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How to be Charitable with your Wedding

As a Toronto Wedding Planner, I often get couples who are interested in paying it forward. They want an amazing day with their friends and families but they also want to be able to give back to their communities in some way.

Here are just a few ways that I think are fabulous ways to have your wedding be a new beginning for you and someone in need as well.

Pre-Wedding:

Purchase your dress from a fundraiser or charity.

Places like the Brides Project, who is a 3rd party fundraiser for various cancer charities, have dresses that have been donated by bridal salons, top wedding dress designers and past Brides. Many Brides have found their dream dresses for a fraction of the cost they would at a boutique. Typical prices range from 300.00 - $1250.00 and all profits go to charity.

Wedding

Donations in lieu of favours.

The possibilities are endless. You can select one charity that is close to your heart or you can select more than one and have a fun game that guests select which charity they prefer. Maybe incorporate it as a wish board. Guests can write a wish for the two of you and pin it on the board under the charity they prefer.


Many charities will also provide you with a favour tag for your guests. It would typically read something like:

The Bride & Groom
have made a generous donation
in honour of your presence
at their wedding.

To get a full list of Charities in Canada that are registered and in good standing, CRA has an amazingly detailed and easy to use list here.
Post-Wedding

Donations and Consignments

Donate any leftover 'untouched' food to be donated to a foodbank. Discuss with your venue or caterer that this is feasible. Some foodbanks like Second Harvest or North York Harvest Foodbank to name just two will typically arrange pickup from the venue if it is pre-arranged. In Ontario food donors are protected by Ontario's Donation of Food Act, 1994. This legislation protects those who, in good faith, donate or distribute fresh food. Please look up legislation within your own province (or State) so that you are not liable for any prepared food you have donated.

Sell your dress to a Consignment Shop. Armed with your original receipt and your dress, you may be able to recoup some of the cost of your wedding dress. Usually about 50% of the consignment price is passed along to you once the dress is sold.

You can donate your wedding dress or bridesmaid dresses to your local church, a Dress Charity like Inside the Dream or Brides Against Breast Cancer, Goodwill and make a difference in the life of someone less fortunate.

Donate your flowers to a children's hospital, Seniors Home, Medical Center, Disability Center or a Home for the Underprivileged. Nothing like brightening someone's day by passing along the gift of flowers.

We all know how expensive a wedding can get, so it's great if you can share your special day by performing a special act of kindness for someone else.

Vendor Spotlight: Studio Sposa

Sorry on the slight delay of this blogpost, but my usually reliable computer was not cooperating this past week...c'est la vie mes amis!

Last week, Thursday, I was invited by my colleagues at the Wedding Planners institute of Canada (WPIC) to go see an amazingly luxurious and elegant Bridal Studio: Studio Sposa.

Studio Sposa sent a Limo to escort us us to their lovely and quaint studio in Kleinburg, Ontario. Owner Mary Daserva and Manager Shannon greeted us with champagne and wonderful delectables from Dolcini by Joseph. We truly felt like VIP's.

We were lucky enough to view (and feel), some amazing wedding gowns by top haute couture designers all the while being briefed by the ladies on everything Studio Sposa does to go above and beyond for their clients. We were also thrilled to get educated on some of the top designers in the world.

What distinguishes Studio Sposa from most salons? Well, aside from the quality gowns, the one-on-one service and attention they give their clients; and the fact that the designers themselves are involved in the process. It's the VIP treatment each bride-to-be receives.

Each lovely soon-to-be bride, gets a private consultation and appointment at the Salon. In other words, during her appointment, there is no other client there. The goal is for her to feel special, comfortable and not rushed.  Each Bridal Consultant is specially selected by Mary and is trained to treat each bride to the utmost perfection in service!

What stood out to me more than anything else is that they are fully available on the day of the wedding in case an emergency arises; as Mary shared with us, she’s been known (on more occasions than one), to pop over to the Brides house on the day of the ceremony, to fit her perfectly in her gown; sometimes she confessed, she will pop in to admire 'her' bride in the luxurious gown.

I absolutely loved the vibe at Studio Sposa and a huge thank you goes out to these wonderful ladies for a great information session and tour of the salon. It truly was fabulous!

Studio Sposa
10449 Islington Avenue
Kleinburg, ON  LOJ 1C0
Tel. 905-893-8100

WeDDings Jubilee proudy presents....

When I was first approached by New Beginnings to Plan the 4th Annual Wedding Bliss for New Beginnings, it was a no brainer!  A Wedding Dress Sale that fulfills dreams! A bride finds her dream dress while helping a mother achieve her dream of being able to single-handedly support her children. Fantastic!

New Beginnings is a charity that helps women who have fallen onto a state of poverty. They not only train these amazing women with new and improved skills, but they help them support their children while assisting in their transition to a state of self-sufficiency. This charity is in one word: AMAZING!

New Beginnings represents to me 'what could've been' and 'what could be'; let me explain. Growing up, my single mother had to work three jobs to make ends meet. Although we were never in a state of poverty, it was only because she worked her butt off so that we did not lack a single thing. The result, she missed out on a lot of our extra-curricular activities.  If New Beginnings existed then, that may have been different. Today, having my own family, my own business and like almost everyone else more debt than is comfortable, I see how easy it to get to a state where things are out of your control.  It doesn't take much people. This is why my involvement in this fundraiser is so deep for me and I've been determined from day one to make it exceptional and try my best to raise a whopping 30K. That's my ultimate goal!

Along with me, there are some amazing sponsors and vendors that are making this event incredible!

Let's get Glammed - Couture Style!

I LOVE Couture fashion. Particularly, when I can apply it to my weddings. Admittedly, it's been a really long time since I've been in Awe by any designers collection, however, I'm happy to report that the fabulous, always inspiring, John Galliano has delivered in the Christian Dior Spring/Summer 2010 Collections!

Following are my favorite pieces for Brides, Maids of Honour, Mother of the Brides and even the Groom! All of which, would be mindblowing for any wedding.

BRIDES DRESSES 

 GROOMS

MAIDS OF HONOUR AND BRIDESMAID DRESSES

MOTHER OF THE BRIDE

All photos courtesy of Style.com