Keep Your Gift Givers Private With An Anonymous Gift Registry

Three ways people keep gift details private

Privacy on EasyRegistry comes down to one default and two settings. Here is what each one actually covers.

A guest who does not want the other guests to know

There is nothing to turn on: this is how every registry already works. Your registry page never shows contributor names, individual amounts or messages to anyone but you. On the classic registry page, priced gifts show only what is still needed, such as "$120 remaining of $300", and a wishing well shows a running total or a count of contributions only when you have chosen to display one; the newer registry page shows the price and a purchased badge only.

A guest who does not want you to know

Switch on anonymous gifts and guests get a "Make this gift anonymous" option when they give. You still see the gift and the amount, which is how you know it has been covered. The guest's name and email are hidden from you, and their message is kept out of your gift notification email; the message itself still appears on the classic Purchases page, just never attached to a name.

How to turn on anonymous gifts

1. Open your admin area and choose Purchases.
2. Switch on "Would you like to allow anonymous gifts?" (off by default).
3. Save. Guests now see the "Make this gift anonymous" option when they give.

You want to stay surprised until after the event

Switch on hiding purchaser details and the purchaser name, email and message are held back on your Purchases page and in your gift notification emails. Nothing is deleted, so switching it off shows everything again straight away. Amounts are never hidden by it.

How to hide purchaser details from yourself

1. Open your admin area and choose Purchases.
2. Switch on "Would you like to hide the purchaser's details?" (off by default).
3. Save. Switch it off again whenever you are ready to see who gave what.

There is no reveal date to set

EasyRegistry has no scheduled reveal or unmasking feature. A gift given anonymously stays anonymous for good, and the details you hide from yourself come back the moment you switch that setting off. It is worth telling guests that anonymity is permanent if you would like to thank everyone by name.

Everything else works as usual — cash gifts, simple sharing and complete flexibility over how your registry looks.

Anonymous gift registry questions

Can guests give us a gift anonymously?

Yes. Guests get a "Make this gift anonymous" option when they give. Some registry pages always offer it; on the classic registry page it appears only once you switch on "Would you like to allow anonymous gifts?" on the Purchases page of your admin area (off by default).

You will still see the gift and the amount. Anonymity permanently hides the guest's name and email, and keeps their message out of your gift notification email. It does not hide the message itself on the classic Purchases page: an anonymous gift's message still appears there, just never attached to a name. To hold messages back on that page too, also turn on "Would you like to hide the purchaser's details?", the separate setting on the same page.

The amount is never hidden, by this or any other setting, so your totals always add up.

An anonymous gift stays anonymous. There is no way to reveal who it was from later, so it is worth telling guests that if you would like to thank everyone by name.

Can we avoid seeing who gave what until after the event?

Yes. "Would you like to hide the purchaser's details?" on the Purchases page of your admin area hides the purchaser name, email and message on that page, and in your gift notification emails.

It is reversible at any time. Nothing is deleted: the details are simply held back while the setting is on, so turning it off shows them again straight away.

It does not hide amounts. You will still see what each gift raised while the setting is on.

Will other guests see that I gave, or how much I gave?

No. The registry page shows no contributor names, individual amounts or messages to other guests.

On a wishing well the couple can choose to show the total contributed so far or the number of contributions, but never a breakdown of who gave what. On the classic registry page, gifts with a set price show how much is still needed, again without naming anyone; the newer registry page shows the price and a purchased badge only.

Can we keep our registry out of search results or make it private?

Unpublish it from the Share page. While unpublished your registry does not appear in search results, and anyone other than you who follows the link sees a "check back later" message rather than your gifts. You can keep editing it and republish at any time.

Premium registries can also set a password on the Details page, so guests need that password to view the registry. Password protection is a Premium feature, so it only takes effect once your registry is on Premium.