Over the past 5 years, more and more couples are making good use of their wedding favor budget by steering clear of the ornamental and offering donations in lieu of wedding favors. This trend has led to many charitable organizations now making wedding registry options available, and has also led to online services popping up, like the I Do Foundation, that handles all of the schematics for you; you merely have to choose your charities and they handle the rest. Although wedding favors are usually quite inexpensive, those couple of dollars per guest adds up pretty quickly. Being able to offer these funds for a good cause is a way to ensure that your wedding has a positive, lasting impact, and can leave your guests with warm hearts, not only for your union but also because of this wonderful display of generosity.
All Those Opposed…
Of course, there will always be the few opposed, and there have been those who have argued that this is a favor to the organizations receiving the donations and not a favor to the guests themselves. Although this outlook can perhaps be understood, a basic history of wedding favors outlines that the tradition is actually about a lot more than merely saying thank you to your guests. It was originally a symbol of the bond between the couple and has evolved into a quaint note of appreciation for guests, as well as a personal expression from the bride and groom. Even more so presently, favors adhere to the theme and color scheme of the wedding, and they are increasingly more and more personal and unique. In the end, if you are the type of couple that wants to donate those couple of dollars per guest to charity instead of giving a sachet with candy almonds, then most likely your guests will also be the type of people to appreciate such a heartfelt gesture.
Forever Hold Your Peace
Ultimately it’s your day and it should go your way. If donating to charity is important to you, then you should do so with complete peace of mind. When done right, it can be a wonderful gesture and a gift that keeps on giving. If you want to get your guests more involved in the process, you can distribute cards for your guests to choose a charity to donate to from a list chosen by you and your partner. This way, your guests will feel a part of it, and the donation can even be in their name. Alternatively, if you don’t want to worry about the hassle of properly allocating the funds after the wedding, utilizing the power of a website is a great option. Wedding website packages found here from 1&1 are easily accessible and are extremely useful for organizing your special day since it allows you to centralize all the important information, invites and RSVPs, photos, and so on. It makes perfect sense, then, to include your donations to charity by providing a list of charities for guests to choose from. It’s entirely up to you whether you allow people to donate independently, or if you collect their donations via your website. Either way, it’s a pretty neat 21st century solution.