‘I do,’ they say — but don’t send gifts

After a long engagement and pandemic-related scheduling roadblocks, Diann Maurer and Donovan Poe of Irving felt blessed when the time finally came to tie the knot. They didn’t, however, feel the need for another toaster or blender.

Both in their upper 30s, the couple had accumulated all the traditional go-to wedding gifts — and in some cases had multiples — after years of living on their own.

Maurer, 37, an instructional designer, wanted to forego gifts, but Poe, 38, a licensed pharmacist, had a different idea. If their guests still felt the urge to give, they could donate their time or make a financial gift to the local St. Vincent de Paul pharmacy, which provides free medications to uninsured Texans in need.

Poe had learned about the community pharmacy as a graduate student at the University of North Texas College of Pharmacy in Fort Worth. The “in lieu of” donate or volunteer plan also appealed to Maurer because their guest list included many local pharmacists and pharmacy technicians.

“We liked the idea of volunteering because everybody has student loans to pay, so we wanted to elevate the opportunities to give back in ways of service, rather than just necessarily financially,” Maurer explains.

At St. Vincent de Paul of North Texas, they were “touched” to learn of the couple’s wedding giveback.

“For them to take the spirit of joy that comes with celebrating marriage and use it as a catalyst to help others is unique and inspiring,” says Sean Myers, president of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul of North Texas.

Since their April 6 wedding, the newlyweds have received donation acknowledgment cards from the nonprofit, but they aren’t keeping track. That’s not the point, they say.

Still, Maurer says, “it did feel good to know that all the generosity that people bring to the wedding of their loved ones was being paid forward, as opposed to winding up in our cabinet.”