With more couples than ever co-habiting before they get married - or separately amassing an impressive collection of pots and pans - fewer people are asking for traditional wedding presents these days. If you can't think of anything you need but want your guests to have the option of giving something, asking for charity donations instead of wedding gifts is the perfect solution!WHAT CHARITY SHOULD I CHOOSE?
Popular choices include charities such as Macmillan Cancer Support, the British Heart Foundation and the Children's Hospice Association Scotland. But lots of people opt for lesser-known charities too - just go with one that's close to your heart.
And if you're struggling to narrow it down to one, you could always choose a few and split the money between them. William and Kate asked for charity donations instead of wedding gifts, and decided to give to several different causes: from a theatre group for disabled children, to Combat Stress and Cruse Bereavement Care for the children of military casualties.
NATURE CALLS
Nature conservation is a growing concern, too, and one couple recently asked their guests to donate money to the RSPB on the island of Mull, to help save white-tailed eagles. After visiting the island in 2010, Andrew and Charlotte Barton were saddened to learn that the birds of prey had actually been extinct in the UK for 70 years, before a reintroduction programme began in the 1960s. While it has been successful, the number of white-tailed eagles is still a fraction of what it once was.
Their wedding gift donations will help protect the birds and encourage breeding, which will be further aided by the money raised from their RSPB wedding favours - white-tailed eagle pin badges.
CHARITY WEDDING FAVOURS
Incidentally, charity wedding favours are a great way of giving money to a worthy cause if you're not ready to forego wedding gifts completely! Because this is becoming increasingly popular, many charities now offer a variety of tokens of gratitude to give to your guests. Cancer Research UK got Jenny Packham to specially design pin badges, while UNICEF offers floral-printed scent sachets and cute tea light holders.
Not sure what kind of gift list to have? Share some ideas with other brides on the SWD Forum
