Charity is an important part of Jewish life. To celebrate one's own joy without thinking of those who do not have as much would be anathema in Judaism. The Bible itself commands that when one harvests food for oneself, one tenth of the crops must be given to the needy in addition to the various other parts of the field that must also be left for those less fortunate. In keeping with this it is very appropriate — in fact many might say, required — to give to the needy as part of one's wedding celebration.

In past times, when a wedding was celebrated in a town, special tables would be set up for the needy so they could come to the wedding and partake, whether they had been invited or not. This is in fact still the custom in larger cities with heavy Jewish concentrations, such as New York or Jerusalem. Outside of these strong and large Jewish communities it may be difficult and fruitless to expect the needy to come and partake.

There are other ways to share one's simcha, one's joyous celebration, with those who are hungry. Many couples make it a point of donating a percentage of the cost of the wedding to organizations that provides food and support to those in need. You can donate food or money to a local food pantry or Jewish direct service charitable organization in your city, or you can choose to donate to a national organization whose mission is the alleviation of hunger.

One well-known organization to which many couples donate funds in honor of their wedding is Mazon, a Jewish organization whose mission is to feed the hungry of the world and to provide for those who are less fortunate. See Appendix D for their website. It is not uncommon for the bride and groom to declare in their wedding booklet the charitable organization to which funds have been donated in honor of the wedding. In this way, everyone knows that the couple has thought about those less fortunate, and this also encourages others to do likewise at their weddings.