Negina and Cheng from Austin, Texas, were recently married and chose to impact the lives of hundreds of students as part of their celebration. In addition to creating a Giving Page to include in their wedding charity “registry”, they also funded selected classroom projects in honor of their guests. We spoke with Negina recently about the wedding, and wanted to share their great story with you!1. We’d love to hear more about your wedding. When and where did it take place?Cheng and I had a non-traditional wedding. We had a short ceremony in the Alamo Drafthouse Theater prior to showing a movie (Down With Love) to our guests while they ate dinner catered by the Alamo Drafthouse and designed specifically for us. Then we all walked across the street to Go Dance Studio where guests enjoyed cake balls along with local Texas wines & beers. Cheng and I performed a choreographed Latin dance medley before DJ Mel took over the entertainment. In lieu of guest favors, they checked a box for one of our 3 sponsored charities. Then we donated a specified amount in their names to that charity.You can find the story of our meeting and proposal along with other fun facts on our wedding website. Also, you can browse my blog to see how we chose our wedding wines, pics from our honeymoon, wedding donations, etc.2. Wow! What a great event! We are so happy that DonorsChoose.org was a part of it. How did you decide to include DonorsChoose.org in your wedding?We didn't need, nor want, a lot of gifts, so we decided to ask for donations from our guests. Instead of a traditional gift registry, we highlighted 3 charity organizations near to our hearts and listed them on our wedding website. I taught elementary school for 4 years, so I know how difficult it is when the funding just isn't there. Plus, many of our wedding guests play some role in education. They really liked that they were donating money for us, but to a cause they also feel strongly about.3. What tips and tricks would you offer to others who want to celebrate with DonorsChoose.org?I searched through the site to pull up projects in a variety of subjects, especially the arts as that is what seems to get hit the hardest anytime there are funding cuts. I also chose projects geographically close to where we live (Austin, TX), where I first taught (Chicago, IL) or in low socioeconomic areas. Check in often to make sure your page is up to date with enough projects so people have plenty of choice. Overall, people responded favorably to the variety and personalization we were able to offer through the DonorsChoose.org page.Negina and Cheng, thank you so much for including DonorsChoose.org in your celebration. We wish you all the best in your life together!To see other couples who have chosen to include DonorsChoose.org in their celebrations, visit DonorsChoose.org Weddings.
