Ooh! I just posted about a similar issue - registering for gifts or asking for donations: http://domestigals.blogspot.com/2008/09/money-and-wedding-etiquette-part-ii.html

And thanks to the helpful comments left for me, I think I have decided to do a combination of both. I think in terms of favors vs. donations, I would also do a combination. Donations are so meaningful, and make a MUCH bigger impact than a coaster or fan or any other traditional favor. That being said, it's also nice to leave a wedding with a reminder of that wonderful celebration.

I LOVE those butterfly cards! What a wonderful idea - since they basically can combine the favor with a donation. Lovely!

Uggg this is a pet peeve of mine. A favor is something you give to someone and a donation is not a favor it is just that a donation. It is saying hey I didn't think enough of you to give you a favor so I made a donation. It also smacks as look at me look how generous I am and being boastful about your generosity is just wrong. If you do not want to budget for favors then don't and 99% of the people will never miss them, but don't tell people about what you did not get them.

A donation to a cause that is near and dear to you heart is wonderful and do it as often as you can privately just don't publicize it. If you want to honor a family member that has passed, please do so in a note in the program or by displaying their picture. Also after one wedding in which a donation was made in my name I then received solicitations from that organization and it is not one that I support and don't agree with. That was offensive to me after the fact and now my name was associated with an organization that I do not believe in. Now not all couples that seem to think a donation is a favor don't give out the addresses of their guest, but it can happen and if you are on the fence don't do it. NO one likes to be solicited.

Seriously the donation and the favor are two different things. Don't confuse them, do one or both but don't advertise the donation.

I love these!

Shannon
The Virtual Bridesmaid
http://blog.viddia.com
www.viddia.com

We are going to do donations. My step-mother and my fiance's father were both diagnosed with cancer so we are going to donate to the American Cancer Society.

We plan to do both - donations made to the American Heart Association and the American Cancer Society in memory and honor of some family and friends. And since our colors are silver and blue, we're doing Hershey kisses in blue favor bags.

Favors are a little pet peeve of mine. So many times they're something ridiculous and useless (faulty wine stoppers, trinket boxes), and for those of us on a tight budget, I think I speak for many when I say it's frustrating when people are all agog when you announce you're not doing favors. I do like the idea of donations, especially if it has a personal touch, like Jill or Shannon. I think people would rather you do that than haul off another silly thing to be shoved in a kitchen junk drawer.

That said, I'm actually considering can koozies - my fiance loved the idea, and with our friends, they probably be a hit (we're big tailgaters).

In the end, it's you and your spouse's day and whatever you do should reflect you as a couple and MEAN something. My two cents.

As our guests departed from our late Saturday night wedding, we presented each couple with a Sunday newspaper and a bag of 6 fresh bagels to take home as their "favor." Everyone was delighted with this practical idea ... so many commented on how they would not have to make their morning trip for "Sunday morning bagels and the paper." We're from New York, so it might be a regional favorite.

Boo. I hate favors. They waste of money and energy and I cannot fathom why in this day and age, people still think their guests want to carry home some ridiculous trinket in their already overstuffed bags that they have to pay 25 dollars to get on the airplane. I feel way too guilty throwing them away, but honestly, I just cherish the memories and the photos much more than I would ever cherish a CD or champagne glass or a coaster.

My husband attended Virginia Tech as did 6 of the groomsmen including my brother (which is how I met my husband) Many of our guest went to Tech also. After the April shootings we were all so shocked and a group of us met in Blacksburg that May to visit the memorial and to just be near the place that has meant so much to us. It was then that I decided to make a donation to the HokieSpirit Fund. I suggested it to my husband and he loved the idea. So I went to vista print and had long card printed in orange and maroon with the speech by Nikki Giovani "We are Virginia Tech" On the other side I wrote up a paragraph about how much Va Tech has meant to both families being joined that day. We also included a prayer during the intercessions for all the Hokie community.
Ican't tell you how mnay favors I have thrown away after all the years and while many of the guests may have felt like it wasn't a real favor I am really glad we did it. I look at the card we had printed almost everyday and am happy to know that my wedding was aable to be a part of the healing process for Tech.
Of oucrse I also put survival baskets in all of our out of town guests and had baskets in the bathrooms at the recption that had among many other things make up, hair spray, hair clips and the one thing that wen t the fastest - flip flops. I feel I took care of my guests and showed them how happy I was to have them at my wedding and was still able to donate toa cause that means a lot to my husband and me.

Hello and thanks for posting about Botanical PaperWorks in this feature. We're thrilled to be reviewed and discussed, and we've placed a link back to the post on our blog, http://stationery.blogs.com. Have a wonderful weekend and best wishes to all the brides-to-be!

I love the idea of a wedding favor as a gift to an organization like UNICEF. http://www.unicefusa.org/donate/other-ways-to-give/wedding-favors.html