Wishing Well Wording: Poems, Plain Lines and Is It Rude to Ask?

Below are wording examples to copy, from poems to plain lines, plus the etiquette questions couples ask most.

Is a wishing well rude?

No. Plenty of couples already live together and have the toaster, so cash helps more than another set of glasses, and most Australian guests expect to give money. What makes it feel awkward is the wording: anything that sounds like a price, a demand or an apology. Lead with "your presence is enough", keep it short, and guests read it as helpful, not grabby.

A few things keep it gracious:

• Never say an amount. Guests decide what they give.
• Don't put it front and centre on the invitation. A short line, or a note pointing to your website, is plenty.
• Make it optional. "If you'd like to" does a lot of work.
• Say what it's for, if you like. A honeymoon, a house deposit or a veggie patch makes it personal.

If you're still working out what the wedding itself will cost, our wedding budget guide explains why wishing well money shouldn't go towards the bills: it arrives after they're due.

Plain wording (no rhymes)

Lines you can copy, for the invitation or your website:

Your presence is the best gift of all. If you'd like to give something, there'll be a wishing well at the reception.

We're lucky to have a home full of everything we need. If you wish to give a gift, a contribution to our wishing well would be lovely.

Having you there is all we ask. For anyone who'd like to give a gift, we'll have a wishing well on the day, going towards our honeymoon in Japan.

No gifts needed. If you'd really like to, a card in the wishing well would help us towards our first home.

We'd love to see you there. A wishing well will be at the reception for anyone who'd like to contribute to our next adventure.

Wishing well poems

Some couples love a rhyme; some guests roll their eyes. If you use one, keep it short.

We've got the cups, the pots and the pans, A home that's full of all our plans. If you'd like to give, a wishing well Will be there on the night as well.

Your company is the gift we treasure, Your laughter adds to every measure. But if you'd like to give a gift, Our wishing well will give us a lift.

We've lived together a little while, And have the basics, linen and tile. A wishing well will be close by For anyone who'd like to try.

Wording for a honeymoon or house fund

We're saving for our honeymoon. If you'd like to help us get there, there'll be a wishing well at the reception.

Our wishing well is going towards a deposit on our first home. Thank you for helping us build it.

Where to put the wishing well wording

• Your wedding website. The best place. Add a gifts section with your line, what it's for and whether you also have a registry.
• The invitation. One short line at most, or "Details on our website". The invitation is for the who, when and where.
• On the day. A small sign beside the box: "Wishing well. Thank you for celebrating with us."

Our wedding invitation wording guide covers the rest of the invitation, and how to fit the gifts line in without crowding it.

Bank transfers instead of cards

More guests now ask to transfer money, especially interstate and overseas family who won't be at the wedding. If you offer it:

• Don't put your bank details on a public page. Share them only with guests, for example on a password-protected wedding website, or ask people to message you for them.
• Use a name guests will recognise on the account, so they're confident it's you.
• Keep the box too. Plenty of guests still like to write a card on the day.

On the day

• Put the wishing well somewhere visible but out of the walkway, near the guest book or the entrance to the reception.
• Ask someone you trust to take it home at the end of the night: a parent, a sibling or a member of the wedding party. Don't leave it unattended when the venue starts packing up.
• Open the cards together the next day and note who gave what, so your thank-yous can mention it.

Saying thank you

Thank every guest who gave, ideally within a couple of months of the wedding. You don't need to mention the amount; mention what it'll go towards ("you've helped us get to Kyoto").

Put it on your website

A gifts section on your free wedding website lets you explain the wishing well once, gently, with a password protecting any bank details. Guests read it when they RSVP.

Add a gifts section to your website

Quick questions

Is it rude to ask for a wishing well in Australia?

No. Most Australian guests expect to give money. Keep the wording warm and optional, and never mention an amount.

Where should the wishing well go on the invitation?

A short line at the bottom, or a note pointing to your wedding website. It shouldn't be the first thing guests read.

Can we say what the wishing well money is for?

Yes, and it makes it personal: a honeymoon, a house deposit or a trip. Thank guests for helping rather than asking them to fund it.