Share the joy
Plan a wedding that gives back to community
You know how when you’re madly in love, sometimes it’s tough to see anything past just you and your soul mate? And if you’ve ever been engaged or watched someone get engaged, you know how often that couple has a hard time seeing past not just their loved one, but also past all the crazy details of the Big Day?
I know you’ve either been there yourself or seen it — we all have. And it’s 100% understandable. Hey, love is love.
And yet, some of that focus seems to be changing. In a very, very good way.
More and more, I come across couples who are (of course) still in love, but who want to spread that love around by sharing some of the largesse of their wedding with nonprofits that benefit the community — however great or small — around them.
One easy, terrific way: Book your wedding at a hotel property that gives back to a charity cause in your community. One example: At Kimpton Marlowe Hotel in Cambridge (hotelmarlowe.com), they’ll donate 10% of your wedding bill to one of several causes you can choose from, or to any charity that you choose.
You can choose your own nonprofit that’s near and dear to your hearts, or one among the charities the hotel works with regularly, including: BAGLY (bagly.org, which provides programs and support to the Boston LGBTQ+ youth community); Cradles to Crayons (cradlestocrayons.org, giving clothing and everyday essential items to homeless and low-income children in Massachusetts); Dress for Success Boston (boston.dressforsuccess.org, which empowers women to find economic independence by providing professional clothing and job retention support;) The Greater Boston Food Bank (gbfb.org, distributing healthy food to end hunger in eastern Massachusetts); and MSPCA-Angell (mspca.org, the renowned shelter and hospital for homeless, injured or abused animals).
You can also find ways to give to back within many of the details of your wedding, too. Like the flowers, for example. Winston Flowers is celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2020, and to celebrate it has a program called Charity in Bloom. Through it, Winston donates 20% of the purchase price from select floral designs to one local non-profit for each month.
The floral designs make beautiful centerpieces — some couples put small signs on them letting guests know that which organization they benefit — and are equally great thank-you gifts for those who helped you put your wedding together. Each month a new nonprofit benefits; February, for example, goes to The Pine Street Inn (pinestreetinn.org), the largest homeless services provider in New England.
Or, you can also go straight to the source, and opt to hold your wedding at an actual nonprofit site. One such place is The Gardens at Elm Bank, home of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society. It sits on 175 acres of stunning flowers, winding paths and woodlands at the Elm Bank Reservation. Hold your nuptials on gorgeous conservation land like that — or at your alma mater, or at your favorite museum or monument — and your wedding site fee is directly giving to the survival of that important place. Plus, with certain places that are intricately set up for weddings, such as Elm Bank, you can take advantage of not just gardens, but buildings and stunning reception-worthy patios. And by getting married there, you’re not only relishing its beauty yourself, but contributing to keeping the space going for someone else to enjoy someday.