I'm hoping that by not adding any registry on my website or invite, people will just give cash.

Just say nothing and have your tiny registry. These kinds of little cash grabs without explicitly asking for cash are just as back and really rub a lot of people the wrong way. I promise you that everyone knows cash is a good gift and will gift you cash/checks if you have no registry (or a tiny registry).

I really like the wording here. Thank you both for this. I'm agonizing over this as well. Most everyone on here seems to think its the worst faux pas to just be honest I guess. I've been afraid to even ask for advice since people on here can be so brutal. I don't see the difference between asking for expensive gifts for your life together or asking for money to contribute to your life together. I may be the minority here, but I think a lot of wedding etiquette is just outdated.

FH and I come from a group of friends and family who have design, event planning careers etc, and we all attend TONS of camp-out music festivals and are very artistic in many ways. Many -if not all- of the weddings in our crowd are collaborative efforts. We are also having a destination wedding so will not be able to travel with physical gifts.

But, of course, we do have a handful of older guests who would rather us have a registry. (Like maybe 4-5 people)

Here's what we have on our website but I'm still tweaking:

"We are encouraging our guests to be involved in the celebration, if they wish, by providing a personal service during the ceremony and/or reception.

I.e. If you are musically inclined and wish to share your talents during the ceremony, or DJ at the reception, please let us know. If the captured image is your passion, don't be afraid to break out your cameras and take those can't miss shots! If you have experience setting up gorgeous and meaningful altars, we would love to have an arrangement at our reception. If you have tried your hand at candle making, it would be so special to have handmade candles made for the tables at the reception. If you have other talents that could add a personal touch to this very special day please let us know.

If you would prefer to contribute to the wedding, provide an excursion, or be a part of the honeymoon fund, please let us know."

I would like to add something like "your presence is our greatest gift" without being cheesy. Of course, we already have our DJ and photographer and essentials booked but it would be more special to us to have our friends to hop on decks for an hour, if they're into it, or whatever feels right to them.