How are you guys loving finding out about new ways to make your wedding planning life just a little easier? I hope that you enjoy us sharing these alternative ways to do things because I get really excited to share them with you! So today, let's talk about something really awesome, wedding registries!
I had the chance to meet Erin (co-founder of Hatch My House) a few weeks back. It was great to chat weddings, awesome products and ways to make bride's lives easier. And I think you guys are going to really love this one.
Hatch My House launches a unique online wedding gift registry that lets couples save for a house of their dreams with the help of closest friends and family. Hatch My House is designed as a fun, interactive experience where couples design a virtual house and guests get to donate towards its parts.
What I love is how interactive this site is. Guests aren't just checking off a list or gifting a dollar amount, instead, they have the chance to get involved and have fun gifting money to the bride and groom.
First, create a free account (yes, free). Then comes the fun part – designing your dream home! Do you see yourself in a cozy cottage on the beach or a stylish brownstone in the big city? You get to pick a style of house (craftsman, brownstone, cottage, modern, Victorian or Tuscan), a color and a setting where you’d like to build your nest.
Once you create your awesome home, invite your guests to view your house and purchase anything they want! From windows, to walls, and even furniture inside, guests can take a tour and feel like they are contributing to your dream of home ownership! In the shot below, you scroll over and click the item when you find something you want.
For me, registries were quite a pain. There were some items I really wanted and some that I sort of threw on there to help keep all the pricepoints available. What ended up happening was I received some things I didn't care as much about having, yet didn't receive some things I really wanted such as my dish set. So after the honeymoon I spent a few days organizing and figuring it all out, then made several trips lugging boxes upon boxes of things that I wanted to return. Luckily I didn't get stuck with all gift cards, so I actually created a small savings account for the home with the money I had. I wanted to spend our wedding money on something special instead of spending it on who knows what.
Of course I appreciate the gifts we did receive and the gesture was so thoughtful, but for me the process wasn't as smooth as the idea of people getting excited to buy us pieces of our new house.
Who else is loving this idea?