As we know, weddings can be a production. Especially those of the Big Fat Pakistani (Indian/Desi/Asian) variety. Likely, you either have, or will be, spending thousands of dollars/pounds/rupees on some special, but also very fleeting, days.
That’s why I think it’s an absolute no-brainer to be able to weave in some aspect of giving / social cause into your wedding. If you’re looking for a way to give back, like I was, I think that one of the easiest things that you can do is forego giving guests traditional favours (spoiler alert: no one keeps them) and instead make a donation to a charity of your choice.
On my wedding, I opted to donate to the Canadian Cancer Society in memory of my father who passed away from cancer when I was 13. For my donation, the society provided me with bookmarks and I had my wedding agenda printed on them. You can read more about that here. I loved the idea of bringing my dad into my wedding in this way and also be able to do a little good. At the bottom of the bookmark it says: “Thank you for sharing this special day with us. With your favour, a donation has been made to the Canadian Cancer Society in memory of Safa’s father, Ghias Mahmud Zaki.”
I think this post is timely because as I write this, we know that thousands of Syrian refugees are the victims of the worst humanitarian crisis since World War II. Think: if every 2015/2016 bride took that $1 – $5 budgeted per favour and instead donated to the Syria Crisis, what a difference that could make. Unfortunately, it’s not just Syrian refugees that need our help. Pick the charity / cause that means something to you and use your wedding as a platform to help. When you look back on your wedding, it’s one thing that I guarantee you won’t regret.
~Safa
mybigfatpakistani 
What a lovely idea! May Allah reward you 🙂
Question: did you have name place cards on your tables? I don’t know if I should since desi weddings don’t?
I had a seating chart, but I only had assigned seating for my close family and non-desi guests (because I knew without it they would be so confused). The rest, which was the majority, was the baarat and we let them choose where they wanted to sit with the exception of pointing out the best (closest to the stage) tables would be for the groom’s immediate fam. It worked well, Ive found That generally desis don’t abide by seating charts!