Having a wedding is your chance to spend a day celebrating yourself, your fiancée, and your love for each other. That’s such a special and magical opportunity, and it’s good to be a little self-indulgent every once in a while! But there are always small, simple ways to give back to your community and really make a difference. Imagine how great of a feeling it would be to start your marriage with the knowledge that you’re doing good in the world! We compiled a list of ideas that we think are wonderful, simple ways to make your wedding a charitable celebration.
Top 10 Ways to Have a Charitable Wedding
- Ask bridal shower guests to bring canned food with them for you to collect and donate to a local food bank.
- Don’t let your flowers wilt away! Donate your flowers at the end of your big day to local nursing homes who could repurpose them.
- Give your guests gifts made up of items you purchase through nonprofits or companies who donate part of their profits to a good cause.
- Don’t throw out the food that guests leave uneaten at your reception! Donate your leftover food to a local food rescue service, such as Keep Austin Fed.
- Having a charitable wedding can start before your big day! Visit VolunteerMatch and set a couple dates with your fiancée to volunteer in your area. Take your mind off of wedding planning and bond with your boo, while giving back to your community.
- Give each member of your wedding party a Charity Check to donate to their organization of choice.
- Register for the Working Assets credit card, and use it to purchase everything you need for your wedding! They’ll donate a portion of each of your charges to the charity of your choice.
- Are you actually going to wear your wedding dress again after your wedding day comes to an end? Donate your dress and accessories to Brides Against Breast Cancer. They will resell your dress and donate the profits to women battling breast cancer.
- Recommend that your bridesmaids do something similar, by donating their dresses to The Glass Slipper Project, which donates prom dresses to disadvantaged high school girls.
- You may receive some non-returnable wedding gifts that you don’t think you’ll end up using. Consider donating these to a local charity!
It can be super easy and super rewarding to add a little charity into your wedding. Whether it’s throughout your planning process, on your big day, or even afterwards! Giving back to your community may be something that means a lot to you and your fiancée. This can be a great way to incorporate that charitable spirit into the start of your marriage!
