Excerpt from Chicago Tribune article January 28, 2004
Internet registers with newlyweds
By Donna Bozzo, Special to the Tribune

Big day for others too

And for the couple who wants to use their big day to make a big difference, there are charity registries. One is JustGive.org (www.justgive.org), which offers an online charity wedding registry for couples looking to create a wish list of their favorite non-profit organizations from a list of 850,000 U.S. charities.

"A charitable gift in a couple's name makes a wonderful and truly meaningful wedding gift," said Kendall Webb, founder and executive director of JustGive.org. "[The registry] enables couples to offer their wedding guests a meaningful and personal option for gifts. And one of the things couples like most about the registry is that it allows them to choose local charities that are in their community and touch their lives directly."

When it comes to registering, how do couples politely spread the news? Naylor says there's an online solution for that.

"It's fine to write registry information in shower invites, but it never goes onto wedding invitations," Naylor said. "Traditionally, it has been spread by word of mouth, but today more and more couples are setting up their own personal wedding Web sites with links to their registries along with links to wedding locations, hotels, and directions.

"It's a smart way to direct your guests to everything they need to know for the wedding, and you skip the etiquette problems about informing guests where the couple is registered."

Copyright 2004 Chicago Tribune Company