Cash Gift Registry Wording Examples for Your Wedding

Cash gift registry wording examples for your wedding

You already know you'd rather receive money than a third toaster. The hard part is saying so without sounding grabby. Good news: getting the cash gift registry wording right is mostly about tone, placement, and giving guests an easy way to follow through.

This guide gives you 30+ copy-and-paste examples — for invitations, websites, and registry pages — written for couples in the US. Whether you want a soft hint or a clear request, you'll find wording you can use as-is or tweak to match your style.

We'll also cover the etiquette behind each phrase, how much guests typically give, and where a simple online cash gift registry fits in. Want to see how a money registry works before you write a word? Here's how PocketWell works.

Last updated: June 2026.

Key takeaways

• A cash gift registry lets guests send money toward a shared goal — a honeymoon, a home, or your future together — instead of buying physical items.
• The polite way to ask for money for a wedding is to frame it around your plans, keep it optional, and never mention amounts.
• In 2026, the average US wedding guest gives $100–$150 in cash, more for close family (per The Knot's annual guest study).
• Put the request on your wedding website, not the main invitation card, for the most graceful tone.
• A free online cash gift registry handles the awkward "how do I give?" question for you — guests give by card or digital wallet, no app needed.

Table of contents

1. What a cash gift registry is
2. Cash gift registry wording for your wedding website
3. Polite ways to ask for money on invitations
4. Honeymoon fund and home fund wording
5. How much guests usually give
6. Etiquette: how to ask without being rude
7. FAQs
8. Final tips

What a cash gift registry is

A cash gift registry is a registry where guests contribute money instead of buying products from a store list. Couples set a page, share the link, and guests send a monetary gift online toward a goal the couple chooses.

You'll hear a few terms used interchangeably. A honeymoon fund is a cash registry earmarked for travel. A money pool is the same idea framed as a shared pot guests chip into. A registry-free wedding simply means you've skipped the traditional store registry altogether. All three describe the same modern shift: people would rather give money that's actually useful.

On PocketWell, hosts create a page for free and guests pay a small 3.9% platform fee plus standard processing when they give — there's no cost to you, and funds reach you via Stripe Connect payouts. Most couples set their page up and share the link the same day; the sharing step is what actually drives the gifts in.

If you're still weighing options, compare a honeymoon fund versus a traditional registry before you commit to wording.

Cash gift registry wording for your wedding website

Your wedding website is the right home for this request. It's expected, it's private to invited guests, and it gives you room to explain warmly. Here are money registry wording examples for weddings you can drop straight in.

Warm and personal

1. "We're lucky to already share a home filled with everything we need. If you'd like to give a gift, a contribution to our next chapter would mean the world."
2. "Your presence is the present. But for those who've asked, we've set up a cash gift registry to help us start married life with a little adventure."
3. "We'd love your help building our future together. A gift toward our honeymoon fund is warmly welcomed — and entirely optional."

Short and modern

4. "No registry, no fuss. If you'd like to give, a cash gift toward our future is perfect."
5. "We're keeping it simple this year — a contribution to our wishing well is all we could ask for."
6. "Gifts are never expected, always appreciated. You can contribute here whenever you're ready."

Goal-focused

7. "We're saving for our first home, and every contribution gets us a little closer to the front door."
8. "Help us see the world. Our honeymoon fund is open for anyone who'd like to send us off in style."
9. "We're funding a kitchen renovation in our new place — a cash gift would help us cook up something special."

Add a single button or link to your registry page so the next step is obvious. PocketWell pages work on any device with no app for guests — see how the cash fund page looks.

Setting up your page first makes the wording easier. Create your free page, then write the request once you can see exactly where guests will land.

Polite ways to ask for money on invitations

The invitation itself should stay elegant, so keep wording short and point guests to your website. These are the safest cash registry wording examples for printed cards.

10. "For those who wish to give, a gift to our future is the only list we have. Details on our website."
11. "We're not registered for gifts — a contribution toward our honeymoon is the loveliest surprise. See [yourwebsite]."
12. "Your company on our day is gift enough. For more on gifting, please visit our wedding website."
13. "In lieu of gifts, a cash contribution would help us build our home together. Details enclosed."
14. "We have everything we need except a few more memories — visit our site to help us make them."

A short verse can soften a direct ask. Many couples use a light rhyme on the enclosure card:

15. "There's nothing we need, we've furnished our nest — but a gift toward our journey would truly be best."
16. "A wishing well will be at our wedding, for our future and the journey we're heading."

For more on phrasing the request across invitations and websites, our 50 wedding wishing well wording examples cover every tone.

Honeymoon fund and home fund wording

When you tie the request to a specific goal, guests give more confidently — they can picture exactly what their gift becomes. Here's how to ask for cash instead of gifts around a clear purpose.

Honeymoon fund

17. "We're chasing sunsets in Italy this fall. A gift toward our honeymoon fund helps us toast to you somewhere beautiful."
18. "Instead of china, we're collecting passport stamps. Contributions to our honeymoon adventure are warmly welcomed."
19. "Help us fund the trip of a lifetime — every gift goes straight toward flights, dinners, and the occasional gelato."

Home and future fund

20. "We're putting every gift toward the down payment on our first home. Thank you for helping us turn the key."
21. "A contribution to our home fund helps us fill our new place with the things we'll use for years."
22. "We're saving for our future together. A cash gift is the most helpful present we could ask for."

Experiences and shared goals

23. "We'd rather collect memories than things. A gift toward our first big adventure means everything."
24. "From cooking classes to road trips, your gift helps us start our marriage doing what we love."

How much guests usually give

There's no fixed rule, but most US guests anchor their cash gift to their closeness to the couple and the cost of attending. The figures below reflect The Knot's 2025 guest spending research and Brides' etiquette guidance — use them as a guide, not a price list.

Two things to remember. First, guests traveling a long way or attending multiple events (engagement party, shower, wedding) often give a little less per event — that's normal and expected. Second, never publish amounts on your registry. Suggested figures belong in a guest's own judgment, not on your page.

Want a personalized estimate to share informally if a guest asks? Point them to the US gift amount calculator.

Etiquette: how to ask without being rude

The polite way to ask for money for a wedding comes down to four habits. Get these right and even a direct request reads as gracious.

Keep it optional. Always signal that a gift is welcomed, not required. Phrases like "if you'd like" and "never expected" do the heavy lifting.

Lead with warmth, not logistics. Open with gratitude or your plans before mentioning the registry. Guests respond to the why, not the mechanics.

Never name a number. Suggesting an amount is the fastest way to sound grabby. Let guests decide.

Make it effortless. The most common reason a guest doesn't give cash is that they don't know how. A linked online cash gift registry removes that friction entirely — guests tap a link, give by card or digital wallet, and they're done.

For a fuller breakdown of modern gifting manners, read our 10 wedding gift etiquette rules for digital collections. Etiquette experts at Brides and The Knot agree on the core idea: a cash request is perfectly acceptable in 2026 when it's framed with care.

FAQs

Q: What is the politest cash gift registry wording?

A: The politest wording frames the request around your plans and keeps it clearly optional. Something like "Your presence is the present, but if you'd like to give, a contribution to our honeymoon would mean the world" works because it leads with gratitude, names a purpose, and never mentions an amount. Put it on your wedding website rather than the main invitation, and link directly to your registry page so guests can act in one tap. The tone matters far more than the exact words — warm and low-pressure always reads well.

Q: How do you ask for cash instead of gifts without sounding rude?

A: Lead with warmth, tie the request to a goal, keep it optional, and make giving easy. Avoid demanding language and never suggest a figure. A line such as "We're saving for our first home, and any contribution helps us turn the key" tells guests exactly what their gift achieves without pressure. Hosting the request on a simple online page — see how it works — also helps, because guests who'd happily give cash often just don't know the mechanics.

Q: Is it tacky to ask for money on a wedding invitation?

A: No — but placement is everything. A direct cash request on the formal invitation card can feel abrupt, so most couples put a short, elegant line on the invitation ("For more on gifting, please visit our website") and save the full wording for their wedding website. That keeps the printed piece graceful while still pointing guests to a clear next step. Etiquette guidance from The Knot and Brides supports cash requests when they're phrased thoughtfully.

Q: What's the difference between a cash gift registry and a honeymoon fund?

A: A cash gift registry is the broad term for collecting money instead of physical gifts, toward any goal you choose. A honeymoon fund is a cash registry specifically earmarked for travel. The mechanics are identical — guests send money online — but the framing differs. You can run a single page with one goal or describe several purposes (honeymoon, home, future) under one cash registry. Compare the options for couples if you're unsure which framing fits.

Q: How much does a cash gift registry cost to set up?

A: On PocketWell, setting up a cash gift registry is free for hosts — there's no subscription and no listing fee. Guests pay a 3.9% platform fee plus standard payment processing when they give, and funds reach you through Stripe Connect payouts. That means the only people who ever see a fee are guests at the moment they contribute, and it's a small, transparent percentage. You keep your page as long as you need it without any host cost.

Q: Where should I put my cash registry wording?

A: Your wedding website is the ideal home for the full request, with a short pointer on the invitation suite. The website gives you room to explain your goal warmly and to place a single clear link to your registry page. Avoid putting payment details or amounts on the formal invitation. If you'd like help phrasing it, our wording examples and the FAQ page cover common situations.

Final tips

Great cash gift registry wording is warm, specific, and easy to act on. Pick the example that matches your voice, tie it to a goal guests can picture, and link straight to your page so no one has to guess how to give.

A few last reminders: keep the request optional, never publish amounts, and put the detailed wording on your website rather than the invitation card. Small touches like a thank-you note after the day keep the whole experience gracious from start to finish.

Ready to collect cash gifts the easy way? Create your free page — it's free for hosts, and guests can give from any device, no app required.