I came across this article on CNN.com recently and I had a moment of instant recognition. My sister-in-law had done donations in lieu of favors at her wedding some years (before ours in 2005) and I liked the concept. We considered the donation route for a while, but I wanted to see if I could find something that symbolized my connection to South Africa that also gave back. My sister/maid of honor ultimately found a solution that worked.

She discovered AIDS Help International in South Africa, an organization for women in communities affected by HIV/AIDS utilizing their existing skills to create products that can be sold to sustain their families. Zulu beads are a strong tradition in South Africa, and through AIDS Help International, these women create beaded items in their homes, allowing them to manage their families and child care within their own homes.

My sister found that they would do custom colors on any of the styles they offered, and on top of that, the proceeds went back to the women who created these items. It was a perfect fit.

So we selected a star ornament, chose matching colors (pinks, corals and oranges) in the color scheme of the wedding and ignored the fact that we were doing holiday ornaments for an August wedding.

I ordered a larger quantity than I needed (in anticipation of our first Christmas together as a married couple)  and attached the star to a card with the handwritten guest name and table number with a brief explanation about the thought behind it, and put that into an open library-style envelope.

Of course, I don’t know how many of our star ornaments made it onto our guests’ Christmas trees that year (or any year afterward for that matter),  but I can tell you that our own tree carries several of  those stars every year. And every time I hang them on the tree, I remember our wedding and the ladies thousands of miles away who created a gorgeous wedding favor for us and I get a small feeling of satisfaction that we gave back in a tiny way.

What did you do for your favors? I’d love to hear about your favors (donations or not).