A wedding is a fantastic time to celebrate and recognise the people and the things most special to you, and the opportunity to have a day representing you as a couple. Dave and I wanted to design our wedding with this in mind throughout, including when thinking about wedding gifts. We really do feel very fortunate and already had our home set up together (including possessing an ungodly amount of kitchen equipment), so wanted to do something a little different in lieu of a typical wedding gift registry.
We thought long and hard about what to do, but in the end it was an easy choice. In lieu of gifts, we opted to request for people to donate to two very special causes, which represent the things that we are passionate about. Our chosen charities were The Fragile X Society (who I have had the honour of working for in recent years) and Arian Teleheal (a pioneering health charity using technology and a worldwide network of volunteers to provide medical expertise in warzones and low resource countries, chosen due to Dave's work as a doctor). For us, the satisfaction of feeling that we could use our day to have a positive impact for others was just so special.
We were so touched and honoured that our kind guests, and other generous well-wishers, made donations in our name via our JustGiving page, raising over £3000.
I really recommend any couple thinking about their wedding day to think about supporting wonderful charities such as the Fragile X Society, either in lieu of gifts or in other ways such as through alternative wedding favours. In particular, support for small charities can have such an incredible impact.
I feel so honoured that I will be able to look back at our wedding day and know that, as well as all the wonderful memories, that the impact of the donations for these fantastic causes will have a lasting effect and will have enabled their vital work.
- Becky Harpen (Hardiman)