Don’t need a blender? Crowdfunding sites now fund honeymoons

NEW YORK – Before they say “I do,” soon-to-be newlyweds are increasingly going online to ask, “Will you pay for our honeymoon?”

Crowdfunding websites such as Honeyfund, GoFundMe and Honeymoon Wishes make it easy to raise cash from family and friends for a post-wedding getaway. The sites charge fees for their services – as much as 10 percent of the total collected – but people are warming up to the idea, despite the cost.

As couples increasingly live together first and marry later, they already have toasters and towels, so traditional gift registries don’t make as much sense.

Sites that help couples raise cash for honeymoons have seen their popularity soar recently. Honeyfund users, for example, raised $90 million last year, a 50 percent jump from the year before, says co-founder and CEO Sara Margulis.

Last year, 22 percent of people using the Knot, a wedding planning site, said they also used honeymoon registries, according to a survey of 6,500 customers.

Asking for cash in the invitation is a wedding faux pas, says Kristen Maxwell Cooper, deputy editor at The Knot. But passing around a link to a honeymoon registry works, because couples can explain to guests exactly where the money will be spent, she says.

Anyone can see a GoFundMe campaign, but don’t expect strangers to hand over cash – only friends and family will likely donate, says Little.