For those readers who may not know, be forewarned: the wedding industry is worth billions and billions (oh, and add a couple more billions) of dollars. From the cake and the dress to the gifts and the centerpieces, money adds up quickly, often times leaving couples with little left to spend at the beginning of their marriage. Newlyweds also end up with a lot of gifts; some are treasured for years to come, while others will only see the light of day when Aunt Edna comes over for Sunday brunch.
Interestingly enough, this is not the case for Chris and Sarah Nicholson. The newlywed couple, who met at Harding University, decided to plan an extremely low-budget wedding and ask their guests to make a donation to the Touch A Life foundation instead of giving them linens, cookware and other presents normally found on wedding registries. To them, no other gift could provide them with more joy than the knowledge that the money used by the Touch A Life Foundation would ultimately save the lives of children throughout the world.
Though the Nicholsons met at Harding, they didn’t begin dating until they both moved to Atlanta after college. They shared more in common than a degree from Harding; both Sarah and Chris had spent time serving in Africa. Sarah participated in a Harding summer program in West Africa while Chris spent an entire year serving in Kenya.
In December 2007, Chris felt a tugging on his heartstrings to return to Kenya. He planned on revisiting the same village where he lived during his year abroad, and he was hoping to reunite with his host family as well. However, due to severe unrest and threatening riots in the country, he nixed his plans to go to Kenya. Despite the unforeseen obstacle, Chris went ahead and pursued his trip to Africa anyway. He called a trusted professor at Harding, who suggested that he spend his time volunteering at the Village of Hope Orphanage in Ghana. Heeding his advice, Chris set off for Ghana during Christmas. He had no idea of how drastically the trip would change his life.
Upon arriving at the orphanage, Chris was bombarded by children who had an overwhelming desire to be loved. He and his traveling companion spent the week simply playing with the kids, setting aside the occasional hour to tutor them in their studies. Though Chris had previously lived in Africa, something about his trip to Ghana struck a chord within him to continue to affect change in the children’s lives even when he returned home.
“What was so touching for me in Ghana was that many of the kids had been in such horrible situations as far as slavery goes,” Chris said. “I was amazed at what those kids had been through and I realized how important it is to help children who aren’t told things that we take for granted, things like saying ‘I love you.’”
Overwhelmed with the reality that it takes relatively little amount of money to rescue a child, Chris proposed that he and Sarah spend less money on their wedding so that they’d be able to purchase the items that most people give to newlyweds as gifts. They would still have the things they’d need while also being able to ask their guests to provide gifts by making a donation to the Touch A Life Foundation.
Chris and Sarah were married on September 6, 2008, at a friend’s home in Atlanta. Though it was no small wedding (there were 375 guests in attendance), the couple managed to keep costs down by holding the reception at their church and by asking their friends to use their talents to play parts in their special day. Loved ones prepared the food, played the music, performed the ceremony and, ultimately, allowed for money to be raised to benefit the children at the Village of Hope.
The Nicholsons raised $3,970 for Touch A Life by asking wedding guests to donate to the cause. But the couple wouldn’t want any praise for their actions. As Chris said, “It’s really not about the fact that we did this for our wedding. Instead, it should emphasize new ways to use your money. A lot can be done with a little. What we did was just offer a way for people to donate and they just stepped up.”
During Christmastime, it is important to remember those who are not as fortunate as many of us. May Chris and Sarah’s story inspire you to maintain a giving spirit throughout this beautiful season.