Tap-and-Pay Wedding: 140 Guests, a QR Code, and a Direct Route to Mexico — Don’t be tight, pay for our flight
On their Buckinghamshire wedding day, Chris Martin, 35, and Tasha White, 33, skipped the usual housewarming registry and invited 140 guests to fund their honeymoon. They married in their hometown and flew to Mexico the very next day, needing travel cash fast for a trip they’d planned after 14 years together. With a seven-year-old daughter and a three-year-old son, they already had a home and everything they needed, so there was no pile of housewares to request. To make it easy, they installed a tap-and-pay setup—a card reader and a direct-pay QR code—at the reception, alongside a cheeky sign: “Don’t be tight, pay for our flight.”
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A Honeymoon on the Cards: No Traditional Gifts, Just Travel Funds
“What we really wanted was help making our dream honeymoon to Mexico happen,” Martin explained. The couple, who share a daughter aged 7 and a son aged 3, have a home and everything they need, so they asked guests to direct money to their honeymoon fund rather than buy traditional gifts. Lopay, the payment processor, provided the card reader and QR code, and the couple were pleased with the result. “Our guests absolutely loved it,” Martin said. One guest told the Daily Mail, “No one knows what to really do about wedding gifts nowadays, so it’s usually money. This was so much less faff than cash or a bank transfer.” Martin also noted that many people don’t carry cash these days, so the idea was a simple, modern way for guests to participate. He added that some guests tapped more than once.
Gifts Reimagined: How Guests Responded and Why
As the celebration flowed, generosity grew. Several guests were described as being more generous after a few glasses of bubbly. Martin wouldn’t reveal the total raised, but he said guests were very generous and that some tapped more than once. The payment platform’s founder, Richard Carter, said they were delighted to help and that having the card reader and QR code made it easier for guests to give a present on the day without hassle. “Who knows? This could really catch on at wedding venues across the country,” he added.
A Payments Company Takes Notice: Could This Spark a Wedding-Trend?
Beyond one couple’s party trick, the approach hints at a shift in how people gift at weddings. A growing preference for cashless, experiential gifts could change the feel of wedding receptions. If venues adopt this model, we might see more couples asking for honeymoon or travel funds instead of traditional presents. It’s a conversation about money, love, and the experiences that people value in a modern age.
Love, Money, and the Future of Wedding Gifts
The story of Chris and Tasha’s reception reveals a broader question: how will weddings adapt as money becomes more digital and travel budgets more urgent? Some may see it as gauche; others as a practical, joyful way to fund shared dreams. Either way, the core idea remains clear: love is priceless, but honeymoons aren’t—and couples are increasingly exploring new ways to fund them. Readers are invited to share their thoughts on this approach and what gifts mean in today’s world.
