Whether your life has been impacted by the work of a certain cause or you’re simply looking for a way your favours can give more than they take, considering how you can support a charity through your wedding day may well be top of your agenda. Plenty of UK charities are ahead of the curve when it comes to offering a helping hand on this front, so we’ve rounded up some of our highlights to give you a head start. ALSO CHECK OUT... British Heart Foundation | shop.bhf.org.uk/weddings Dogs Trust | dogstrust.org.uk MS Trust | mstrust.org.uk Barnardo’s | shop.barnados.org.uk Marie Curie | shop.mariecurie.org.uk Save the Children | shop.savethechildren.org.uk Parkinson’s UK | shop.parkinsons.org.uk shop.alzheimers.org.uk There are plenty of ways your wedding can give back by supporting a charity close to your hearts OF SUPPORT A show DO US A FAVOUR! Wedding favours are one of the biggest causes for concern when it comes to the environmental impact of a wedding, as most get left behind or thrown away. To counterbalance this, or better still eliminate it altogether, consider charity wedding favours. The Alzheimers Society (shop.alzheimers.org.uk), for example, offers charming blue enamel forget-menot flower pin badges, doubling as place cards (10 for £25). Here, you’ve got two wedding-day essentials taken care of, and you’re donating to a charity on behalf of your guests. Most will be willing to sport their badges to represent this, so you’re also reducing the chance of wastage. Cancer Research UK (shop.cancerresearchuk. org) too offers a stunning selection from confetti that launches discoveries, to pin badges that power breakthroughs. Thank your guests with gifts that help save lives. Priced at £2 each, you can shop the range of pins and mix or match. We’re huge fans of the supercute bumblebee badge! Mental health charity Mind (shop.mind.org.uk) meanwhile offer sunflower seed wedding favours, from £14 for a pack of 10 they’re the perfect choice for a rustic vibe. Alternatively, if you want to cut out the favours altogether and donate straight to the charity, Mind also offers packs of 50 donation cards for £6. Simply add your desired donation amount at the checkout and you’ll be helping to make sure nobody has to face a mental health problem alone. There are even a number of charities, who alongside their favours offer wedding accessories and goodies in their online shops, so you can also offer support with your styling. Check out Sue Ryder’s lovely rustic range (shop.sueryder.org). KEEP IT SIMPLE To raise as much money as you can for your chosen charity, you’ll want to make it as easy as possible for your guests, with clear reason. Before the big day, set up a charity gift registry. Instead of asking for gifts or honeymoon donations, if it’s important to you, why not ask guests to donate to your chosen charity in lieu of a wedding present? Add a QR code to a charity fundraising or Just Giving page to your invitations explaining to loved ones that they may donate if they wish, as well as why you are offering this option. On the day, add the QR code to your table names or numbers and add a personalised note to your place names explaining why the charity matters to you, encouraging loved ones to support you in your fundraising endeavours. Dogs Trust has a downloadable wedding couple’s quiz on their website – a fabulous icebreaker and guests can use the QR code on their scoresheet to donate. Alternatively, if you’ve lost someone very dear to you and have decided to set up a memory table for your reception in their honour, you may wish to choose this spot to let guests know about the charity you’re supporting if it relates to the departed. Perhaps it’s a charity that offered them assistance in their hour of need, or it’s a charity that could help those impacted by the same condition. shop.cancerresearchuk.org 40
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