Giving on your wedding day

Here is the article that I wrote and just submited to an editor for The Learning Channel website.


On Your Wedding Day, Give Back


More and more couples in this day and age are for-going registering for traditional wedding gifts such as toasters and bath towels. Why? Brides and grooms are older now and have been living on their own for sometime, or co-habitating with their fiancé. They already have all of the household items that they need. Some couples hope to receive un-conventional gifts such as recreational equipment or theatre tickets. Others create honeymoon registries. Others still, are increasingly turning their extravagant, one day celebrations into an excuse to give back. Whether an eco-friendly bride and groom, hoping to make an impact on the conservation of the rainforests, or a couple wanting to give to an organization specializing in research for a disease or disability that may hit close to home, there are many options of where to turn to when wanting to donate.

Sites to check out:
Changingthepresent.org - Lets friends honor a marriage with inspiring gifts: anything from providing a child with her first book to funding an hour of cancer research. Beautiful, personalized greeting cards include a photo and description of your gift. A few categories available to choose from are refugees, mental health, medical research, global warming and disaster relief.
IDoFoundation.org - Create a wedding gift registry with the I Do Foundation's partner stores and up to 10% of gift purchases will be donated to your favorite charity. Affiliates include Target, REI and Linens and Things.
JustGive.org - Couples getting married can choose specific charities, and justgive.org creates a special page the bride and groom refer their guests to, allowing them to donate to the charities in their names.

It is still concerned in poor taste to include information requesting a type of gift with the wedding invitations. Instead, get the message out by word of mouth. Enlist in the help of your immediate families and wedding party to pass on the word that you would rather your guests donate to a good cause than search for a blender. It is ok to let guests know, when they ask you where you are registered, that you are doing something different.

Need another excuse to give? You can spend hundreds, even thousands of dollars, on that little box of Jordan Almonds with the matching ribbon and mini picture frame/place card holder at each place setting. But is that a detail that you or your guests will remember years from now? Instead of a traditional guest favor, why not let your guests know that you are thankful they could witness your vows and that you have donated to your favorite charity in their names? You can describe the donation in a table card, a small scroll tied with a ribbon or any other way that can still coordinate with the colors and theme of your wedding. Some organizations, such the American Diabetes Association, will actually supply the table cards that explain the wedding donation to guests If you are remembering a specific loved one and that is why you chose the charity that you did, you can refer to them on the placecard with a special message:

In memory of ...
Although we can't see you,
We know you are here:
Smiling, watching over us
As we say "I do."
Forever in our hearts,
Forever in our lives —
And so we say our vows
In loving memory of you.

At the end of the wedding, the giving can continue. Ask your caterer to donate the leftover food to a homeless shelter. Have someone from your wedding party bring your floral centerpieces to a nursing home or hospital. You can even donate your wedding gown to an organization like bridesagainstbreastcancer.org.