Change by Doing Explore the world of volunteering and service

Well, today’s the big day for Chelsea Clinton and Marc Mezvinsky as they tie the knot…perhaps you’ve heard? (If not, I hope it is cool and shady under that rock where you’ve been living. You can’t look at any media without being bombarded by speculation about the wedding). Congratulations to the two of them.

Kind of a fun day to look at the concept of a volunteer honeymoon. What a brilliant way to start your new life together, awake to the blessing of your good fortune while sharing all that energy with a community or project in need. Your passion for the world and passion for each other finding expression as you share this chance to change the world. And you can still arrange plenty of downtime and relaxation and private time—a volunteer vacation needn’t ever mean you are over-extended or exhausted or on-task 24/7 (unless that’s what you want).

In addition to the concept of a volunteer honeymoon, there are also some great ways to designate charitable organizations as recipients of donations in your name with charitable gift registries. If you’ve already got the toaster and towels, having your guests donate in your name to your charity of choice is a great way to spread the love. The I DO Foundation makes it simple to set up a Give Back Gift Registry (as well as tips for making your wedding a green event). Just Give makes it easy for your guests to give in your honor (for birthdays, graduations, and other special events as well). Changing the Present is a non-profit that helps you change the world via your wedding registry, one gift at a time. There are others, of course. Just a nice way to look at it all as you contemplate and plan (and stress out) readying for that day when you’ll be putting so much love into the world.