Do me a (wedding) favor?
We've all been there. You go to a wedding, beautiful ceremony, delicious meal, the bride looks great (the groom nervous and sweaty), and the reception hall looks like a presidential inauguration ball (I won't tell you how much those cost taxpayers). But when you sit down at your seat, saliva welling up like the time you fell asleep in Mr. Daley's seventh grade Social Studies class in anticipation of that prime rib, your eyes happen upon the wedding favor.
It's a little chair that holds a half-a-wallet-sized picture of the wedding couple that you can't even make out without squinting. Or a tiny top hat that doubles as a place card holder. Maybe some personalized M&Ms that you feel guilty about eating and then throw away when they go bad. Or my personal favorite, a customized sewing kit, complete with the names of the married couple.
These things usually get thrown into a box and stored in the attic or basement for ten years and the next time you look through that box you can't even remember who's wedding it was. And anyone who has put together a wedding reception (I have) can tell you that these favors ain't cheap. With the average cost of a wedding in the United States climbing to over $22,000, almost $300 of that goes toward wedding favors. And that's if you get the cheap stuff.
But at a friend's wedding last month I was greeted by a pleasant surprise. At my seat was a card thanking me for sharing their special day and informing me that in lieu of a wedding favor they were making a donation to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, a disease that the groom's grandfather has suffered from for over 30 years. I immediately wished that I had thought of doing that for my wedding instead of the homemade natural soaps (though we got a lot of compliments, it was both expensive and time consuming).
So spread the word. If someone you know is getting married, suggest giving this unusually progressive wedding favor and point them to the “I do– foundation. Not only do they make it easy to give these wedding favors, they also offer a gift registry and honeymoon packages that donate up to 5% of the purchase to the charity of your choice.
So instead of that bride's-dress-shaped candle that will never be lit, make a donation. It’s a wedding favor that will be appreciated by all of your guests and maybe make a difference in someone's life.
Congratulations and thanks for the picture goes to this happy bride.
Make this your homepage 
Add this to your favorites