Love was in the air and lemonade was in the glasses when these three couples said “I Do” while supporting Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF). From substituting traditional wedding favors for donations to having a lemonade stand at their receptions, these supporters used their big days to give back and support childhood cancer research.
Ira and Andrea, Destined to Help
Ira and Andrea Tauber were planning a destination wedding. Since guests were traveling from far away, the couple decided to request donations to ALSF in lieu of gifts.
Ira, who is the President of Triose, a healthcare solutions company that is also a corporate partner of ALSF, believes that you get what you give—so trading wedding gifts for donations would give the couple a sense they were helping their favorite charity.
The couple set up a fundraising page on the ALSF website, shared it with their wedding guests and raised close to $1,500.
“Childhood cancer research is such an important cause because we believe no child should suffer or be afflicted with this terrible illness. If we find a cure for this, it will benefit generations to come who will then make a difference in the lives of others,“ said Ira.
Danielle and Michael, Taking a Stand
Danielle and Michael Harrison are no strangers to Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation. For the past several years, Danielle worked with her preschool students to host school lemonade stands to benefit ALSF. When it came time to discuss a party favor for guests at their wedding, they both instantly knew that they would make a donation to the Foundation on behalf of their guests.
To make the donation an obvious part of their reception, the Harrisons set up a lemonade stand for guests to grab a cup of lemonade as they left the reception. Guests enjoyed the lemonade and were so moved that several began making donations of their own, adding to what the Harrisons already donated.
Molly and Garrett: Skipping the Gifts
Both Molly and Garrett did not like making people feel obliged to shower them with gifts at each of their wedding events. Their engagement party was scheduled for June—right in the middle of Alex’s Lemonade Days. Molly’s best friend works for the Foundation and it seemed like the perfect opportunity to skip the gifts and give back.
At their engagement party, Molly and Garrett asked their guests to wear something yellow and come prepared to make a donation. The party honored three childhood cancer heroes who had touched Molly and Garrett’s lives—Liam Kane and Molly Cavera, two family friends who had died of neuroblastoma and Austin Cohen, another friend who recently lost his battle against osteosarcoma. Party decorations included lemons (of course!), yellow accents and a donation table.
Guests loved the party and helped the engaged couple raise over $5,000 in one day!
“Unfortunately it seems that almost every person’s life has been touched by cancer in some way. Because of that, everyone could appreciate and support the cause and they were all more than happy to donate rather than buy us gifts,” said Molly.
Want to bring a little love and lemonade to your wedding reception? Whether you make a donation in lieu of favors or ask your guests to make donations on your behalf, ALSF has tools to help you share your wedding wishes. For couples that make donations on behalf of your guests, ALSF has complimentary place cards that you can use to inform your guests of the donation. Learn more here.
