The 'I Do' foundation/Donations as Favors

FH and I want to register through the I Do Foundation.org. You sign up with the foundation and they have partner stores you register with. Your guests can then access your registry through your foundation wedding website and a percentage of the purchase price of the gifts gets donated to a charity of our choice. This is a wonderful organization and it doesn't tack on any extra cost to me and my FH or our guests!

On the same lines, we were thinking about making a donation in lieu of favors. My sister didn't like the idea too much, neither did my mom, but we both we both just feel like weddings are SOOO expensive and what little money we have to spend could be put to better use.

How do we go about making donations instead of giving favors and NOT insulting people?

Please help!

---

Posted by barbandbill


On the same lines, we were thinking about making a donation in lieu of favors. My sister didn't like the idea too much, neither did my mom, but we both we both just feel like weddings are SOOO expensive and what little money we have to spend could be put to better use.

How do we go about making donations instead of giving favors and NOT insulting people?

Please help!

---

we were thinking of the same thing. you can give a small box or a message in a bottle explaining that you would much rather donate the fund to people who need it instead of giving everyone another______ (fill in blank) that they dont need. I think the wedding is giving everyone enough. a small trinket will probably end up in a cabinet somewhere. no offense to anyone giving favors. it's still an option for me.

I've been to 3 weddings in the past year. The first one did not give out any favors or make a donation. The second one gave each couple a bottle of wine and the third one gave a donation to the Lung cancer society.

We were thinking about doing a donation...but we do have an idea for a favor as well....not so much for $$$ reasons but....sometimes favors can cheesy and people are unimpressed.

How much money do people usually donate?

i'm going to be giving a donation to the american diabetes foundation in honor of my dad who died from diabetes. i think for $400 the foundation sends me personalized cards. i'm going to imprint my dad's picture on an overlay and put that with it.

and that's it. no favors too.. i'v been to a few weddings in the past year and i cant remember the faovrs from any of them. nor can i remember the invitations.. ask me bout the food though.. yummmm..

SugaBeans, I think you're right, the wedding is giving everyone enough, but i'm fighting pretty much everyone on that thought! Our other idea was to give trees. the Arbor day foundation has baby evergreen saplings that come in a tube (which then doubles as a bird feeder!!), and you can have a quote or inscription placed on the planting instructions card inside the tube. We figure that takes care of our donations as well as appeases the idea that people deserve something for coming to a wedding... We're trying to keep our wedding as green as possible too, so that definitely fits.

Thanks for all the advise girls! I just got engaged last week and my sister turned me on to LIW and I am SO hooked!!! So far we've already found the place and we're booking it this week! We decided on the Pavillion at Sunken Meadow! We both only wanted one venue, we wanted to get married on the sand and have a 'casual but elegant' beach party wedding! Plus! It's a state park so the money goes back into the park system and NOT into some rich club owner's pocket!! WIN WIN for the eco-dorks!

---

Posted by barbandbill

SugaBeans, I think you're right, the wedding is giving everyone enough, but i'm fighting pretty much everyone on that thought! Our other idea was to give trees. the Arbor day foundation has baby evergreen saplings that come in a tube (which then doubles as a bird feeder!!), and you can have a quote or inscription placed on the planting instructions card inside the tube. We figure that takes care of our donations as well as appeases the idea that people deserve something for coming to a wedding... We're trying to keep our wedding as green as possible too, so that definitely fits.

Thanks for all the advise girls! I just got engaged last week and my sister turned me on to LIW and I am SO hooked!!! So far we've already found the place and we're booking it this week! We decided on the Pavillion at Sunken Meadow! We both only wanted one venue, we wanted to get married on the sand and have a 'casual but elegant' beach party wedding! Plus! It's a state park so the money goes back into the park system and NOT into some rich club owner's pocket!! WIN WIN for the eco-dorks!

---

This is exactly what I was thinking of doing...give out evergreens since our wedding's in the winter. The other option was do do the scrolls from the American Cancer Society....they give you personlized scrolls.

My best friend is giving the breast cancer ribbon pins to each guest bc she made a donation on their behalf. I would NEVER be insulted if some donated money in lieu of a gift....and if people are insulted...scr*ew them!