Party Favors – why not donate instead?

Why not Donate instead?

Practically 100 percent of the time, when I attend a wedding and at the end of the night I’m given a wedding favor, I end up doing one of two things with it:: eating it or trashing it. Plain and simple. We all know that’s what happens. Sure, the display of candy looks fabulous and tasted fabulous in my mouth. And yes, I may have used that book of matches with the couple’s name on it for a few weeks. Or I may even have listened to the cheesy cd of favorite love songs for about a week. But in the end, I most definitely threw out that wedding favor or ate it all in a matter of minutes.

Personally, I have come to believe that wedding favors can be a wasteful. That thought entered my mind after attending the wedding of a close friend. This was a few years before I was married or even engaged. So planning a wedding and wedding favors were definitely not on my mind. However, I will always remember this particular wedding. At the end of the night, instead of handing out useless party favors, I received a little note from the bride and groom. On this note, it stated that the bride and groom had decided that instead of giving everyone a party favor, they had made a donation to a charity with the money they would have used for the wedding favors. The charity’s cause was something that was very meaningful to them and their relationship. Instead of spending their money on something trivial, they decided to invest it in furthering a great cause.

If you’ve been racking your brain about what kind of wedding favor to give out at your reception, why not donate instead? Donate $1 or more per guest that attends your wedding to further a cause that means a lot to you and your future spouse. Tell your guests what that money will be used for and that it was donated in their name. Of course, there is a tricky part. You want to try not to offend people if at all possible. It might be a good idea to pick a cause that won’t start any negative political or religious discussions. Steer clear from donating money to a candidate’s political campaign, especially if you are telling your guests that the donation has been made in their name. Although, at the end of the day, it is your wedding, and it is your money!