The gift of giving; Gift ideas for bridal couples
On numerous occasions I have been asked by bridal couples, “What can we do instead of having a bridal registry, we have everything we need?” Well, when your guests ask about gift ideas, why not give back to those less fortunate?
The idea first came to mind when we had a couple from The Netherlands getting married in Plettenberg Bay over a 5-day period. The groom’s immediate question was: we want to do something with our guests and get the community involved. We managed to arrange with a local shelter in Kwanokuthula to take the kids on a walk in the Knysna Forest and that afternoon everyone jumped in and gave the shelter a ‘face-lift’. I arranged for all the prep-work like matching paint, brushes and the like to be done in advance and the guests made short work of giving back a fresh new home to those less fortunate – something we so often take for granted…
We also co-ordinated a wedding in Plettenberg Bay in December and Philipp, the Groom, posed exactly the same question when we brought up the topic of gift ideas. NO GIFTS please, we will set up an account for donations which will go to a local charity in the Bitou area. A couple of weeks ago Brenda Wall confirmed receipt of a lump sum payment from couple Philipp and Reshma to the local Masizame Children’s Shelter.
With destination weddings it becomes a little tricky to cart gifts received at the wedding back home; it could be doable if you are from South Africa but for foreign couples it can be a logistical nightmare. So, why not set up an account with your local bank or chat to your local charity of choice? Make the details available on your invites, save the dates and e-invites and inform everybody of your decision. Then, at the reception thank everybody who contributed towards the cause and I can tell you now – those who forgot will definitely add to the account on Monday morning.
Experience the joy of giving!
Marius
