Wedding favours are great but they rarely keep on giving after the big day. But Mind, the mental health charity, have an idea that not only lasts, but also makes a real difference to people’s lives. Let’s find out more, courtesy of real-life couple Laura and Ben…
By making a donation to Mind in lieu of wedding favours, you will help make sure that no one has to go through a mental health problem alone. They can also make sure that your guests receive a Mind pin badge, or provide you with small tent cards for your tables, to let your guests know about your alternative wedding favours.
Laura and Ben recently married and chose to support Mind at their celebration. “Ben and I met at the Glastonbury Festival in 2010 and soon bonded over music and other hobbies,” says Laura. “He’s a very caring and understanding man, and I have no doubt that being brought up by two mental health nurses contributed to his kind, non-judgemental manner and sense of calm.”
“Members of both sides of our family are prone to depression and anxiety, and following my dad’s recovery from prostate cancer, he was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). He has had to undergo a long course of psychotherapy as a result and is now on the mend.”
“In addition to this, following months of severe anxiety I was diagnosed with Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD) in 2011. It was an extremely challenging time, but really demonstrated to me that I had found an amazing man who would be there for me whatever life threw at us.”
“Around six months of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for GAD followed and changed my life forever. When Ben and I started planning our wedding in 2012, we thought back through our lives and the pivotal moments that made the wedding day we were planning possible. We realised that without medical charities, it was possible that many of our family wouldn’t be there, and I certainly wouldn’t be so calm about planning our big day.”
“We decided that we wanted to give back in some way and so chose a few key charities to give to. Our tables were named after London Underground lines (Ben’s a bit of a train nerd) and so we bought a postcard of old underground posters for each guest and wrote a note on the back explaining that we had given to charities in lieu of traditional wedding favours. I don’t think anyone felt put out by the loss of a few sugared almonds when the money was going to such worthy causes.”
“My dad struggled to give his speech. Through his illness he has found himself very emotional and could not manage to say everything he wanted to about his feelings on our wedding day. However, he has certainly made progress, and without charities like Mind, who knows what the day would have been. I only wish we could have given more.”
If you would like to support Mind on your special day, find out more here or call 020 8215 2316. Or for more charity wedding favour ideas click here.
