She has household effects - he also has enough - so instead of traditional wedding presents, they opt to commeorate their union with travel.
With five wedding parties coast to coast and another in Irael to celebrate their vows, which they took at San Francisco City Hall in December, Jeff Saperstein and Ilene Serlin decided that HoneyLuna, an online honeymoon registry service, would be the perfect gift solution for their many guests.
"We are at a stage in life where we don't need extra household presents", Saperstein told
The Ark. "Our friends and family feel inolved by contributing financially to our honeymoon".
The middle-aged Tiburon couple eschewed conventional regiestries so they could fulfill their dream of cruising around Tahiti this fall aboard the
MS Paul Gauguin of the Regent cruise line.
HoneyLuna facilitated this fantasy by creating a web-based template, which summarized the possible activities Saperstein and Serlin could enjoy on their honeymoon, said Nancy Williams, founder of the Sausalito-based company. Guests simply log on and select such options as a bottle of champagne, spa treatements, snorkeling packages, a dinner for two, language classes, taxi fares and cruise or airfare payments.
HoneyLuna holds the funds in an excrow account and disburses them when the couple is ready either to pay for their honeymoon arrangements or take cash contributions for designated activities. HoneyLuna adds a 9% surcharge for each gfit, but the registry is free for the couple.
HoneyLuna sends a gift card with a personal greeting from teh giver to the nelyweds, who often acknowledge the gift by sending a photograph of themselves engaged in the activity they received as a gift.
"We have linked the customized HoneyLuna registry to our wedding website", Saperstein said. "Using technology to communicate with friends and family during the busy time is very contemporary".
Saperstein and Serlin typify the trend of later and second marriages. One-third of those getting married today have been married previously, according to Richard Markel, director of the Association of Wedding Professionals International. This is Saperstein's second visit to the altar and Serlin's first.
"Interest is rising for honymoon registries because many couples already possess household items", Markel told
the Ark. "Young American couples are waiting longer to get married, as the average age of the first -time bride is 27 and the first time groom is 29:.
Williams and her husband launched HoneyLuna, one of the first honeymoon registries, in 1995 when they came home from their six-week, multi-ciy European honeymoon. "I realized that there was an opportunity in the second-marriage market, and that if young couples are given an alternative, many would rather have a fun honeymoon versus traditional wedding gifts". A couple planning a honeymoon can view more than 450 worldwide destination templates on the HoneyLuna site.
Markel said that 99% of wedded couples embark on a honeymoon - a symbol of a new life together and often their first big trip.
Since the average wedding budget is estimated at $20,000, it can be a relief for a couple when they receive gift contributions toward their honeymoon because the savings can add up to an average of $3800. Some couples have multiple registries and travel may be one choice. Much is dependent on the size of the guest list.
"The main reason we worked with HoneyLuna is because so many people wanted to give us a gift", Pamela Barientos, another customer, told
the Ark. "Between my husband and me, we had two homes full of belongings. Yet, with a 200 guest party, we ran out of funds, so the honeymoon registry was very appreciated.
Barientos, 50, and Mark Meges, 47 of San Rafael, sent guests a thank you note with a photo taken during their September honeymoon in the Greek Isles.
The bride said their guests were enthusiastic because they did not have to shop or wrap a gfit. Even her little nieces were able to afford economical items on their honeymoon wish list.
"The Internet has made the world a smaller place,", said Markel, the wedding industry expert. "A couple does not have to be rich or famous to visit exotic destinations."
For more information, call 800 809 LUNA (5862) or go to
http://www.honeyluna.com/
