A married couple in Milton Keynes installed a contactless card reader and a QR payment code at their reception so guests could contribute to their honeymoon rather than bring traditional wedding presents.
Chris Martin, 35, and Tasha White, 33, who married at Furtho Manor Farm with about 140 guests in attendance, said they already had a home and did not want the usual registry items. The couple, together for 14 years and parents to a seven-year-old daughter and a three-year-old son, flew to Mexico the day after their wedding.
Martin, who works for Mercedes, said the pair set up a card reader by the bar and framed a QR code that guests could scan. A sign beside the code read, "Don't be tight, pay for our flight," he said. "Tasha and I already have a house and everything we need — no one needs another five toasters! What we really wanted was help making our dream honeymoon to Mexico happen."
He declined to disclose the total raised but said guests were generous and some made multiple payments. "People don't carry cash anymore so we thought we could have a bit of fun and raise money for our honeymoon at the same time," he said. "As you can imagine people got more generous as the drinks started to flow!"
The payment tools were provided by Lopay, a payment firm whose founder Richard Carter said the technology made it easier for guests to give a present on the day without the hassle of cash or bank transfers. Lopay advertises no fees on the first £2,000 processed, with processing rates starting at 0.79 percent and options to offset costs when users obtain an Expense and Rewards Card.
One guest called the setup "a great idea," noting that money is often the chosen gift nowadays and that the contactless option was simpler than organizing cash or later transfers. Martin said the devices were inexpensive to hire and install and helped cut otherwise rising wedding costs.
Cashless gifting has grown as contactless card use and smartphone payments increase, and some venues and couples have begun adopting QR codes and online funds to collect contributions for honeymoons, home deposits or charity donations. Vendors offering low-fee payment processing have promoted those services as an alternative to cash or traditional registry systems.
Martin and White did not indicate whether they would recommend the approach to other couples beyond saying their guests "absolutely loved it." Lopay said it was "delighted" to have helped make the day a success.
The couple's decision offers a snapshot of changing wedding practices as technology and preferences shift how guests present gifts, while also highlighting a commercial opportunity for payment providers to market low-cost, contract-free processing to event hosts and venues.