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Mrs. Pancakes, New York/Costa Rica Age and Occupation: 26, Law School Student Fiance's Age and Occupation: 27, Latin American Policy Analyst Engagement Date: March 12, 2010 Wedding Date: May 2011 Venue: Casa Punto de Vista About Me: I’m a perfectionist with a big heart. I love a good laugh and firmly believe no one has ever regretted being prepared! My motto is “go big or go home.” I am incapable of doing anything in moderation, especially when it comes to shopping, TV, food and travel, and some would say wedding planning! The other half of this nearlywed team is a laid-back, adventure-loving, accident prone, sweetie from LA. He makes me laugh, is always down for an impromptu dance party, and totally indulges most of my hare-brained schemes. Now, in my final year of law school, we’ll be spending the spring abroad in Amsterdam and planning a DIY, whimsical, detail-filled destination wedding in Costa Rica!
About Mrs. Pancakes

A Little Love Goes a Long Way…

March 11th, 2011 @ 10:41 am by Mrs. Pancakes

If you are currently planning or have ever planned a wedding, you are well aware of how much money a wedding can cost. It’s really quite ridiculous, and sometimes it feels so unnecessary and super selfish. I am currently working on an LLM (Masters of Law) in international criminal law at the University of Amsterdam, so I spend my days reading about the most horrendous crimes on earth (i.e., mass rape, genocide, torture, etc.). After hours of that, I feel so silly spending hours looking at wedding porn! I totally need the escape but end up feeling crazy-guilty.

The more I thought about it the more I realized there has to be some way to have my wedding and eat it too…so to speak. I know that a lot of people donate money on behalf of their guests in lieu of favors, which I think is great! On the other hand, why take the money from your guests when you can take it from corporations? ;) Here are some of the great organizations I found that totally make that possible:

A Little Love Goes a Long Way...  :  wedding costa rica Content

{Source}

With I Do Foundation, you can raise money for charities simply by registering with one of their partner stores. Up to 10% of guests’ gift purchases from these partner stores will be donated to your selected charity. These donations are made at no additional cost to you or your guests.

In addition to a charity registry, you can shop from select stores that will give back a certain amount of their proceeds to charity! Additionally, they have partnered with Traveler’s Joy to give back 3% of whatever you raise for your honeymoon!

A Little Love Goes a Long Way...  :  wedding costa rica Brillia

{Source}

Brilliant Earth is an amazing company with a strong moral compass. They have a three-pronged mission focused on: providing quality products from pure sources, encouraging change in local communities affected by the industry, and promoting growth by donating 5% of their proceeds to help communities who have suffered from unethical practices in the jewelry industry.

A Little Love Goes a Long Way...  :  wedding costa rica Bake2b

{Baking for Good}

Baking for Good is dedicated to providing high-quality, irresistible treats that are perfect for any occasion. Moreover, they’re committed to helping raise money for things that matter. That’s why 15% of every purchase goes to the cause of your choice!

A Little Love Goes a Long Way...  :  wedding costa rica Bridal

{Source}

The Bridal Garden is New York City’s only not-for-profit bridal boutique. They sell gently used dresses at up to 75% off the original prices, and all proceeds go toward education programs for children in the city!

It makes me epically happy to know that we can use our wedding to help others.

What have I missed?? What are the options available in your community??

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15 Responses to “A Little Love Goes a Long Way…”

1.
mizzbaseball
Member
mizzbaseball (message)  83 posts, Worker bee

great post! we are trying (though it’s harder than i expected in the suburbs) to have a wedding that’s environmentally friendly as possible.

I ordered my wedding ring through Etsy from a jeweler who works with only recycled metals. Eventually, though, I would love to buy a ring from Brilliant Earth.

I didn’t find out about the I Do Foundation until after we had already set up our registries which stunk! (and Kohl’s isn’t one of the companies on there… booo!)

 
2.
Member Icon
Member
amevans (message)  41 posts, Newbee

thank you SO much for posting this! perfect timing too! we’re setting up our website, and after looking at a bunch of friends i really wanted to do something w/ our registry where portions would go to our charity of choice (like they offer through theknot and theweddingchannel websites), but i had a different website it mind. the idofoundation should help me solve that problem, and these are other great opportunities i’ll have to look into now, too!

 
3.
Miss Tartlet
Bee
Miss Tartlet (message)  3,207 posts, Sugar bee

Great organizations, P! It’s such a good feeling to give back. :)

 
4.
bmarie12
Member
bmarie12 (message)  174 posts, Blushing bee

This is excellent! I have been thinking about how to get money to a smaller nonprofit - beyond a donation instead of favors - and it looks like the I Do Foundation might be a good fit! Also, kudos to you for getting that LLM!

 
5.
Bee Icon
Bee
Miss Sparkler (message)  423 posts, Helper bee

I am SO with you on feeling guilty about wedding planning sometimes :-/ Thanks for this post… I think a lot of people want to give back, but they often don’t know how.

I’m running the Marine Corps Marathon in October, and we are including a link to our charity team page along with our registries. We will gladly take donations to our cause over wedding presents any day!!!

 
6.
ktgee04
Member
ktgee04 (message)  104 posts, Blushing bee

This is awesome!! I just checked out that site and we will for SURE be using them! Great idea!

 
7.
toshella
Member
toshella (message)  642 posts, Busy bee

What a great post! I’d definitely look into the I Do Foundation when I register. Thanks!

 
8.
bmarie12
Member
bmarie12 (message)  174 posts, Blushing bee

I’m also thinking of using Blessing Baskets in some way - possibly as packaging for bridesmaids’ gifts:
http://www.blessingbasket.org

All profits go to the artisans making the baskets - currently they work with individuals in Ghana, Bangladesh, Madagascar, and Uganda.

 
9.
Guest Icon
Guest
JB

Oxfam also has an option to create a wedding registry on their site, which you could use instead (or in addition to) other gift registries:
https://www.oxfamamericaunwrapped.com/home.php

I’m glad that you mentioned Brilliant Earth and how they donate to communities which have been hurt by unethical diamond mining practices. This seems to get “glossed over” a lot in wedding-world, until recently (e.g. the movie “Blood Diamond”).

 
10.
Guest Icon
Guest
JB

Ack sorry was going to mention one other vendor - Turtle Love Committee: http://www.turtleloveco.com/ . Beautiful, ethical!, jewelry and not ridiculously expensive!

 
11.
Miss Giraffe
Bee
Miss Giraffe (message)  4,216 posts, Honey bee

Wonderful post! I’m so glad you shared all this!

Also, I wish you luck. Studying that kind of stuff cannot be easy.

 
12.
Bee Icon
Bee
Miss Ostrich (message)  1,948 posts, Buzzing bee

this is a terrific post, Miss P. DonorsChoose.org is an close to my heart since it helps fund education projects. :)

 
13.
Bee Icon
Bee
Miss Pain au Chocolat (message)  1,698 posts, Bumble bee

Thanks for posting this! It’s important to get the word out about these charities so more people can participate and benefit.

 
14.
Guest Icon
Guest
sarah

Thank you for posting this. I’m so glad people can have the opportunity to stay grounded during the wedding planning and use their beautiful day to also help others. win-win!

 
15.
MissMargie
Member
MissMargie (message)  767 posts, Busy bee

Thanks for this great post! My e-ring is from my brilliant earth and their social stances are a big reason we bought from there!

 

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Mrs. Pancakes
Mrs. Pancakes

Mrs. Pancakes, New York/Costa Rica Age and Occupation: 26, Law School Student Fiance's Age and Occupation: 27, Latin American Policy Analyst Engagement Date: March 12, 2010 Wedding Date: May 2011 Venue: Casa Punto de Vista About Me: I’m a perfectionist with a big heart. I love a good laugh and firmly believe no one has ever regretted being prepared! My motto is “go big or go home.” I am incapable of doing anything in moderation, especially when it comes to shopping, TV, food and travel, and some would say wedding planning! The other half of this nearlywed team is a laid-back, adventure-loving, accident prone, sweetie from LA. He makes me laugh, is always down for an impromptu dance party, and totally indulges most of my hare-brained schemes. Now, in my final year of law school, we’ll be spending the spring abroad in Amsterdam and planning a DIY, whimsical, detail-filled destination wedding in Costa Rica!

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