Prince William and Kate Middleton aren’t the first couple to make charity a part of their wedding, but they are shining the spotlight on one great way to do it: a charity registry.

The royal couple is not alone in their decision to celebrate generously^™ on their special day. In the past year, according to I Do Foundation, the nation’s pioneer in wedding occasion giving, three percent more couples are raising money for charity through their weddings with charity registries and charitable favors. Guests are making larger donations in honor of the newlywed couple (6 percent increase to almost $82 per gift) and each wedding is raising an average of nearly $585 for charity (13 percent increase). Charitable wedding gifts are not only becoming more accepted, but also requested.

Through I Do, couples are including charity in their wedding in several personal and eco-friendly ways:  

1.       Charitable Favors are becoming more popular, as couples opt for a more meaningful thank you gift for guests than traditional trinkets. For Alexandria P., who unexpectedly lost her Mom 10 months before the wedding, charity favors were “the most special and meaningful way” to honor her—with a donation to her favorite charity, the United Service Organizations (USO).

According to I Do, in 2010, wedding favors raised 26 percent more money for charity than the previous year. Couples most often used them to support a specific health cause, remember a loved one or honor military service.

2.      Charity Registries - Like Prince William and Kate, many couples don’t need material gifts or want to avoid wedding overindulgence—choosing instead to express who they are and what they value as they support causes close to their hearts. In Chicago, Jeremy and Katie S. met through their work with the Lutheran Volunteer Corps. “Both of our lives were changed by our nonprofit work,” says Katie, “and we know how important the work is. We were excited to share our wedding day happiness with others through our charity registry and promote giving to our own generation.”

In 2010, donations made through I Do wedding charity registries increased by 3 percent, with 14 percent more charities receiving gifts.

3.      Charity Gift Cards are a newer way charity is becoming a part of weddings. Couples are finding them a great way to thank people who make their special day possible, including family members, wedding party attendants, officiants, musicians, and more. Guests are also giving charity gift cards to couples as their wedding gift and letting them decide, together, the charity they wish to benefit.

To make it easy to select and personalize charity gift cards for every need, I Do has introduced five new ready-to-use wedding e-card designs, including:  A thank you card, wedding gift box, wedding couple, wedding rings, and wedding flowers. E-cards can be conveniently printed at home and given to the recipient or sent—even at the last minute—through email.

I Do offers couples the most ways to give back on their special day and the largest selection of charities from which to choose (more 1.8 million charities working throughout the world). Through I Do, they can also create an online gift registry with leading national stores which have agreed to donate up to 10 percent of purchases to the couples’ favorite charity.

I Do Foundation, started in 2002, has worked with nearly 45,000 couples and granted around $6 million to charity in the past nine years. In late 2009, I Do Foundation joined forces with JustGive,The destination for online charitable giving^® and became the unparalleled leader in charitable weddings.

JustGive, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded by Kendall Webb 11 years ago, has raised more than $170 million in donations for over 60,000 charities—including nearly 7,500 wedding couples who have raised almost $2 million for charity.

Together, JustGive and I Do Foundation are committed to creating new channels of giving and developing innovative ways to make charity a part of every life event.