We have an increasing number of couples that want to not only throw a great party, but also give back to the community during their wedding. From floral to gifts, there are a number of ways to share the love after the wedding is over! Here are a few ideas:
Photo courtesy of Allen Tsai Photography
Floral by Petals Couture
Sharing Your Flowers
Floral provides a great opportunity to give back, after all, at the end of the night the flowers are yours to keep. It would be a shame to just throw it all away. In our previous blog we talk you through a number of different options, but one of my favorites is to donate them. Your florist may have a preferred charity that they bring flowers to after a wedding, but you can also ask your planner about it. Here at Each & Every Detail we have partnered with Harbor Chase Retirement Home to provide their residents the remaining flowers from our clients’ events. What a great way to pay it forward! Send us an email for more details.
Photo courtesy of Tony Valadez Photography
Catering by CN Catering
Making Your Food Go A Little Further
In order to make sure that everyone gets fed, most caterers will cook slightly more food than the guest count indicates. This means that there will likely be left over food. While you could take it home and feast on left overs for a week you could also talk to your caterer about donating it. Different caterers have different rules about reheating food, but it’s definitely an option to consider when thinking about ways to give back.
Photo courtesy of Jeremy Minnerick Photography
Gift for Others
There are several different ways you can encourage your guests to give back in your name. You can set up a typical gift table but have an informational sign that encourages charitable giving rather than gifts. You can also prepare your guests by registering through a charity or list your favorite organization on your wedding website.
Alternatively, if you think your guests might be the kind to want to bring physical gifts, try having a toy drive or asking everyone to bring their favorite book to be donated. You still get a great gift table as well as the satisfaction that comes with helping others.
Photo courtesy of Jeremy Minnerick Photography
Donations as Favors
Favors are a fun way to add a little personality to your event! Rather than trying to think of the perfect little gift for your guests, how about you donate to a charity of your choice in their honor. You can leave a little card on everyone’s place setting with the details of the donation. That way you don’t have to worry if anything gets left on the table at the end of the night, because the charity has received your donation either way.
There you have it, four easy ways to give back to the community during your wedding. What is your favorite way to pay it forward? If you want advice on how to incorporate giving back with your event contact us! We’d love to help out!