Wedding-Charitable Registry proper?

Question

instead of having a gift registry we are thinking of having guests register to a charitable registry with a organization of our choice. Is this something common at weddings now?

Answer 1

It's not a bad idea per se, but Mister Wedding Etiquette here recommends that you make certain that the charity of your choice utilized for this purpose will not be offensive to the majority of those attending. If your plan does not pan out, an alternative option is to take your monetary gifts and donate the same to the charity of your choice (and you may do so of course in that case without the gift-givers ever being made aware you are doing so).

Answer 2

Keep in mind that a number of guests won't donate to your charity. You don't mention anything on the invites regarding your registry or lack of. You spread the info via word of mouth. However there are many people who don't understand why people don't want something to establish their new home (which is what a registry does) and they will buy you something, and it may be something you can't return. You don't have to register for all practical stuff. Put something fun on there that you want or that you would never buy for yourself so that those folks aren't left wondering what to get you when they don't feel comfortable giving you cash instead.

Answer 3

We did it. We setup a wedding website with some links to charities that are important to us. We also did a small gift registry because some people just really want to give a physical gift even if you don't need much.



We did have some guests choose the charity route which thrilled us.



Also, my dad is fighting cancer so the charity that got the most donations was one that supports research for a cure for him. The charity donations were from people who know my Dad and wanted to support us in that way.



I don't think we would have gotten a response if we'd just picked random charities like PETA or Greenpeace.



We emphasized that we did not want any gifts other than them to come to our wedding but most picked either a charity or a gift anyway.

Answer 4

Weddings are not charity events. My philanthropic endeavours go far beyond the $1 you'll be donating in my name to some charity I probably don't care for so why even worry about it? If you really care about an organization or fund, just take your wedding gift money and make a donation anonymously. No one has to know what you're doing, this idea of giving and telling everyone you're giving to charity is very self-serving. That is not what charity should be about. It should come from your heart and there's no need to advertise.

Answer 5

Incorporating charitable giving into weddings is very popular right now - and a wonderful idea! The same rules apply as they do to traditional gift registries: in no way should it be implied that a gift or donation is expected. Use your wedding website and friends/family to spread the word about your chosen charity.

Answer 6

It's becoming increasingly popular and is a great way for the bride, groom and guests to contribute to the "greater good". I've been to tons of weddings where the bride and groom seem to just get tons of junk they'll never use. However, charitable giving is a meaningful gift that "gives back". My fiance and I are actually doing charitable wedding favors and foregoing the registry, but we considered the registry too.



My advice would be to do what seems right to you. If the charitable registry is your thing, you don't need us [yahoo answers] to tell you otherwise. If you want more info, check out justgive.org.



Also, if you are going to designate specific charities or causes, make sure to check them out and see how much of the donated dollar actually goes to the cause. Here's a site that can help you decide.



http://www.charitynavigator.org/?gclid=CKTZ0JHMvpkCFQrFGgod-lXB5g



Best of luck!

Answer 7

It's more common now that the couple often has everything they need. A lot of people don't care for them, as the point of wedding gifts is to give the couple a good start on life. I'm not sure where I stand - I don't want to give people unneeded items, but I'm not sure I want to bother with a gift if you don't need anything.

Answer 8

I don't like that idea. If a couple doesn't have a need for the gifts that they receive, then let the couple donate them, not the giver. Weddings are not charity events.

Answer 9

Not common but increasingly popular. I personally don't need help with my charitable donations and I think that weddings and charity events should be seperate entities. But if this is what you want to do, it's not unheardof.



Good luck!

Answer 10

We are going to take all the money we get from the dollar dance and donate it to the MS society. My mom passed away at the beginning of this year from complications due to MS and we thought this would be a great way to honor her at the wedding. The MS walk is actually the weekend after the wedding. I think it is a great way to help a cause!

Congrats!

~Bride-to-BE!! April18th

Answer 11

oooooooooh I've never heard of that but I love it! that way the donation will be made in their name?