More couples are telling their wedding guests: “Please, no more fancy dishes! Help us buy a house instead!”
As home prices continue to climb and the stigma around asking for cash gifts appears to fade, more couples are using technology platforms to collect “new-home funds,” transforming wedding registries into something closer to a savings-focused registry for homeownership or other financial goals. And for some couples, these contributions can quickly add up, possibly amounting to thousands of dollars they can put toward a down payment on their first home.
“Younger couples are absolutely using wedding funds as a means to purchase property,” says Abigail Godfrey, a real estate pro at Coldwell Banker Warburg in New York. “The days of gifting monogrammed towels and silver trays are behind us. It’s not uncommon to see a ‘house fund’ on a wedding registry.”
Godfrey says even in high-cost markets like New York, these cash gifts can provide a meaningful boost toward a down payment. In one widely reported example, a New York couple raised about $30,000 through a house fund added to their wedding registry in 2022.
Interest is growing: About half of more than 1,000 engaged couples surveyed by LendingTree last year said they were asking guests to contribute toward their future home purchase, even calling it one of the most appreciated wedding gifts from guests. Wedding registries like Zola and The Knot show cash funds have become a standard part of modern registries, with many couples directing contributions toward honeymoons and housing goals, like down payments and home renovations.
Couples are crunching the numbers. After all, wedding industry estimates from The Knot suggest guests spend, on average, about $150 on gifts. With the average wedding guest count at 117, as of last year, that could potentially translate to $17,000 (obviously with great variation).
But taking a collective approach to saving for a down payment is increasingly becoming more common in real estate.
Related: Parents Are Saving Up to Help Their Kids Buy a Home
“Oftentimes, we see purchases where the down payment is a gift—whether that be in one lump sum from a parent or coming from a collective source such as a registry fund,” Godfrey says. “I worked with a young couple recently who chose to forgo a large wedding entirely. They used the money they had saved and [the money they] were going to be given from their parents to purchase their apartment.” The total came to about $50,000, enough to cover the down payment they needed.
“The younger generation is trading the large-scale wedding experience and extravagant gifts for cash to be used to buy their first home,” Godfrey says.
A Twist on the Trend: Mortgage Then Marriage
Not all couples are funding homes through weddings—some are funding weddings through their homes.
Alex Hernandez and Ashley Sanchez from Apple Valley, Calif., purchased a home in 2023, converting an attached suite and detached casita into two rentals, and now managing the properties through Furnished Finder. The units generate about $3,000 a month in rental income. They’re using that income not only to pay down debt, but also to reinvest in upgrades to their backyard for their wedding, planned for May 2027.
Hernandez and Sanchez said their original goal with the rentals was to help offset bills and build up their savings. But after getting engaged and seeing the high cost of local wedding venues, they decided to use the rental income to cover wedding expenses instead, including upgrading their backyard so they can host the wedding at home.
Wedding Registries Become Home Savings Tools
For engaged couples needing more savings before buying, they’re turning to their online wedding registries. Many registries can be used to accept cash donations from guests in lieu of traditional gifts. These registries also can act like digital savings dashboards to help couples meet their financial goals.
Of course, how much couples raise from these platforms can vary widely depending on guest count and guest participation, spending habits and even how much the digital registry platforms deducts from the transaction or processing fees (yes, couples should read the fine print!).
Also, couples planning to use wedding gift funds toward a home purchase should keep records of all contributions and deposits. Mortgage lenders may require documentation that show the source of funds used for a down payment or closing costs, particularly when large sums are deposited shortly before a home purchase.
Here are a few popular platform couples are using to set up a home fund on their wedding registry:
- Honeyfund: Allows guests to contribute toward down payments, travel and other financial goals. The platform does not charge setup or guest-contribution fees, but payment processing or transfer fees may apply depending on how funds are received.
- The Knot Registry: Offers integrated cash funds alongside traditional registries. Guests may pay a processing fee when contributing to cash funds using a credit card, while couples generally receive the full gift amount.
- Zola: Allows couples to create customizable “First Home Fund” goals with visual progress tracking. Payment processing fees may apply, depending on the payment method and fund settings selected.
- Joy: Integrates cash gifting directly into wedding websites and allows couples to connect payment accounts for direct transfers. Service fees vary depending on the payment method selected.
- Payment apps: Uses of popular apps like Venmo and PayPal to accept direct guest contributions through payment links or QR codes. Transaction or transfer fees may apply depending on the payment type and transfer method used.
