The Coolest, Most Interesting Ways To Give Back To Society On Your Wedding!

You remember our bride Ravneet inspired a lot of you with her story of doing her bit for society? Well, planning a wedding can also be a great opportunity to do some good in the world. You're wondering how? Well, if you look carefully, the world has it's way. Consider one (or more!) of these ways to make a difference, from donating to charity to using eco-friendly decor. Everything is zero effort and you reap the blessings and all the good in the world - yay yay! Mention a charity on your Invitation card that your gifts can go to!  

Photo by Binita Patel

Having a line saying "No gifts/cash" is fast catching on In India. But replace that with "We need your blessings only. We urge you to donate your gifts to people who need it more". Give a link to your charities website and feel happy for the number of people who you may have inspired to donate. You could search for a charity on GiveIndia.org which tugs at your heartstrings.

Put wedding favours in your mithai box made by NGO's We think its a lovely idea to give jars of honey, or preserves in your mithai ka dabba. And since Indian cards go out to hundreds of people, how amazing would it be to purchase the honey from local NGO's . Institutions such as "Under the Mango Tree" help farmers and other people make a living by selling bottled honey. A fantastic brand called Himjoli has been helping 15000+ farmers, weavers and bee-keepers in Uttarakhand market organic fresh products such as honey, herbal tea, natural cosmetics etc. You can check out their full range of products here.  Try Jams from Bhuria- a Himachal run all-women enterprise. I'm sure you would be able to find similar institutions selling stuff like preserves, pickles and jams that would taste great and be meaningful as well. The point is to find things that are made locally and empower the farmers and workers around! Hire girls from a local NGO to do your makeup Okay this sounds a little bit crazy, but our Real bride Ravneet did it, she tied up with a local NGO (waiting for the name) who trains girls to do makeup and got them to do her makeup. Dare we say, they did quite a stunning job! See her wedding here. Have a live Bangle Maker / Tarot reader / Pottery on your Mehendi Artisans who make Lac Bangles are fast losing their employment. Having a live Lac Bangle maker is not just super cool and interesting for your friends who can watch them create bangles, but you would contribute to their livelihood as well. You could also ensure your mehendi favours come from NGO's who promote handicrafts such as cushion covers, embroidered coasters etc. Have your caterer donate leftovers to undernourished kids! Lets face it, once the last guest has eaten, the amount of food that is still left with your caterer is enough to feed an entire village. So why not feed an entire village? For more details, you should check out the NGO Feeding India's Facebook page. Get your invites from at NGO

Pic via Perfect Invites★ 4.9

There are so many NGO’s that make greeting cards and painting for sale. Tie up with one of these NGO’s and ask them to make your wedding invites. Get them printed on eco-friendly paper, like these and we promise that you won’t be disappointed! Sell tickets to your wedding Take a cue from Amol & Megha’s wedding and sell tickets to your wedding fan-fare. Instead of using that money to fund your wedding, donate it to your favourite charity or NGO. Use local flowers and send them out Ask a local florist to provide you with flowers that are available around - that beats flying flowers down from somewhere. Plus, you could ask someone to take all the leftover flowers to all the nursing homes, old-age homes and hospitals. Do use Sustainable Decor and Favors

Pic via Devika Narain

You can also have paper blooms for smaller functions like Mehendi & Haldi. Get your decor handicrafts made my an NGO - Photo frames, buntings, small DIYs. Akanksha, the NGO does do small artefacts that can be used well. Jewellery While we know that you love your diamonds, it’ll be great if you could buy them from companies that don’t allow child-labour and source legally. Or else you can even pick a lab-made diamond that is not only eco-friendly but also friendly on the pocket! Volunteer on your Honeymoon Spending even the smallest part of your trip helping others can make you feel like a million bucks. Programs range from clearing trails in Costa Rica to building schools in Vietnam to restoring hiking trails in the U.S. Here's another gem we found that gives you lots of honeymoon volunteering options. Outfits and More Get your wedding outfit or other function outfits made by an NGO. You might be stunned by the kind of workmanship and detailing you will get. Plus you will have done a good deed at the end of it. Remember our bride Vihal who bought her lehenga at this exhibition Pause For Cause. There are others that encourage local crafts and artisans.

Stories by Joseph Radhik

Venues There may be hundreds of venues to stage your wedding, but consider ones where philanthropy plays a leading role. Non-profit managed parks and museums offer stunning backdrops for special occasions. Pick one that will apply your event’s proceeds towards furthering its educational programs, social outreach, volunteerism, new acquisitions and more. Donate your Shagan money for a worthy cause The organisation Smile Train is a cleft lip and palate charity providing free surgeries to children born with a cleft (gap in the lip or palate). Children born with a cleft have problems in speaking, eating and breathing...but a simple surgery can change their lives. And this NGO includes the option of 'Donating to Smile Train' so you could make a child smile.   Do you know of any other creative ways to give back to the society? ---Apoorva Pagar