‘Tis the season for giving, although charitable causes need donations year round. As you are planning your wedding, you may want to include a donation to one of the most meaningful causes to you and your fiance.

Some brides, in lieu of wedding favors, decide to make a charitable contribution to a specific cause in honor of each guest. This can get tricky, however, as it is hard to decide which cause would be ideal. Some controversial issues make a poor choice to include on your wedding day.

For example, political organizations are ones you want to shy away from. Unless you are sure that everyone you know believes in the same things as you, you will more than likely offend someone with that choice.

How do you incorporate charitable giving wedding favors without offending anyone? There are charitable services that you can purchase checks from. Then your guests can choose a cause that is meaningful to them, and the money goes directly to the charity.

If you would prefer to choose a specific charity, avoid hot button issues if possible. Charities that support medical causes or help children would be ideal, as very few people would take issue with those.

Choose a creative way to let your wedding guests know that you have donated in their name. Even a small place card with a short message is a great way to display the message. If any of your guests might not want to have their name on the contribution, you could choose to donate under a generic name, such as “Wedding Guest at the Smith-Jones Wedding.”

Have you decided to give a charitable donation in honor of your wedding guests? Do you have any creative ways to show off the contribution?