Charity & Your Wedding Day
Many couples choose to give a little something back on their big day. While it’s long been a popular idea to ask for donations in lieu of gifts, nowadays couples are also giving donations as wedding favors. An unexpected plus; you won’t spend weeks looking up wedding favor ideas for your affair.
If you decide to give a charitable donation as a wedding favor, you can make it personal or general. A lot of people choose to honor a loved one, and do so by having a placard honor the person’s life, followed by a note of which charity the donation will go to. Whatever you decide, you can do a search online to find out about charitable organizations (some of which will provide wedding placards), and then follow through with a background check to make sure the organization is reputable. You only need to worry about the latter if you’re picking something no one’s ever heard of; the Red Cross is a no-brainer, whereas Joe’s Car Repair and Tree Saving Society might involve researching their status.
Some couples opt for more than one charity, and it’s entirely up to you. Remember that not all people share your views, so think twice before donating to, say, a political party. It’s also a smart idea not to attach the guests’ names to the charity, but to simply say that a donation has been made in their honor. There’s no need to mention the donation ahead of time; placards are common, and sometimes people put announcements on menus. You may wish to mention something during the toasts. Never list the dollar amount being donated—that’s considered bad etiquette.
There’s always a chance that a guest will be upset that he didn’t get a traditional wedding favor, and you need to be prepared. However, it’s your day, and deciding where to spend your money is completely up you. In the same way that one person might not like the idea of a wedding donation as a favor, you might not like the idea of going that route. Traditional favors are fun and fabulous. Make your choice, and make sure to enjoy. Either way, it’s cause for celebration.
-David Toussaint
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