They say by doing good for others you feel better, and this goes double for couples. So as you plan your wedding events, consider making a difference in Edmonton and beyond! Here are a few ways:
Wedding shower
- Instead of gifts, you can ask guests to bring canned goods for the Edmonton Food Bank
- Shower games can be fun, but you could also spend time together making soul food at Edmonton Soup Sisters and Broth Brothers
Event Location
- Rent space from a non-profit here in town. You’ll get an interesting backdrop to your wedding, and the site fee will support a local museum or historic site. For example, the Old Timer’s Cabin has become a popular spot, but there are many other neat places to choose from!
Table Favours, Flowers, and Food
- The Stollery Children’s Hospital is a great example of creating a “wedding with a difference”. Instead of table favours, you can make a donation to its Foundation. With the $500 Diamond Package, you get 20 customizable table cards, five certificates, and a prepared toast for your MC to read during the reception.
- Contact a nursing home, hospital, or similar place in your neighbourhood to see if you can drop off your flowers. Your blooms could brighten someone else’s day once your big one is done!
- Ask your caterer if untouched leftovers can be donated to a local charity.
Wedding Party Thank You Gifts
- If you’ve got a bunch of bridesmaids or groomsmen you’d like to thank, consider buying items where a portion of each sale goes to charity. Or get a great deal on the items and donate the rest of your gift budget to charity!
Wedding Gifts
- If you don’t need a toaster, invite guests to donate to worthy causes in your name. The Stollery will provide wedding invitation inserts, or you could do a search of CanadaHelps.org to choose one (or more) of 500 registered charities here in Edmonton.
- If you get gifts you know you’ll never use, consider donating them to a local charity or selling them off. Then you can give the proceeds to your favourite cause.
- Donated wedding and bridesmaids dresses as well as accessories can make a graduating teen’s day. Organizations like Cinderella’s Closet have drop-off sites at bridal and formal dress stores around town, so if you want to give your gown to someone in need, check them out!
Honeymoon
- Some call them ‘Humanitarian Honeymoons’ – you and your new spouse volunteer on your vacation. These can be a week-long build for Habitat for Humanity , or a shorter commitment that still leaves plenty of time for sightseeing and sipping Mai Tais. A quick internet search will turn up websites and blogs devoted to the idea of giving back while you backpack.
