One of the greatest wedding dilemmas we often hear is are wedding favours really necessary or are they just a waste of money? We've heard arguments for both sides but what if you could still gift your guests with favours but know that they weren't wasteful? Cue charity wedding favours. With this in mind we've chosen some of our favourite charities doing outstanding work all across the UK from Cancer Support and Research, Health Charities, Humanitarian Crisis Charities, Children's Charities and Animal Charities who all offer great alternatives to the traditional wedding favours of sugared almonds and matches. In lieu of these traditional wedding favours you will receive a favour explaining a charitable donation has been made in the guest's name to the charity you have chosen. We think these are a winner all round...
Cancer Support and Research Charities
Cancer Research UK
By making a donation to Cancer Research UK you will be helping to fund the efficient and effective development of new treatments for cancer. You can make a suggested donation of £2.00 per guest for Cancer Research UK badges and £2.50 for exclusive badges by bridal designers Elizabeth Stuart, Suzanne Neville, Jenny Packham and jewellery designer Alex Monroe. You can also personalised gifting page, either instead of or as well as a traditional wedding gift list and invite family and friends to make a donation to help you celebrate. www.giftshop.cancerresearchuk.org
Macmillan Cancer Support
Macmillan Cancer Support works to improve the lives of people affected by cancer all across the UK with information and support. You can set up a Gift Giving page, a Tribute page as well as shop for wedding favour items. See their wedding brochure here. www.macmillan.org.uk
Marie Curie
Marie Curie provides help and care for people living with any terminal illness, and their families, offering them expert care, guidance and support. For your donation you can chose from a selection of wedding favour pins with 100% of profits from every product going towards providing high quality care to people with terminal illnesses in their own homes. www.shop.mariecurie.org.uk
Breast Cancer Now
Breast Cancer Now does fantastic work to stop breast cancer for good by improving early diagnosis, developing new treatments and preventing all types of breast cancer. You can purchase pink heart pins to give all your guests something memorable to take home for a suggested minimum £1 donation per pin but how much you’d like to give is completely up to you. breastcancernow.org
UK Health Charities
Alzheimer's Society
The Alzheimer's Society helps to care for people affected by dementia today and find a cure for tomorrow. Honour a loved one their special range of wedding favours such as pins, keyrings and favour cards or choose from collection envelopes and collection boxes or cards to insert into your wedding invitations for donations. alzheimers.org.uk
British Heart Foundation
The British Heart Foundation is the UK’s number one heart charity whose pioneering research has helped to transform the lives of people living with heart and circulatory conditions. Their work has been central to the discoveries of vital treatments that are helping to change the face of the UK’s fight against heart disease. As a keepsake of your donation to the BHF, you can request favours such as pins, seeds, bubbles or mints. giftshop.bhf.org.uk
Mind
By supporting Mind on your wedding day you will be helping make sure that anyone with a mental health problem in the UK gets both the support and respect when they need it most. Choose from place cards which are free when you donate or choose from favour pins or mini candles for your guests to bring home. www.mind.org.uk
Epilepsy Action
Epilepsy Action is a charity which provides advice, improves healthcare and funds research to improve the lives of all those affected by epilepsy. You can support people living with epilepsy by making a donation and choosing from Epilepsy Action's range of favour cards, pin badges and wrist bands. www.epilepsy.org.uk/celebrate
Humanitarian Crisis Charities
Unicef
Unicef are the world's leading children organisation in the UK and around the globe providing humanitarian assistance. Whether it's safe drinking water, mosquito nets or measles vaccines, Unicef's charity wedding favour cards help children who need it most and are inspiring gifts for your wedding guests. www.shop.unicef.org.uk
The Heart Felt Project
Heartfelt's mission is to continually create employment for unemployed women in the rural community of Makapanstad - through the creation of unique contemporary felt designs. Helping to empower not only the lives of these women, but also for the good of the community as a whole. Each beautiful favour is traditionally hand-sewn by a group of South African women striving for survival against the most adverse circumstances and you can choose from Handmade heart pins, bookmarks, magnets. www.theheartfeltproject.com
ShelterBox
ShelterBox provides emergency shelter and vital supplies to support communities around the world overwhelmed by disaster and humanitarian crisis. You can donate any amount which will help to stock their relief boxes with essentials such as tents, blankets, water, a stove, purification equipment and cooking utensils, or you may choose to select individual items to donate. Alternatively, purchase favours such as pins, soap and totebags for your guests to take home as thoughtful favours. www.shelterboxshop.org.uk
Concern Worldwide UK
Concern work with the world's poorest people to tackle hunger and transform their lives. As a thank you for your donation, Concern will provide individual place cards for each of your guests, giving them a meaningful memento of your special day for a suggested a donation of £2 per guest. Concern can also provide an optional extra favour of a Tsunamika doll for each guest handmade by women affected by the tsunami in India www.concern.net
Children's Charities
The NSPCC is the leading children's charity fighting to end child abuse in the UK and Channel Islands by helping children who’ve been abused to rebuild their lives, protect those at risk, and find the best ways of preventing abuse from ever happening. NSPCC can provide wedding favours and pin badges which can be personalised with your names and date of your wedding. There is a suggested donation of £2 per favour. www.nspcc.org.uk
Martin House Children's Hospice
The aim of Martin House is to provide family led care for children with life-limiting conditions and provides vital support to their families. For a wedding donation to The Martin House Children's Hospice you can choose from donation placecards, lottery placecards, bubbles pins and cute happybags. www.martinhouse.org.uk
Rockinghorse Children's Charity
Rockinghorse brings hope to families in challenging times, improving the quality of life for some of the most vulnerable children in Sussex and Surrey. The charity is the official fundraising arm of the Royal Alexandra Children’s Hospital and also supports the Trevor Mann Baby Unit. For a donation of £2.50 per guest to the Rockinghorse Children's Charity you can receive a beautiful pin by Posh Totty Designs. www.rockinghorse.org.uk
Animal Charities
RSPCA
The oldest welfare charity around and the first to introduce a law to protect animals. They work hard to ensure that all animals can live a life free from pain and suffering. Support their great work by purchasing favours from £1.00 per guest and choose from seriously cute pins, keyrings and bottle openers. www.shop.rspca.org.uk
World Animal Protection
World Animal Protection work the world over to protect animals from hubs in Africa, Asia Pacific, Europe, North America and Latin America. Help their great work with a pin badge favour to place on your guests’ table settings, and the best thing of all is that each favour purchased will be helping an animal in need. The suggested donation for each favour is £2. www.worldanimalprotection.org.uk
The Donkey Sanctuary
The Donkey Sanctuary, works in some of the poorest communities in the world to reach those donkeys most in need of help. If you choose to donate in lieu of wedding favours to The Donkey Sanctuary you can pick from a range of magnets, pins and keyrings for a donation as little as £1.50. www.thedonkeysanctuary.org.uk
Marine Conservation Society
The Marine Conservation Society champions the need for marine wildlife protection, sustainable fisheries and clean seas and beaches. For a donation to the MCSUK you can get a pin badge set with seven high quality, enamelled pin badges featuring UK marine wildlife such as Jellyfish, Seahorse, Orca, Puffin, Loggerhead Turtle, Leatherback Turtle and Basking Shark for £8 per set. www.mcsuk.org
Rain Rescue
Rain Rescue works to save the lives of 1000's of pets in and around Yorkshire. Diamonds and Doodles have designed a cute card for your big day for a donation of £100 which also displays a personalisd note indicating you have donated in lieu of wedding favours. www.rainrescue.co.uk
Have you thought of donating to a charity instead of wedding favours? Is there any other great charity wedding favours UK that we are missing from our list? Let us know in the comments below...
