Charity donation as wedding favor

Mmmm never heard of something like that, but that's actually a pretty awesome idea

My friends are doing this...they mentioned that in lieu of favors they will be donating to a homeless shelter which I thought was very thoughtful!

I personally would love to be a guest and see this at a wedding but I think am the UO around here about that.

I don't mind the idea but I still think charity should be private.

I read an article a while ago about a couple who did this. I can't remember what the charity they donated to was, but apparently they had a number of guests who didn't like or agree with that charity and were pretty unhappy about the donation. Generally I think with an animal shelter you would be less likely to run into this problem but it's just something to think about.

This was just asked the other day too. I agree with Olivia in that it seems a bit like a humble brag. Favors are not necessary so you can easily skip that altogether and just donate on your own

It's a bit of a humble brag. Just donate and don't say anything about it to your guests.

Donations are great but in no way is it a wedding favor for your guests. I would be really turned off if I saw a sign that said instead of giving you a gift we donated the money.

If you want to donate, donate. You don't need to broadcast at the wedding that you donated. Favors aren't required and if you want to use the money you would have spent to go to an animal shelter then just do it. You don't need to flaunt charity to guests.

My dog is from the shelter so I support the cause 100%, just keep it private.

I am not against donating to charity, I do it myself. But why is it always at the guest’s expense? I would love to see someone not a buy new wedding dress and use that money for charity. That's got to be much more substantial amount than just favors.

Just don't do favors and donate. It may come off a little "look how good and generous we are" if you point it out to your guests, most of which probably won't even notice the absence of favors.

I think it's a great idea. Most of those favors are left on the table or end up in the bin. I cleaned out a drawer in the kitchen last week and found a little gift bag with "Tom and Mandy Forever" on it. Tossed it.

Nancy --- exactly my thoughts!

It could be cute if you donated and also had some dog or cat treats available as favors for pet owners! That way, it's not just a humble brag. I also can't imagine it would be too expensive to have, and you wouldn't need one for every guest/couple.

I think it's great. Use the money you had set aside for favors and donate it. Just don't advertise it - that's tacky AF

Someone made a thread about this yesterday too, and you can see from the responses, the consensus was "unless the donation was to honor someone close to the B&G who couldn't be at the wedding, you should just donate and not mention it at all.

https://www.weddingwire.com/wedding-forums/in-lieu-of-favors/e56d5bb86adbe831.html

As for how it's perceived, for me, it's like saying "hey, you were supposed to get a gift, but we gave it to charity instead, aren't you glad we did? Oh wait, you had no choice in that situation did you?"

It's absolutely no benefit for me that you donated to a charity in my name without my consent or soliciting a choice of charity from me. That's not doing me/giving me a favor.

I think it is an unpopular idea because it is like you are bragging about it. You could have just donated the money without announcing it to people. Nobody cares about favors anyway.

This was just posted; scroll around a few pages.

Donations are not 'in lieu of favors', since a favor is a gift to the guests and a donation is basically, a tax write off and a feel good for you.

Donate often and big; donate in private. Donate to causes that you love, but realize that it is almost impossible to find a charity that will make everyone happy; either the cause doesn't resonate or the administration is suspect. Some of the biggest charities waste the most money (you can check this on Charity Watch).

On the rescue front, we support local shelters and Puppies Behind Bars (they place puppies with incarcerated people who train them as service dogs for returning veterans. Shameless plug; they get a 97 out of 100 on the rating sites...)

I say just skip doing favors - they're not necessary anyway. And if you feel compelled to donate the money you would have spent on favors to the local animal shelter, then that's wonderful! But, do it privately on your own as something separate from your wedding and guests.