Many couples are making intentional, socially- and environmentally-friendly choices as they plan their wedding and other celebrations or gatherings. Gifts may not be required, but it is traditional to provide one. The registry serves as a guide for your guests, letting them know what you need and want. How will your registry reflect your values?
Whether for simplicity, ethical sourcing, Humanist values, or just spreading ripples of kindness, here are some tips for making your wedding registry truly meaningful, mindful, & unique.
Shop Small / Shop Local – whether you’re supporting a single-mother textile artist you met on Etsy or the shop down the street owned by your neighbor’s dad, creating a registry with links to small or local businesses is a great idea. If you’re not sure where to start, use local Chambers of Commerce to help you find businesses.
Better yet – talk to your own network of friends & family – who do you know that owns a small business or who relies on sales & referrals for their livelihood? This is a great opportunity to find out.
Shop Diverse – Enhance your focus on diverse sourcing by placing your registry with, or posting registry items from, certified Small, Woman-owned, Veteran-owned, or Minority Business Enterprises. Local Chambers of Commerce can help – look in your community for a Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, African American Chamber of Commerce, PRIDE Chamber of Commerce, Veteran-owned business associations, and others. You may have other small business network in your area you can reach out to.
There are no secular/Humanist chambers or professional organizations; however, you could reach out to your local Humanist groups & congregational leaders. They may know of members who own photography businesses, do Humanist celebrancy, are DJ’s, or other professions.
Alternatives to traditional gifts. Focus on experiences such as trips or dance lessons; membership to a locally-sourced food delivery service or wine club; gift cards for e-books; memberships to local museums or other places you both enjoy visiting; or organizational memberships such as American Humanist Association or National Audobon Society.
Themed Registries – Whether it’s local art, gift certificates/gift cards from local small businesses, single malt scotch, live houseplants, or some other thing you just can’t have too much of, setting up a theme and letting your guests provide you with a unique “wedding collection” can be a wonderful registry idea.
Value-Focused Fund Registry – Maybe you’re saving up for a tiny house, solar panels, adoption fees, or an electric car. Maybe you want funds to work with a local nursery to re-landscape your home with native, food-bearing plants. You can set up a fundraiser registry to support your lifestyle and goals.
Don’t want to ask them to spend money? What about something they can look for like printing a comic strip they think you’ll enjoy? Or something they can do – For example, you could ask them to give you a printed photo of a piece of local outdoor art like one of the Pride murals in the Mills 50 District in Orlando, then you could create a collage of those photos and frame it.
Professional Development Fund – are there professional courses, conferences, certifications, or professional memberships each of you wants but hasn’t been in a position to fund? Create a PD fund as your registry so your friends and family can be part of increasing your personal & professional success.
Estate Planning – Now that you’re starting your life together, it’s important to plan to take care of & protect one another. You should meet with an estate planning attorney, a financial advisor, and a funeral and cemetery professional. Such guidance and/or getting things in place can cost money – ask for a fund to help you plan for your future.
For the kids. If there are already children involved, consider making the registry about them, rather than you. Toys or clothes they want, or even an educational fund or contributions toward a savings account.
Fundraiser Registry – Maybe you’re saving up for a tiny house, solar panels, a fund for adoption fees, a pair of kayaks, or an electric car. Maybe you need funds to work with a local nursery to re-landscape your home with native, food-bearing plants. You can set up a fundraiser registry to support your lifestyle and goals.
Throw kindness like confetti.
For many, wedding gifts support starting a life together and provide truly needed items. Others, especially those marrying later in life, may not need a microwave or dish set. In fact, they may already have too many items as their households blend!
Consider sharing the happiness and love of your special day with people in your community.
The Giving Registry – Consider finding a charity you support and asking for donations instead. You could set up an online fundraiser or contact the charity and ask what they need (like specific funds to paint a mural in a children’s area). There are some shelters where you can fund a meal and you could go to prepare and/or serve it; you could invite local guests to join you there.
Volunteer Hours Registry – You can ask guests in lieu of gifts to invest one (or more) hours of their time volunteering in the community. You can ask them to share their hours, the charity/cause they supported, and a photo of them doing the work (donating blood, picking up trash, serving at a soup kitchen, etc.) and create an online wedding album of your friends and family making a difference.
If you want to step up your kindness game, consider a volunteer wedding. There’s nothing like starting out your journey together as a couple by standing shoulder-to-shoulder with your loved ones & making a positive difference in the world.
Tip Jar – Rather than bringing gifts for you, ask them to contribute to a surprise “tip” for the vendors serving at your wedding (some of whom may be working for minimum wage or less, or struggling in their small business!). You can set up a collection box and split the funds between the vendors – serving staff, musicians, caterer, photographer, wedding coordinator, etc., mailing it to them with your thank you note.
The Giving Table – (HCO can coordinate this for you!) Consider a needs drive for a local shelter, school supplies for teachers, pet food for an animal rescue, or other items that support a cause meaningful to you. Holiday wedding? How about a toy drive (for example, STEMGiftDrive.org)? You may even consider having a representative from that charity be in attendance at the gift table with a display about the charity so your guests can learn about why you chose that organizaiton.
One final note…
Consider requesting that gifts, if wrapped, be covered using natural fabric Furoshiki or recyclable paper, forgoing ribbons, shiny cardboard (including cards), balloons, and other items & materials with a negative environmental impact.