The Alterna-Registry
Surf lessons? House payments? Four sites that go well beyond blenders.
Honeyfund.com
Itemize your honeymoon plans, and let your guests choose which elements they want to give as gifts. Options include basics like airfare, hotel rooms, and car rentals, as well as activities such as surf school, kayaking, spa treatments, and guided tours.
Bottlenotes.com
Oenophiles who would prefer bottles to bath towels can choose from a selection of reds and whites from around the world. Register here for everything from a nightly table wine to a dream bubbly.
Hatchmyhouse.com
Why ask for a set of dishes if you don’t have anyplace to store them? This interactive site helps couples establish a cash-gift registry so they can save for down payments on a mortgage, new furniture, or home improvements.
Newlywish.com
This city-centric registry lets you ask for experience gifts (museum memberships, fitness classes, dancing lessons, wine tastings), as well as more traditional bed, bath, and kitchen goods from places like Fishs Eddy and Bobby Berk Home. Aspiring art collectors can even select works from 50 local emerging artists.
Or, give it all away...
Idofoundation.org
If you’d rather give than receive, this nonprofit clearinghouse lets you choose from such charitable organizations as Oxfam America, Sierra Club, and Big Brothers Big Sisters. You make the list, and guests can donate on your behalf.