If you have set up a wishing well, the hardest part is often the wording. You want guests to know a cash gift is welcome without it reading like a request for money. The fix is a short, warm line on a separate details card, never on the main invitation, that leads with their presence being the real gift.
Below are wishing well poems and wording you can copy straight onto your card, grouped by tone. Pick one that sounds like you, swap in your own details, and you are done. For the etiquette behind it, our wedding wishing well guide covers the whole picture.
Short and classic
These keep it brief and gracious, which suits most invitations.
Your presence is the only present we need. But if you wish to give, a contribution to our wishing well would be warmly received.
We have a home filled with all that we need, so a gift to our wishing well is all we could heed. Thank you for sharing our special day.
A wishing well will be at our reception for anyone who would like to give. Your company means far more to us than any gift.
Warm and heartfelt
For couples who want a softer, more personal note.
More than anything, we hope you can join us as we marry. If you would like to honour us with a gift, a contribution to our wishing well would help us build our life together.
Having you with us is what matters most. Should you wish to give, our wishing well will go towards our first home, and your kindness will not be forgotten.
Relaxed and a little funny
For laid-back couples and informal weddings.
We already have a toaster, a kettle and far too many mugs. A small contribution to our wishing well would be lovely, but honestly, just turn up and dance.
No need to shop, no need to wrap. A wishing well will be at the reception if you feel like chipping in. Bring yourself, your best dance moves, and an empty stomach.
Saving for something specific
When you are putting the money towards a clear goal, say so. Guests give a little more when they can picture it.
We are saving for our honeymoon in Japan, so in lieu of a gift, a contribution to our wishing well would help us get there. Your presence on the day is the best gift of all.
We are putting every well wish towards a deposit on our first home. If you would like to help us on our way, our wishing well would be glad of it.
How to use these on your invitation
Keep the gift mention off the main invitation and put it on a small, separate details or information card. Lead with the line that their being there is the real gift, then add the wishing well note. That order is what keeps it gracious.
If the money is going into a honeymoon or a shared fund, our honeymoon fund wording guide has lines written for exactly that, and our group gifting guide covers pooling more generally. If a guest asks how much to give, point them to our how much to give guide, which sets out sensible AUD amounts by relationship.
Common questions
Is it rude to put a wishing well poem on a wedding invitation?
Keep it off the main invitation. A short, warm note on a separate details card that leads with their presence being the real gift is completely accepted in Australia.
What is a polite way to ask for money instead of gifts?
Lead with the sentiment, keep it light, and make giving optional. A line like "your presence is the only present we need, but a contribution to our wishing well would be warmly received" strikes the right note.
Should we say what the money is for?
It helps. Guests give a little more when they can picture the goal, so naming a honeymoon, a home deposit, or a shared experience makes the ask feel warmer, not greedier.
EasyRegistry lets you set up a digital wishing well in minutes, with named funds and a link guests can contribute to from anywhere. Start a free wishing well at EasyRegistry.