Let Our Lives Be Full Of Both Thanks & Giving

Happy Thanksgiving to all our lovely American readers!

I hope you're having a wonderful day filled with friends, family and delicious food. What's on the menu? Go on, make me jealous.

As a Brit, I don't officially celebrate Thanksgiving (as in pilgrims, harvest, Native Americans, turkeys and all that) but I think it's a wonderful opportunity to be consciously thankful.

A chance to really and truly consider all the blessings in our lives.

I love the sentiment behind this quote and card by Lindsay Letters – ‘let our lives be full of both thanks and giving'. Beautiful isn't it?

THANKS

Here are three things I'm most thankful for at this moment in my life:

– The love and support of my family – I'm including Zee in that too as I could not have wished for a more supportive, generous and loving husband.

– The talented photographers, videographers, vendors and guest post contributors (Rose, Andri, Michelle and Vicki, Katherine, Tabby and Julie you rock!) who share their talents, knowledge and artistry here on Bridal Musings and the couples who share their beautiful big days. Without them, Bridal Musings wouldn't be where it is today.

– You. It may not seem like much to you but your visits, comments, shares, likes and pins are helping me to live my dream. With your support, I've been able to follow a whole new career path and the flexibility of working online and for myself has meant that I've seen more of the world this year than ever before!

So I'm sending each and every one of you a big, squishy, virtual hug!

GIVING

As I mentioned above, I feel blessed to spend my days immersed in the wonderful world of weddings.

Because, as clichéd as it sounds, I can honestly say that my wedding day was one of the happiest days of my life.

Not because of the pretty dress, delicious food or fancy florals (though they were all rather lovely and I relished the opportunity to be creative) but because I made a commitment to my soul mate and we got to celebrate our love with all of our favourite people in the world.

And I think everybody deserves to experience that.

That's why I've decided to donate a percentage of my income from Bridal Musings each month to a wedding charity close to my heart.

Here are some inspiring wedding charities that are doing amazing things for people in need: 

– Wish Upon A Wedding is a non profit organization in the US providing weddings and vow renewals for couples facing terminal illness and serious life altering circumstances.

photos by Sarah Di Cicco // you can read this Wish Upon A Wedding couple's beautiful love story here

– There is a wonderful organisation operating in the UK called The Wedding Wishing Well Foundation which also provides weddings for terminally ill couples.

I'm in awe of the incredible people behind both of these organisations and all the generous wedding vendors who donate their time, energy and talent to helping couples to celebrate their love under unimaginably sad and difficult circumstances. Each of the couple's strength and enduring love is also a huge inspiration.

– I Do Foundation is a non profit organisation that helps couples raise donations for the charity of their choice in a variety of ways.

– Love Gives Way consists of a community of wedding vendors in the USA who support the work of non-profits that are doing their part to fight sex-trafficking. Couples can search on the Love Gives Way site for wedding vendors who actively donate to the cause.

– Donate My Wedding Dress is not a charity itself but provides a helpful list of charities where brides can donate their wedding dresses.

Please do leave a comment below if there are any other wedding charities that deserve a shout out.

I'm sure there are loads – the wedding industry is filled with kind and generous people!

Elizabeth xx