In many cultures, giving money in lieu of gifts is routine. In America, not so much.

When it comes to weddings, brides and grooms have their work cut out for them—with gifts come the hassle of registries and returns. Defining what you need before and after the festivities, however, is not so hard. Here are some quick tips on how to cash in by managing your registry, gifts, merchandise credits and more.

Ask for Cash?

“Requesting cash for your wedding is a new change to etiquette, says Anna Post of the Emily Post Institute.“It’s not something that people used to do.”

Even though requesting cash is somewhat taboo, there are ways of going about it. Anna first suggests indicating your preference for cash on your registry and also paying attention to your approach.

“It’s really in how you ask that makes the difference as to whether or not people will be comfortable giving you cash,” she says. “It is a good idea to either have a small registry available as well or to make a comment like ‘Of course we would love whatever you give us but what we really could use help with is a down payment on our house.’”

A phrase like that let’s them know that any gift would be welcome and also communicates your preferences, she says. “Giving people an idea of what it’s going towards is highly recommended, so they can picture it. That way, they feel like they’re doing something to help you get started as a couple rather than padding the bank account, even though that’s helpful too, it’s hard to picture what that looks like.”

Set Up a Honeymoon Registry

If you think asking for cash would be too direct, a honeymoon registry is a great compromise between gifts and cash. With a honeymoon registry, you’re asking for money that you are already planning to spend as opposed to the excess of miscellaneous items on a gift registry.

On sites such as honeymoonwishes.com or TheBigDay.com, you list items associated with your honeymoon: plane tickets, hotel, sports activities, spa day, etc.  Most likely, gift givers will have the option of contributing a portion of money to the expensive items like a hotel room rather than be expected to cover the whole thing. For example, if hotel is $800, there will probably be increments of $50 to contribute.

According to honeymoonwishes.com, if the wedding is cancelled, the site would refund purchases. Traditional registries often work this way as well.

Use User-Friendly Retailers

Another option is to register for gifts with a cash return-friendly retailer. The policies of many stores vary but it’s good to know which ones will take returns and give you cash versus which ones will only give you a store credit. Bed, Bath and Beyond and Crate & Barrel, for example, do accept returns and give cash back. For the most part, however, most stores will give you merchandise credit. You should check directly with the retailer about their store policy before registering.

Find Hold Service/Accounts

Another flexible and hassle-free option is registering with a retailer that offers a hold service for your gifts. Bergdorf Goodman, for example, offers this option. When a guest buys a gift from your registry, you receive notification and the gift is not sent to you until you approve it. In the meantime, between notification and approval, you have the option of swapping your gift for something else in the store in the case that you get a duplicate gift or just want to rearrange your wishlist.