Wedding Philanthropy – Ideas for Charity

With flowers, wedding favours, videographers and other wedding-planning “essentials,” it has never been so expensive for couples to make that trip down the aisle. But some couples see this time as an opportunity to stretch pockets, share love and spread their fortune to those in need. Read on for ideas to incorporate charitable acts into your wedding plans.

Sharing the giving

The idea of wedding philanthropy is catching on. People are sharing how they donated to charity through their wedding day and they’re sending suggestions to us. One reader bought her wedding gown at a local store whose proceeds were donated to a women’s shelter, another suggests choosing a historic site for your ceremony where the money you spend can be used to maintain the property.

The easiest way is to take a percentage of your cash gifts and donate that to your favourite charity. Many couples will donate to a charity that is meaningful to them. For example, if the bride has lost some family members to cancer, she may give the money to help cancer research.

Here are some other suggestions on how to use your special day as an opportunity to help others.

Wedding Gifts

Ask guests to donate to charity in the couple’s name rather than give a cash wedding gift. This is more common with second marriages because the couples are often more financially stable.

Food

Caterers will often arrange to send your leftover food to the homeless. Many couples forget to ask their caterers if this is an option and these leftovers can go to waste.

Flowers

At the end of the night, bouquets and arrangements in vases are left to litter empty banquet halls. These flowers can be sent to hospitals or nursing homes to brighten up someone’s room.

For those who think that donating to charities will leave them with empty pockets in the mass of wedding expenses, Dreifus says couples could actually save money this way. Instead of spending on wedding favours, make one donation in the names of your wedding guests and print cards that tell your guests what you have done.

An original wedding favor

Anne and Craig Turk made a donation to the D.C. Hospital for Sick Children in Washington, in their guests’ names. “We didn’t want to do favours,” Anne says, “It (buying wedding favors) was excessive to us.”

So on their wedding day, 220 wedding guests sat before cards that read: “To commemorate the special day, a donation has been made in the names of our wedding guests to the Hospital for Sick Children in Washington, D.C.” The couple sent their donation, with a letter explaining what they did to the hospital and they received positive feedback. “Everyone thought it was a great idea,” says Anne. “A few people said they’d incorporate it into their wedding plans.”

When budgeting for your wedding, Anne suggests putting money aside to donate to a good cause.

“It’s easy to lose sight of reality when you’re planning your wedding,” Anne says. But a wedding is a happy occasion and it’s nice to share what you can at the time. “It’s a nice feeling to know that you’re helping someone.”