Gina and Helen celebrated the 10th anniversary of their civil union with a special twist — ‘upgrading’ their vows and raising funds at the same time for a cause close to both of their hearts.
Gina and Helen had a civil union in 2010, and when the law changed in 2014 to allow same sex marriages, they knew that one day they wanted to do the upgrade.
February this year marked their 10th anniversary, which felt like a good time to do it. “So it was a 10 year anniversary party with a twist!” says Gina.
Not only were Gina and Helen celebrating 10 years of their civil union, but they both celebrated 10 years of volunteering with SPCA Auckland, in the canine department.
“We love dogs and our lives were hugely enriched when we adopted our Cavalier King Charles Spaniels from the SPCA, so we decided we wanted to say thanks and give back to the charity by volunteering there.”
Gina and Helen say it was an easy choice to ask for donations to a favourite cause instead of wedding gifts.
“The SPCA speaks for those who can’t speak for themselves, they protect and rehabilitate animals who have been harmed or neglected by humans, giving them a second chance at happiness. More than that, they also focus on education and changing behaviour towards animals for the future, not just dealing with the bad behaviour of today.” says Gina.
They say they felt lucky to have the opportunity to finally get married, and to celebrate with friends and family in the home they share with their much-loved dogs.
They also loved the idea that others could benefit from their big day, and for the celebration to mean something more.
“We had such a brilliant day celebrating our wedding, so we really did not feel we had missed out by not receiving gifts, and we were delighted by the generosity of our guests who were willing to donate to the SPCA instead.”
Thank you Gina and Helen for choosing to do good and support SPCA to help more of our furry friends ! We know that SPCA New Zealand will appreciate the help to continue doing the good work they do.
If you'd like to add a good twist to a celebration, you can do that to through The Good Registry. We have two simple ways that people can connect, celebrate and show kindness with donations to good causes instead of unwanted or unnecessary gifts:
- Create your own Good Registry for a special event (like Gina and Helen did) and ask friends to donate to a charity you choose.
- Give Good Gift Cards instead of traditional gifts, to show people you are thinking about them, and enable them to donate to charities they care about.
We have 65 partner charities that our Good Sorts can choose to support.
You can hear from other good kiwis and businesses who have used Good Registries and Good Gift Cards to give more simply, sustainably and kindly, on our inspirational Giving Wall.
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