Everybody loves a wedding, and often people imagine their own for years before they happen, thinking about what they’ll wear, do and say. However, whilst we tend to share an iconic image of what a wedding is, in fact they’re changing all the time! There’s always a new wedding trend that everybody wants to be apart of. It keeps things fresh and exciting. The latest trend goes one step further placing a special meaning to those who aren’t even there – fundraising for charity.
Gifts with meaning
A wedding is an occasion for celebrating a lifelong commitment, but it used to be something else – a celebration of the commencement of a new life together. These days, the majority of couples live together for some time before they get married, and where that isn’t the case, they usually live in their own independent households. This means that the old idea of buying toasters and blenders as wedding gifts now rarely makes sense. One approach to this problem has been to switch to ornaments and personalised trinkets, but it’s all too easy to fill up a home with junk this way. A much better way to make a gift that has real meaning is to make a donation, in the happy couple’s name, to a charity they really care about.
Choosing a charity
How do you find the right charity? Generally, this is something that the couple themselves will choose and it often has a personal connection. People whose lives have been touched by cancer, for instance, might choose MacMillan Cancer Support, an organisation that makes it simple to arrange with a special wedding fundraising package. Members of forces families or those who want to support brave men and women injured while working to protect this country might choose to donate to Help For Heroes. It’s a real community charity that helps disabled veterans reclaim their independence, and its efforts have led directly to a few happy occasions like this.
Ways to raise money
Alongside simple donations as gifts, there are other ways to help raise money for charity during the marriage celebrations. Help For Heroes assault course events are great fun for stag or hen parties, for instance, and if you’re taking part in one you can be sponsored to do so. You could also consider booking a space belonging to a local charity for the wedding reception, so that money you would have to spend anyway goes to a good cause. After the big day, give the flowers to a local hospital and the wedding dress and bridesmaids’ dresses to charity shops.
Scientists who study happiness say that the best way to achieve it is through giving, so what better way to get the happy couple off to a good start? When Prince William married Kate Middleton their request for charity donations instead of gifts raised over £1.7 million. Whilst not everybody can make that big a difference, every donation helps, and the charities receiving your gifts can help other people to lead happier lives.
Image Credit: Honey Honey Photography via Style Me Pretty.
